The Jerky Treat Debacle: Read the Labels

The latest serious pet product warning was issued on October 22, 2013 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which began what continues to be an ongoing investigation of complaints of animal deaths and illnesses from the ingestion of jerky treat products.  According to the FDA web site, www.fda.gov/animalveterinary, reports involved “3600 dogs, 10 cats and include more than 580 deaths. There does not appear to be a geographic pattern to the case reports.”

It behooves every single pet owner to READ THE LABELS to see where your pet food actually originates and where it is manufactured.  Labels can be confusing to many consumers because sometimes it looks like the products are manufactured in the United States because the primary pet manufacturer is located in the United States.  Every label should also indicate where the food that goes into the products originates – called the “country of origin.”  In this latest pet food investigation, most of the jerky treats in question are sourced from China.  Such news evokes a bilious reaction from pet owners who only too well remember the well-publicized pet food crisis in 2007 involving melamine intentionally added by some Chinese manufacturers to chicken products used in pet food manufactured in the United States.  Thousands of animals died as a result, breaking the hearts of pet owners all across America. 

Here’s what YOU can do before you purchase and feed certain food products to your pets, and you can oftentimes do this on your phone while you’re standing right in front of the product in a store.  Contact the company whose food you wish to purchase and ask what guarantees the company makes with regard to where its products are sourced.  Ask specifically where it purchases its food products that go into the manufacture of the final product.

Pet owners need to also consider whether the pet products they give to their pets are, in and of themselves, the most nutritionally or digestably healthy.  It is of equal importance to learn the proper storage for all pet food and treats.  Do the benefits of jerky treats for the strengthening and cleaning of teeth outweigh the ability of a dog’s stomach to properly digest and eliminate the product in a safe way?  In the FDA explanation of its sample testing procedures, there is a discussion of putting these products through a “stomacher,” a mechanical process which is intended to resemble the digestive process of a real dog stomach. (See online results of “Vet - LIRN Diagnostic Test Rationales and Results, II. Compositional Testing” under Jerky Pet Treat Investigation, “FDA Questions and Answers Regarding Jerky Pet Treats.” (http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary )

Treats made of animal products need to be stored in a safe manner as well.  This is probably a good time to decide whether jerky treats are a good option for your pet, and if not, to look for a healthier alternative.

As a result of the latest public outcry against the lack of regulations over pet product safety, news media sources report that, as of Friday, October 25, the FDA for the first time  proposed a new rule “to protect all animal foods from disease-causing bacteria, chemicals and other contaminants.” (http://www.cnn.com, 10/25/2013)

Manufacturers of pet food products will be required to follow sanitation procedures to prevent food-bourne illnesses in animals and have plans in place to fix any problems that occur.  (For additional information on the new FDA proposal, you can Google “fda pet safety.”)

While no final conclusions have yet been reached regarding the recent jerky treat-related animal illnesses and deaths, this latest pet tragedy has called attention again to the manufacturing practices of pet food companies, the kinds of ingredients that go into pet products, and the myriad ways in which pet products and food can be contaminated.

There are some countries and companies that, because of their horrible choices and the ensuing tragic consequences, are undeserving of having products on anyone's store shelf.  The public is hopefully realizing as well that in our demand for lower prices, we have actually propagated the need for companies to outsource in order to keep prices down.  Outsourcing has in turn played a big part in creating opportunities for ethical avalanches in quality, health, and safety.  A quest for cheaper and cheaper products can very well compromise all that's sacred.  Most of the time, you do get exactly what you pay for.  You, the consumer, have a lot of power in dictating to companies your demands for pet food safety.  Read labels, ask questions, educate yourself as much as you can, and hold tight to your standards.  It's truly a matter of life and death.