Each day in the U.S. millions of pounds of adulterated pet foods are sold to unknowing consumers; an estimated $19 Million dollars worth every single day. Laws that govern pet food/animal feed have been ignored for so long, it’s so bad – so big – it is probably too late for anything other than a warning.

The American Pet Products Association states in 2015 $23 billion worth of pet food was sold in the U.S. An estimated 30% of those sales were for pet food and treats that legally should not have been sold. Should not have been sold because federal and state law define their ingredients as adulterated.

There are many laws governing pet food sold in the U.S. However these laws are of no benefit to consumers if they are not enforced. Consumer advocates Susan Thixton, Mollie Morrissette, Dr. Jean Hofve, Dr. Cathy Alinovi and Nina Wolf took a close look into state and federal law (governing pet food). We found lack of enforcement of pet food law to be so big, involving so many different pet foods and treats – that it is close to impossible to turn back now.

Pet food ingredient definitions are quite specific. The concern with federal and state law enforcement is the legal requirement – within the pet food ingredient definition – to whether it is required or not required to be sourced from a slaughtered animal. Pet food ingredients sourced from a slaughtered animal would be legal (per federal and state law). Pet food ingredients sourced from a non-slaughtered animal would not be legal (per federal and state law).

Examples of non-slaughtered animals we know with certainty are allowed to be included in the pet food ingredients listed below – are livestock animals that have died in the field and spent laying hens. At the AAFCO meeting in August 2015, all consumer advocates in attendance (Susan Thixton, Mollie Morrissette, Dr. Jean Hofve, Nina Wolf, Dr. Cathy Alinovi, Dr. Karen Becker, Dr. Judy Morgan, BC Henchen and Rodney Habib) were witness to the discussion of non-slaughtered spent laying hens ground whole – feathers, feet, feces and all – becoming the pet food ingredients chicken/poultry by-products and chicken/poultry by-product meal.

The legal definition of another ingredient – meat and bone meal – allows the inclusion of “hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure…” Manure – on the non-slaughtered animal body and in the animal – becomes part of the pet food ingredient. Non-slaughtered animals are also most likely to contain high levels of pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli. Though the bacteria is killed in the cooking process of the pet food, there remains potentially dangerous levels of endotoxins that can sicken or kill pets. The USDA states: “The cooking step of the rendering process kills most bacteria, but does not eliminate endotoxins produced by some bacteria during the decay of carcass tissue. These toxins can cause disease, and pet food manufacturers do not test their products for endotoxins.”

Below is a chart of some (not all) commonly used pet food meat/animal protein ingredients. Per their legal definition they are listed in a column that requires them to be sourced from a slaughtered animal (black), or listed in a column that does not require them to be sourced from a slaughtered animal (red). Red/non-slaughtered animal material ingredients are considered adulterated per federal law and state law in 14 states.