On 8/18/26, on behalf of US pet meals customers, we filed a criticism with the Authorities Accountability Workplace evidencing the FDA Heart for Veterinary Drugs’s weak consistency of enforcement of federal legislation in pet meals. We evidenced how FDA Heart for Veterinary Drugs fails US pet meals customers.
The criticism itself was six pages lengthy, under are excerpts.
We deliver this formal discover to the Authorities Accountability Workplace to proof the FDA Heart for Veterinary Drugs (CVM) is engaged in programmatic mismanagement, misallocating its congressional funding. The company has a regulatory historical past of selectively concentrating on some pet meals producers/some
pet meals components and concentrating on enforcement actions solely with some federal legal guidelines, failing to persistently implement all federal legal guidelines throughout all pet meals producers. Public confidence within the company (concerning the regulation of pet meals) is low as a result of recognized incompetencies.
…in a six month time interval, the FDA acquired 1,705 antagonistic occasion stories concerning Purina Pet Meals that included 206 potential pet deaths. There was no Warning Letter issued, a public alert was issued 7 months later disclosing solely 8% of antagonistic occasion stories the company acquired have been investigated.
…the FDA carried out one “Preventive Controls Surveillance“ inspection, not a “for-cause” inspection at one Purina manufacturing plant (Purina has greater than 20 manufacturing crops within the US). Throughout inspection, there have been solely 24 client complaints in whole mentioned with Purina, 9 of which have been unrelated complaints courting again to 2007.
…in public file the company has admitted it workout routines “enforcement discretion” particularly ignoring legislation with some pet meals components. In response to Citizen Petition (FDA-2016-P-3578) the FDA acknowledged (April 2019): “we don’t imagine that the usage of diseased animals or animals that died in any other case than by slaughter to make animal meals poses a security concern and we intend to proceed to train enforcement discretion.”
…the FDA CVM doesn’t have scientific proof these components (unlawful components) are secure for pets to devour.
Most likely the largest challenge of concern with FDA CVM’s operational failures, lack of constant enforcement of legislation, and mismanagement of congressional funding is that US pet meals customers should not knowledgeable of what they’re buying in pet meals merchandise. The FDA CVM permits (as instance) condemned rooster or rooster that died aside from by slaughter to be recognized on the pet meals label as “rooster” – the equivalent title (frequent or common title) of USDA inspected and handed rooster. The company even permits label advertising claims similar to ‘Made with Actual Hen’ and pictures of human edible roasted or grilled rooster when truly the pet meals product comprises condemned or non-slaughtered rooster; permitting US pet meals customers to be deceived.
In essence, congressional funding allotted to FDA CVM is immediately supporting a (secret to customers) waste disposal system by way of pet meals; a secret disposal system 100% facilitated by FDA CVM.
The FDA CVM is failing US pet meals customers, misallocating congressional funding selecting and selecting which legal guidelines they implement, after they need to implement them, and which producer they need to maintain accountable. If belief in FDA CVM is ever to be achieved, the company should present proof to the general public that the company is uniformly implementing all relevant federal meals security legal guidelines in pet meals.
We quoted legal guidelines FDA is ignoring. We supplied actual life examples of FDA CVM’s failures to guard US pets. And we additionally included graphic photos of rendering services in our criticism, hoping to indicate the GAO precisely what FDA CVM permits into pet meals with no disclosure to pet meals customers.
To learn the complete criticism, Click Here.
Now we want your assist.
To carry the FDA CVM accountable for his or her lack of motion, we want the criticism observed by members of Congress, most significantly – members of Congress on the Home Committee on Vitality & Commerce and the Senate Committee on Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions. These two committees have oversight authority of FDA.
Click Here to view the membership of Home Committee on Vitality & Commerce.
Click Here to view the membership of the Senate Committee on Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions.
Click Here to seek out your representatives in Congress.
Please think about sending your Representatives an e mail referencing the Authorities Accountability Workplace submission.
An instance e mail so that you can submit:
On August 18, 2026, Susan Thixton, TruthaboutPetFood.com/Affiliation for Reality in Pet Meals submitted allegations of programmatic mismanagement of the FDA Heart for Veterinary Drugs to the Authorities Accountability Workplace.
The allegations submitted embody:
- Proof the FDA CVM is permitting US pet meals customers to be deceived.
- Proof the FDA CVM is utilizing “enforcement discretion” to permit unlawful waste components to be disposed of into pet meals with no label disclosure.
- Proof the FDA CVM is implementing some legal guidelines on some pet meals producers whereas ignoring the identical legal guidelines with different pet meals producers.
- Proof the FDA CVM has ignored a Congressional requirement to replace ingredient and labeling requirements on pet meals for 17 years (21 USC 2102: Making certain the protection of pet meals (a)(2)).
At present, federal funding of FDA CVM is facilitating a secret waste disposal system by pet meals that almost all US pet homeowners, veterinarians, and even members of Congress are unaware is going on. Please learn the allegations submitted to GAO. I problem you to view the rendering business photos supplied within the report.
On behalf of myself and tens of millions of different US pet meals customers, I ask you to request a GAO report on the allegations submitted. Please request a GAO investigation into the allegations submitted.
Pet meals bought within the US ought to abide by federal legal guidelines and needs to be honestly labeled. At present, as a result of FDA CVM’s inefficient oversight, they aren’t. Please inform me when/in case you request additional data on this challenge concerning the GAO report. I would really like affirmation my voice is being heard.
Be at liberty so as to add in your e mail your individual private frustrations with FDA CVM’s lack of enforcement of legislation.
Private Observe (of encouragement): In our battle towards FDA CVM, we’re proper. No pet meals ought to include undisclosed diseased animal materials or decomposing animal materials. No client needs to be deceived by deceptive advertising on pet meals labels. We’re proper with our frustration with FDA CVM ignoring federal legal guidelines. Nonetheless our proper will solely be acknowledged if we let our members of Congress find out about FDA’s wrongs.
Proper now, members of Congress need our vote this November. This simply is perhaps the right time to make them earn our vote.
Pet homeowners deserve higher from FDA CVM. To get correct regulation of pet meals, all of us must let Congress know what the company is doing (and never doing).
Please take 5 minutes – ship your e mail.
Susan Thixton
Pet Meals Client Advocate
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Discover Wholesome Pet Meals in Your Space Click Here
The 2026 Checklist
Our trusted ‘listing’ of pet meals. Click Here to be taught extra.
The 2026/27 Deal with Checklist
Susan’s Checklist of trusted pet deal with producers. Click Here to be taught extra.
Affiliation for Reality in Pet Meals is a stakeholder group representing pet meals customers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend conferences and voice client issues with regulatory authorities. Click Here to be taught extra.
