TruthaboutPetFood.com

Sharon Krebs - the extremely helpful Secretary of AAFCO sent me an email that she has arranged for me an interview with AAFCO Officials.  The time will be Wednesday January 18 at 7 PM.   I was asked to send questions in advance.  So I thought I'd share with all of you the questions I've sent and will be asking of AAFCO Officials...

The following are the questions I was asked to send to AAFCO in advance of our interview January 18th...
1.  What are your goals this year with AAFCO?

3.  Why are no consumer representatives on the Pet Food Committee?  Various industries are represented, shouldn't pet owners be represented too?

2.  Most of my questions are specific to pet food, however in regards to all animal feeds - why does AAFCO allow waste ingredients into animal food?  Ingredients such as expired grocery food, poultry litter, rendered euthanized animals.  How can any waste like this be considered nutrition?

4.  Can AAFCO provide consumers with improved ingredient definitions?  For the consumer that does not want waste ingredients to be in their pet's food - the way things are now, we have to do extensive detective work to learn about our pet food.  AAFCO can keep existing ingredient definitions, but why can't there be ingredients, as example, a 'chicken' ingredient that will assure the consumer the chicken is USDA inspected and approved chicken meat?  

5.  With regards to the pet food ingredient poultry, the definition is so broad that a pet food containing a 'poultry' ingredient could include bone and skin with virtually no meat.  Does AAFCO have plans to improve this definition?  Health conscious pet owners want to purchase a pet food made with meat, not skin and bone.  

6.  Would AAFCO consider requiring country of origin of ingredient information on pet food/treat labels?

7.  Since the 2007 recall, a growing number of pet food consumers have lost faith/trust in pet food regulatory authorities.  How does it make you feel that consumers don't trust AAFCO and believes AAFCO places the concerns of industry over the health of pets?  

8.  I'm sure you are aware, several years ago, past AAFCO President Hersh Pendell did a video interview and told the reporter that euthanized pets could be in the pet food ingredient meat and bone meal.  Are you aware of any pet foods or pet treats that contain ingredients sourced from euthanized dogs and cats?  If through DNA testing, any pet food or pet treat was discovered to contain dog or cat, what action would State Department of Agriculture representatives take?  If you can't speak for all State Department of Agricultures, what would you do in your state?  According to current AAFCO regulations, are euthanized pets - any euthanized animal - allowed to be the source or part of the source of a pet food ingredient?  Does AAFCO require renderers to follow regulations or procedures to assure no euthanized pet becomes a pet food ingredient?

9.  Considering that pet obesity is at epidemic levels, why does AAFCO use the Modified Atwater system to report calories instead of food industry standard Atwater?  On one dog food, the calorie difference for a 30# dog was 35,000 calories over a year - AAFCO's Modified Atwater resulted in 35,000 less calorie reporting.  Isn't this contributing to pet obesity?
On the same topic, why is protein and fat listed as a minimum on pet food labels?  Again, considering the number of obese pets, shouldn't the fat percentage (at least) be listed as maximum?

10.  Why can't pet food labels provide nutritional information just like human food - using the FDA Nutrition Label?

11.  Could the Guaranteed Analysis be modified to provide protein percent from animal ingredients and protein percent from other ingredients?  Along this line, so many pet owners are concerned that cat foods are allowed to contain such high levels of grain ingredients; cats being obligate carnivores.  Why are so many carbohydrates allowed in cat foods?

12.  What is the AAFCO stance on silent recalls or product pulls (where pet foods or treats are removed from store shelves without notice to consumers)?

13.  Does AAFCO monitor prescription pet foods for therapeutic effect?  In not, who does?

14.  When will AAFCO establish maximum levels for all vitamins and minerals in pet foods?

I know these aren't all of the questions you submitted; I tried my best to compile a list of questions that best represented the majority of pet parent concerns.  

And another note - the Wednesday Google Plus Hang Out will be after this interview (and after I have completed my notes of the interview).  I would guess around 7:30 PT.  I'll try to send out a Google Plus message ten or fifteen minutes before we begin each evening (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - January 17, 18, and 19. 2012.

'Talk to you' next week,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
PetsumerReport.com

What's in Your Pet's Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients?  Chinese imports?  Petsumer Report tells the 'rest of the story' on over 2500 cat foods, dog foods,  and pet treats.  30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com

The List
The List of pet foods that Susan wouldn't hesitate to feed to her own pets!

  Have you read Buyer Beware?

  Cooking for pets made easy, Dinner PAWsible.

Are you subscribed to Truth About Pet Food Newsletter?  Click Here to subscribe.

Follow Truth about Pet Food on Twitter. 

 Become a Fan of Truth,  Vindication, Dinner PAWsible, Buyer Beware on Facebook.

Find Healthy Pet Foods in Your Area Click Here