Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, has released a statement regarding the recalls of pet food from China. She states that these voluntary recalls are not enough to protect the nation’s pets.
Two recalls were announced from Nestle Purina Petcare Company and Delmonte. The chicken jerky treats contain residues of an illegal antibiotic. Ms. Hauter states that the Food & Drug Administration “must take action to prevent further pet illnesses and to inform consumers of the safety issues related to these products.”
Since 2007, there have been 2,000 consumer complaints about this product. Hundreds of dogs have died after consuming chicken jerky treats. The government has advised consumers to avoid those products made with imported Chinese ingredients. In fact, the FDA has stated that during their inspections of a Chinese pet food manufacturer and its Malaysian ingredients supplier, they found the companies had falsified records.
She continues, “the FDA has the authority under Sections 206 and 211 of the Food Safety Modernization Act to stop the importation of pet treats from China immediately since the agency was prevented from completing its inspection of the poultry facilities that produce the chicken jerky treats. Additionally, section 211 gives the FDA authority to require retailers that sell the imported treats to post cautionary advisories to alert consumers to safety issues associated with the treats.”
Consumer advocates add that the Obama administration needs to release the proposed FSMA rule regarding preventive controls for animal feed. That rule covers pet food. And they must release the rule that holds importers responsible for the safety of their products. Those two rules have been held at the Office of Management and Budget at the White House for more than a year.
