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Response from Senator Dianne Feinstein
- 12-9-2008
- Categorized in: Pet Food News
Dear Ms. Kaarto:
Thank you for writing to express your concerns about contaminated pet food. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.
First, let me say that my heart goes out to all families who have lost a pet due to contaminated pet food. I believe that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to reexamine its inspection and notification processes so that these situations are avoided in the future. On April 12, 2007, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; of which I am a member, held a hearing on this issue. After investigating the sources of last year's contaminated food, the FDA determined that the toxic ingredient came from wheat gluten in China. As a result, on February 6th, 2008, executives from two Chinese firms and an American company were indicted for their roles in importing pet food containing melamine- contaminated wheat gluten.
On May 2, 2007, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) introduced the "Human and Pet Food Safety Act of 2007" (S. 1274), which would grant the Secretary of Health and Human Services authority to declare recalls and require additional certification and auditing for pet food. Specifically, the bill would establish stricter processing and ingredient standards, labeling standards, and an early warning system to prevent outbreaks of contaminated food. S. 1274 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Although I am not a member of this committee, I will keep your thoughts in mind should this bill come before the full Senate.
As you may know, portions of S. 1274 requiring the FDA to gather information and notify the public of recalls were included in the Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act, which was signed into law on September 27, 2007. I suggest visiting the FDA's pet food recall website if you have further concerns about the food you are giving your pet. The site can be found at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall.
Again, thank you for writing. I hope you will continue to keep in touch on matters of importance to you. Should you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
Thank you for writing to express your concerns about contaminated pet food. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome the opportunity to respond.
First, let me say that my heart goes out to all families who have lost a pet due to contaminated pet food. I believe that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to reexamine its inspection and notification processes so that these situations are avoided in the future. On April 12, 2007, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; of which I am a member, held a hearing on this issue. After investigating the sources of last year's contaminated food, the FDA determined that the toxic ingredient came from wheat gluten in China. As a result, on February 6th, 2008, executives from two Chinese firms and an American company were indicted for their roles in importing pet food containing melamine- contaminated wheat gluten.
On May 2, 2007, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) introduced the "Human and Pet Food Safety Act of 2007" (S. 1274), which would grant the Secretary of Health and Human Services authority to declare recalls and require additional certification and auditing for pet food. Specifically, the bill would establish stricter processing and ingredient standards, labeling standards, and an early warning system to prevent outbreaks of contaminated food. S. 1274 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Although I am not a member of this committee, I will keep your thoughts in mind should this bill come before the full Senate.
As you may know, portions of S. 1274 requiring the FDA to gather information and notify the public of recalls were included in the Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act, which was signed into law on September 27, 2007. I suggest visiting the FDA's pet food recall website if you have further concerns about the food you are giving your pet. The site can be found at http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/petfoodrecall.
Again, thank you for writing. I hope you will continue to keep in touch on matters of importance to you. Should you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841.
Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator