Food protection group focuses attention on pet food safety

The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) recently met for its annual meeting, and focused some of its attention on pet food safety.
Salmonella contamination in pet food was discussed by Robert Buchanan, Ph.D., director of the Center for Food Safety and Security Systems at the University of Maryland, Lee Anne Palmer, VMD, MPH, supervisory veterinary medical officer at the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), and regulatory attorney Karl Nobert of The Nobert Group L.L.C.
Recently, several companies including Nature’s Variety, Bravo, Natural Dog Co. and Boulder Dog Food had to issue recalls of some of their products for possible Salmonella contamination.
In June, FDA said it is looking into ways to minimize the incidence of foodborne illness associated with pet food and treats.
And, in May, FDA published draft guidance on mandatory food recall authority as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 (FSMA). The guidance gives the government authority to order a responsible party to recall food when FDA determines there is a reasonable probability that the food is adulterated or misbranded, and that the use of the food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals. Dietary supplements also are included under this guidance. After the FDA decides a product should be recalled, it must give the company the opportunity to recall it voluntarily. If the company chooses not to conduct a voluntary recall, FDA can order it to stop selling the food and hold a hearing. After that, the FDA commissioner can order a recall.