Where's PETA ???

[Guest guest]

We're going to be forced to feed irradiated foods to

our pets.

Get ready for bigger vet bills. Where's PETA ???

 

FDA ok's IBA'sPetition to Irradiate Pet Food, Animal

Feed

by Bryan Salvage on 4/11/01 for

www.meatingplace.com

 

Many types of domestic pet food can now be

irradiated to protect dogs, cats and their owners

against potentially deadly bacteria in their

food.

 

Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration

approved a petition to irradiate pet food, which

was filed by the Memphis, Tenn.-based Food Safety

Division of IBA, a world leader in

irradiation technology.

 

Under the terms of the FDA approval, bagged

complete diets, packaged feeds, feed

ingredients and dog chews, such as pigs' ears and

rawhides are all approved for treatment by

irradiation. Also approved are dry farm animal

feeds, birdseeds and fish food. Canned pet

food was not approved for irradiation, an FDA

spokesman told The Meatingplace.com

 

Benefits animals and people

 

Some readers of The Meatingplace.com may be

saying to themselves, “That's great

news for pets, but it doesn't mean much to

people.”

 

Wrong.

 

Salmonella remains a threat to pet foods, animal

feed and those that handle these products,

despite stringent processing standards and the

increasing food safety efforts of major pet

food manufacturers. Contaminated food can sicken

pets, but it presents the greatest

potential threat to pet owners, particularly

children.

 

This move to treat pet foods follows similar FDA

and Agriculture Department approvals for use

of irradiation on human food. Pork, poultry and

beef are all approved for treatment by

irradiation, and there is a growing worldwide

demand for safer and cleaner fruits and

vegetables treated by irradiation. This is the

only tool that can assure at least 99.9 percent of

the insects and disease causing bacteria are

eliminated, states the petition's sponsor.

 

“This is welcomed news for pet food manufacturers

and pet owners everywhere,” said Tom

Mates, vice president of commodity products at

IBA's Food Safety Division. “Pet food

manufacturers have worked continuously to

eliminate pathogens like salmonella from the

production process but now have full approval to

use the only tool that can treat these

products after they have been packaged and

sealed. This eliminates any chance of

recontamination.”

 

Major salmonella outbreaks in pet chews produced

in Canada in the fall of 1999 caused more

than 30 serious illnesses, most cases in children

who were feeding the chews to their dogs.

The outbreaks resulted in 10 voluntary recalls

and lead Health Canada to issue public

warnings and health advisories. Following this,

and subsequent outbreaks in the United

States and Europe, the FDA allowed pet chew

manufacturers to treat pet chews with

irradiation on a case-by-case basis under special

letters, to ensure manufacturers had access

to a solution until this full approval could be

issued.

 

“Other than a guarantee of safer food for our

pets and animals, the immediate impact from this

approval will be to greatly reduce the risk of

contaminated pet food in the home,” said Pat

Adams, president of IBA's Food Safety Division.

“This will protect children, seniors and

anyone with a weakened immune system, such as

diabetics, cancer survivors or people who

have recently undergone surgery.

 

“Beyond this, irradiation of bulk feeds for

cattle, swine and poultry may also reduce the

transmission of bacteria to these animals and

reduce the risk of contamination in the human

food chain when people eat these products,” he

added. “This is one more step in the

ongoing fight for food safety.

 

“Pet owners need to practice safe food handling

practices after handling pet treats, including

washing hands thoroughly in warm water and soap

after any contact,” the FDA spokesman

added.

 

For more information on IBA, log onto IBA.be