New FDA Regulations Target Food Safety, Including Pet Food Safety
July 19th, 2011
In the wake of the big melamine recalls and pet deaths as well as ongoing smaller recalls of pet foods, I took a little time to listen to this American Veterinary Medical Association podcast with Dr. Dan McChesney, director of the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) Center for Veterinary Medicine’s Office of Surveillance and Compliance. Here is my recap of that Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) podcast.
Food Safety Modernization Act: Background
McChesney offered this background on why the updated food safety rules (including those that apply to pet food supply safety) are necessary:
- In the U.S., 15% of the food supply is now imported.
- The number of individuals considered at high risk for food-borne illness now sits at 30% of the human populatioin.
- Each year 48 million people get sick from some sort of food-borne illness (that’s 1 in 6).
- Just under 130,000 of them are hospitalized … with about 3,000 dying each year.
McChesney admits these illness numbers are “significant but not astronomical,” but he points out that some short-lived food-borne illnesses can lead to long-term problems, including arthritis and kidney disease.
Food Safety Modernization Act: Focus on Prevention
McChesney explains in the AVMA podcast that the new rules focus on prevention, including:
- Requiring food product makers and suppliers to develop food safety plans that target the most likely problems they’ll face.
- Identifying the possible hazards for certain foods or ingredients
- Better collaboration and shared tools between federal and state food safety officials
- New regulations on any imported foods
McChesney says that the Food Safety Modernization Act addresses things that can go wrong, especially during transportation of foods across the country or around the globe and what he calls “food defense” (keeping us safe from food “attacks,” in other words).
Thanks to the Food Safety Modernization Act the FDA also gained more inspection and recall powers. It can, now, for example institute a mandatory recall, if necessary. In addition, new rules boast stronger registration procedures for food companies with:
- Updated registrations required every 2 years
- FDA ability to “delist” companies, if necessary, which would prevent them from selling products across state lines
When it comes to imported products, McChesney says the Food Safety Modernization Act puts the responsibility for product safety on the shoulders of IMPORTERS. That likely means importers will want their suppliers to implement similar food safety processes.
So, in theory, that means if a TAINTED ingredient comes in from another country, then the pet food manufacturer who used that tainted product would be responsible.
Food Safety Modernization Act: Faster Response
McChesney explains that the FDA also gained the ability to STOP the sale of a product quickly. “In the past,” he says, ” we had to rely on the states to do that.”
I’m not convinced these new FDA food safety regulations will necessarily keep foods safer overall. I do think these are important steps, and I do think it’s good that the FDA can move FASTER to stop potentially dangerous product sales … before more people or pets get sick … if / when something happens.
***
I called the FDA to be sure these new rules indeed apply to both human and pet foods, and I was assured that is the case. At this point, I think it’s hard to say whether or not the Food Safety Modernization Act will keep our pet foods safer or not.
Have you read the new regulations or listened to the podcast? Do you think it’ll make a difference? What are your main concerns?
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Tags: FDA pet food regulations, food safety, Food Safety Modernization Act, new food safety regulations, pet food recalls, pet food safety
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A professional writer based in Colorado, Roxanne Hawn doesn't just love dogs. She deep-down requires them in life. Something inside her genes, perhaps? That's why it's such a joy to write about all things canine. Roxanne began writing about pets in 1995, when she worked for the American Animal Hospital Association and later for the American Humane Association. During this period in her career, Roxanne served on the board of directors for the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (a coalition of animal welfare groups). Roxanne also volunteered for many years at an animal shelter, where she witnessed firsthand what happens when the human-animal bond breaks or never forms.
