Big Heart Pet Brands investigated over alleged slave labor

Plaintiffs law firm Hagens Berman is investigating Big Heart Pet Brands for allegedly importing fish-based pet food from suppliers who use slave labor.
Hagens Berman alleges that Big Heart Pet Brands imports pet food from Thai Union Frozen Products. According to U.S. customs documents, Thai Union has shipped more than 28 million pounds of seafood-based pet food for some of the top brands sold in the United States.
“Based on our investigation and media reports, Hagens Berman attorneys believe that Thai Union relies on forced or slave labor to catch the fish used in fish-based Meow Mix-brand wet cat foods. These men and boys are victims of many human rights violations: they are trafficked from countries neighboring Thailand, sold to fishing boats by brokers and smugglers, and forced to work under physical violence, emotional abuse, and verbal threats. Reports by the New York Times and The Guardian have recently shed light on these inhumane working conditions,” the law firm said in a press release.
Hagens Berman says that, in violation of California law, Big Heart Pet Brands does not disclose that its supplier, Thai Union, employs these forced labor practices and instead continues to profit from the slave labor that supplies the fish.
Nestle and Mars previously have been sued by consumers accusing the companies of failing to disclose the use of forced labor on boats that supply the fish they use in pet food.
And now several lawmakers are looking to address the problem. In August, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., proposed legislation aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in corporate supply chains. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., has sent a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to put more focus on illegal fishing and on preventing “trafficking and slavery in the fishing industry.”
More than 2,000 enslaved fishermen have been rescued in 2015 as a result of an Associated Press investigation into forced labor on fishing boats in Asia. A multimillion-dollar Thai-Indonesian fishing business has been shut down, at least nine people have been arrested, and two fishing boats have been seized.
 The men saved from the forced labor came from Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos and have been identified or repatriated. Hundreds more have been quietly returned home, so the companies running the fishing businesses can avoid human trafficking allegations.

Petfood facility to produce pet treats from fresh fish

Angell Associates, a supplier of fish products to the petfood industry, has completed a new factory next to its current petfood production facility.
The new facility will produce pet treats from fresh fish, caught within European Commission quota stocks, the company said. Angell also said it is working on developing wet petfood in pouches and cans for dogs and cats.

Ethoxyquin Toxic to Fish & Invert's: How the Industry Should Respond

While researching the effects of Ethoxyquin on pet freshwater invertebrates, I found a 2005 reassessment of inert ingredient tolerance of ethoxyquin, commissioned by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The reassessment states that "studies indicate that ethoxyquin is toxic to aquatic invertebrates, and mildly toxic to fish" when ingested. To my knowledge, the studies cited are the only ones conducted on fish and invertebrates.
The rumor that all fish foods contain ethoxyquin because all fishmeal contains it, is probably what fueled the latest backlash by consumers of dog and cat food. It was further fueled by the suggestion that ethoxyquin could be hidden from the label list of ingredients if it was used to preserve an ingredient in the fish food. This rumor was perpetuated by a fish food manufacturer who was attempting to justify the inclusion of ethoxyquin in their product, and consequently made these statements online.
There are, of course, sources of ethoxyquin-free fishmeal and more are popping up all the time due to the increase in demand for 'natural' products. The rumor stating that all fishmeal MUST contain ethoxyquin would only apply to fishmeal being transported by boat and even then, a special exemption may be obtained. The second rumor stemming from this misleading information regarding labeling is entirely false - ethoxyquin content specifically must be stated on the label, whether it was added intentionally or inadvertently through an ingredient.
This is a classic case of inaccurate information found online by consumers and the damage it can cause to the pet food industry, especially when the source seems reputable.
This brings us to the three points that I will address in this article:
1. Ethoxyquin should not be used in fish/invertebrate food.2. What should we do when a baseless rumor spreads like wildfire online?3. How can the fish food industry turn this fish poo into a salmon steak?
Ethoxyquin should not be used in fish food
This may be a simple matter of educating the manufacturers of fish food, or perhaps informing them that consumers are aware of these facts and they're going to lose money if they don't remove it from their product. We do not increase the bottom line by using less expensive preservatives, if our preservative of choice results in the loss of sales. That is precisely what many manufacturers of dog and cat food concluded when they decided to no longer use ethoxyquin, even though there were no studies proving that it is toxic to mammals.
It is crucial that this preservative no longer be used in fish/invertebrate food, not only to please consumers as it was with dog and cat food, but because it threatens the health of the very creatures its designed to feed. Invertebrates are commonly found in freshwater aquariums today - both shrimp and snails are wildly popular. Those who only keep fish are not at all comforted by the knowledge that ethoxyquin is 'mildly' toxic to fish.
I was unable to obtain a copy of the studies cited by the EPA, but perhaps someone else will have better access to the proper channels. I did contact Wildlife International as they conducted the study for the EPA, but they are unable to release the studies without the EPA's consent. Following are the studies you will be asking the EPA about:
MRID No. 43978101 (1996) Ethoxyquin Technical A Dietary LC50 Study with the Northern Bobwhite
MRID No. 43978301 (1996) Ethoxyquin A 96-Hour Flow-Through Acute Toxicity Test with the Rainbow Trout
MRID No. 43978401 (1996) A 43-Hour Flow-Through Acute Toxicity Test with the Cladoceran
Read the entire blog on Petfood-Connection.

Ethoxyquin redux

Right now, consumer advocates are asking manufacturers about the preservation of fish meal in their products. Read the full column in Petfood Industry.