FOR MORE INFORMATION

David Kirkpatrick
Phone: 847-285-6782
Cell: 847-409-0519
e-mail: dkirkpatrick@avma.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 11, 2009

Schaumburg, IL

— The world of pet food can be a dizzying place. Who makes what? Is the industry regulated? What information is – and isn't – included on pet food labels? Have things changed at all since the massive pet food recall in 2007?

Those questions and many more will be answered during a half-day program on pet food at the American Veterinary Medical Association's 146th Annual Convention July 11-14 in Seattle, Wash.

The United States pet food market "is huge, many times the size of the entire animal health product industry," according to Dr. David Dzanis, a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition. "Pet owners have long utilized the veterinarian as a resource for information about pet foods. Recent events have brought increased scrutiny as to how pet foods are made and regulated, and many pet owners are concerned."

Dzanis will present about four hours worth of programming on Saturday, July 11, at the AVMA Convention, digging into topics such as "What Veterinarians Should Know About Pet Foods," "Pet Food Math," "Pet Food Myths and Fallacies," and "Pet Food Safety and the Veterinarian."

Pet food manufacturers come in all sizes, ranging from the largest corporations to the smallest operations. Regardless of who makes it, though, all pet food is subject to regulation at both the federal and state levels. And when it comes to overseeing the pet food industry and what's in pet food and how it's labeled, veterinarians and the general public turn to the Food and Drug Administration, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and state agencies that require product registration and licensing of manufacturers and distributors.

As part of his presentation, Dzanis will outline the roles and responsibilities of each agency involved in pet food control and safety, and he'll talk about the role of dietary supplements, therapeutic diets, treats and chews.

Dzanis will also address how veterinarians and pet owners can get the nutritional information they need from those often-confusing pet food labels.

"With a few resources and appropriate calculations, one can glean considerable information about the nutrient content of a pet food, treat or supplement and how it compares to the animal's nutritional needs," Dzanis said.

Pet owners can be just as finicky as their animal companions when it comes to choosing food for their pets. Dzanis cautions that finding good information on pet foods can be tricky, and that there is a "plethora of myths and fallacies" out there regarding pet foods, their wholesomeness and their safety.

He cites "natural, organic and holistic" pet foods as examples that require a good understanding of the terms and what makes them different from conventional pet foods.

"Many pet owners assume a 'natural' pet food contains better ingredients, and is hence safer than conventional foods," Dzanis says. "By AAFCO definition, a 'natural' product essentially excludes all ingredients that are chemically synthetic. However, it is highly infeasible to formulate a complete and balanced product without reliance on some synthetic trace nutrients like vitamins, minerals and taurine. Thus, the use of the term in most cases requires further qualification."

Despite the fact that the nation's largest pet food crisis occurred more than two years ago, the recall of 2007 remains fresh on the minds of many. Dzanis will explore the recall and what has transpired since.

"The extensive recall of a large number of pet foods under many different brand and company names in 2007 was unprecedented," Dzanis said. "The government, industry and public were simply overwhelmed as the recall was unfolding."

And with the recall came calls for change, from pet owners, veterinarians and even the United States Congress.

"Subsequent to the U.S. congressional hearings during the recall, a law was enacted in September 2007," Dzanis said. Entitled The Food & Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007, only a small portion of the act pertains to pet food per se. However, what it does say about pet foods will have a dramatic impact on both the government and industry."