Senate Hearing Examines Safety, Recall of Pet Food

April 18, 2007

The recent recall of cat and dog food has raised broad concerns about food safety, oversight of pet food, and manufacturing practices. At an April 12 Senate hearing, veterinarians and other witnesses offered their perspectives on the issues.

The experts said no one could have foreseen that melamine, which has uses as a fertilizer in Asia and in the production of plastics, might contaminate the wheat gluten that is an ingredient in certain pet foods—or that melamine or an accompanying agent might contribute to kidney failure in cats and dogs. In hindsight, though, some legislators believe regulations and response still could have been better.

“There are a lot of questions to ask, and we need answers,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who called for the hearing. “That’s why we’re here today—to learn who’s inspecting pet food manufacturing plants, what goes into that food, and whether we need to update our food safety system to protect pets and human health.”

Read article on the American Veterinary Medical Association web site.