EARTHDAY.ORG CALLS ON AMERICA'S PET OWNERS TO TELL THE FDA TO PRIORITIZE PET HEALTH OVER INDUSTRY PROFITS--NOW!

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- EARTHDAY.ORG (EDO), the global leader in Earth Day advocacy, marked by over one billion people worldwide on April 22, is calling on America's pet owners to defend the health of their dogs and cats!

On July 15th, EARTHDAY.ORG released a damning report, Pets vs. Plastics, that exposed how our beloved pets are being fed plastics and other unsafe ingredients. On August 2, just two weeks later, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), announced it was ending the 17 year relationship with the organization known as the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), which had up until then been charged by the FDA for setting standards for pet food ingredients in the United States. This arrangement made it possible for plastics to enter the pet and animal feed food chain:

• Polyethylene is a common type of plastic typically used to make grocery bags and shampoo bottles, but is listed as 'polyethylene roughage replacement', as an acceptable fiber ingredient in animal feed.
• Restaurant waste is a listed ingredient which allows plastic wrappings and utensils to potentially end up in pet food unless specifically removed.
• Plastic identity ear tags, if left on carcass heads at meat rendering plants.
• The AAFCO ingredients list also includes dust as well as pig, cattle and chicken feces as potential ingredients in pet food.

Although euthanized pets are NOT an approved ingredient on any pet food list, there is evidence that the bodies of euthanized dogs and cats do get into pet food. In 2018, Steven Solomon, D.V.M., then in his second year as director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine in the FDA was reported in the Pet Food Industry website as being "startled" by the discovery of the euthanizer drug pentobarbital in some pet foods. The most likely source is euthanized animals.

On top of this barrage of worrying ingredients, the plastic chemicals, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Bisphenol-A (BPA), are also used as coating to line the inside of the majority of pet food cans. All of this is happening under the FDA's watch and ultimately they are responsible for fixing it. But we need to force them to.

"As of October 1, AFFCO at least will no longer set pet food standards, which we take as a win for pet owners, but the battle is not over," said Kathleen Rogers, President of EARTHDAY.ORG. "The FDA has invited public feedback on how best to regulate pet food. We need pet owners to tell them, enough with feces and plastics!"

Here's how pet lovers can make their voices heard by the FDA:

• OPTION 1: Leave comments on the FDA's own online portal, here: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FDA-2024-D-2977-0002.
  It will ask you to select a Comment Category, select ANIMAL FEED INDUSTRY, C0007. You can cut and paste comments from our LETTER or attach the whole document. Remember to add your name and address.
  
  
• OPTION 2: Send written comments by mail, you can use this LETTER, just sign and date it, and post to this address:

Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305),
RE: FDA Enforcement Policy for AAFCO-Defined Animal Feed Ingredients
(HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration,
5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852

The closing date for ALL public comment is SEPTEMBER 9th, 2024

"None of us should be ingesting plastics, including our pets. It has been associated with serious health consequences: from cancers to infertility, liver and kidney issues and more," said Tom Cosgrove, Chief Creative and Content Officer, EARTHDAY.ORG. "We have to tell the FDA that we expect them to protect pets, not the pet industry."

"If we don't all act now, the pet food makers will simply tell the FDA what to do next. The pet food lobby wants less regulation and is backing the implementation of the Purr Bill, to try and make that a reality. This bill ends all state regulation, and gives the pet industry the ability to make medicinal claims not substantiated by the FDA." said Susan Thixton of Truth About Pet Food.

"Pet food manufacturers put profit first," said Kathleen Rogers, President of EARTHDAY.ORG. "Killing regulation saves the industry money and maximizes profits but it could kill our pets in the process. It's time pet owners made a stand."

About EARTHDAY.ORG: Our founders created and organized the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Since then, EARTHDAY.ORG has mobilized over one billion people annually to protect the planet. EARTHDAY.ORG's mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental community worldwide. Learn more at EARTHDAY.ORG.

For Media Inquiries/background/quotes and interviews:
Sarah Davies, [email protected], +1 240 463 1341 (Washington DC)
Terran Fielder, [email protected], +1 661 444 4436 (Washington DC)

SOURCE EARTHDAY.ORG