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At FDA, the safety of food for animals, including our pets,
is just as important as the safety of food for people.
In fact, Congress directed FDA to protect
"articles used for food or drink for man or other animals."
Under this law, we are determined to make sure
the food and treats we give our dogs and cats, of course,
but also companion animals, like horses, hamsters,
birds, and fish, is safe for the animal to eat.
Hello.
My name is Bill Burkholder and I'm a veterinarian
at the Food and Drug Administration's
Center for Veterinary Medicine.
According to law, companies producing canned pet food
must follow a specific set of regulations to eliminate
harmful bacteria inside the can.
These are the same regulations that manufacturers
of canned foods for people must follow.
Pet foods and treats must also be truthfully labeled,
and federal regulations require labels on pet foods and treats
to have four specific pieces of information.
Number one: The label must contain
a list of the ingredients.
Everything that's used to make the product must be listed
on the label.
And manufacturers must use only those ingredients
that have been determined to be safe.
If a manufacturer uses ingredients
that aren't considered safe,
any products containing those ingredients
can be declared to be adulterated.
Declaring a product adulterated gives government officials
legal grounds to take actions to prevent the product
from being sold.
The ingredients must be listed in order of their predominance
in the pet food by weight.
The weights are determined according to the condition
of the ingredients as they go into the product.
And the names of the ingredients used must be the common
or usual name of the ingredient.
For example, sugar must be listed as sugar, not as sucrose,
and corn must be listed as corn, not maize.
The rules for listing and naming ingredients allow purchasers
to know what was used to make the product and to compare
ingredients in one brand of food to another.
Number two: The label must properly identify the product.
A product can't be called a complete diet unless it
supplies all the nutrients the animal requires.
There are many other product identity rules enforced by FDA
and the states.
You can learn more about them by going to FDA's website.
Number three: A pet food label
must include a net quantity statement.
This tells you how much product is in the container.
This can be important because containers can hold
different amounts of product,
even though they appear to be the same size.
And finally, number four:
The label must include the manufacturer's
or distributor's name and address.
This information indicates who has the responsibility
for making sure the pet food is safe and properly labeled.
FDA doesn't work alone to protect the safety
of pet food and treats.
Each of the 50 U.S. states has their own
comprehensive sets of laws and regulations
designed to ensure the safety of pet food products.
Both the states and FDA can inspect
pet food manufacturing facilities to make sure
the appropriate regulations for manufacturing
and labeling products are being followed.
The majority of pet food manufacturers strive
to make safe and accurately labeled products.
Still, problems can arise.
Tons of pet food are manufactured and consumed
every day in the United States.
FDA and the states don't have enough personnel to watch
each can or each bag of pet food as it's being made.
Once in a while, some pet food product causes a problem.
You can find out about recalled pet foods and treats by going to
FDA's website and looking for the section labeled
"Recalls & Alerts."
What should you do if you suspect a problem
with the pet food or treats you bought?
If your pet is showing signs of illness,
the first thing to do is call your veterinarian.
No one else is in a better position to help treat
your sick pet--not FDA,
not the company that manufactured the food,
and not the store that sold it.
After your pet has been treated, report the problem to FDA.
Every state in the U.S. has
a Consumer Complaint Coordinator.
Look for the box labeled "Report a Problem."
Click on the link to report a non-emergency situation.
That's where you'll find the phone number
for your State Coordinator.
Or, you can file a complaint electronically through FDA's
"Safety Reporting Portal."
The document you'll fill out for the portal has several questions
about the specific product,
and about any signs of illness your pet may be showing.
You should try to answer all of the questions.
The more information you provide,
the better FDA will be able to take quick action
to eliminate the problem.
We review all complaints that we receive.
Before I finish, I want to add one other point.
Yes, the law gives us tools to protect the safety
of pet food products,
but we bring more to the task than that.
We also bring dedication.
We do our job to make sure pet food and treats are safe
because we care about animals.
And just like you, many of us at FDA are pet owners
who consider our pets to be members of our families,
so protecting the safety of their food
is extremely important to us, as we know it is to you.
Thank you.
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