The Clean Label Project lately revealed a brand new research primarily based on their testing of “79 top-selling dry, freeze-dried, and contemporary/frozen pet food merchandise”. Their outcomes had been revealed within the White Paper “Extremely High Levels of Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, and Cadmium Found in Dry Dog Food.”
“The Clear Label Mission discovered an exceedingly excessive quantity of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in dry, air-dried, and freeze-dried pet food. As a result of there are few rules for pet food associated to contaminants, Clear Label Mission in contrast these findings to information from 3,280 meals, beverage, and complement samples examined over the previous 10 years, utilizing the averages for instance the elevated contaminant ranges in pet food in comparison with human-consumable merchandise. Over 85% of pet food house owners feed their canine dry pet food.”
“Contemporary/Frozen pet food samples we examined had been decrease in contaminants than our human consumables benchmark from over 3,280 merchandise. Moreover, on common, contemporary/frozen pet food was discovered to have exponentially decrease contaminants than dry pet food.”
“This research underscores the pressing want to handle the shortage of federal rules on heavy metals in pet food.”
From their revealed report:
Clear Label Mission didn’t present the person outcomes for every model examined, however they did present a full listing of merchandise examined. You may view these Here.
As regarding as these outcomes are, there’s something much more regarding behind these lab outcomes.
Utilizing the instance of lead…
FDA rules on the most degree of lead allowed in bottled water is 5 ppb.
EPA action level of lead in faucet water is 15 ppb.
FDA regulation on the most degree of lead in children’s dry cereal is 20 ppb.
FDA’s motion degree for lead in pet food is 10,000 ppb.

The FDA states: “Whereas the FDA CVM has not promulgated steering, motion ranges, or tolerances for heavy metallic ranges in animal meals, the FDA has—and makes use of—the authority to take motion on a case-by-case foundation the place a specific animal meals is discovered by means of routine or focused testing to be adulterated. That is achieved by bearing in mind info offered within the Nationwide Analysis Council of the Nationwide Academies Mineral Tolerance of Animals e-book (NRC) in addition to info offered within the Affiliation of American Feed Management Officers Official Publication (AAFCO OP).“
The issue is…the Nationwide Analysis Council Mineral Tolerance of Animals e-book has not been up to date in additional than 20 years. The e-book was revealed in 2005, primarily based on revealed science previous to 2005.
Human meals/water heavy metallic contamination is monitored and the science is up to date. However not pet meals.
10,000 elements per billion of lead allowed in pet meals is unacceptable.
Pet meals contamination by heavy metals and quite a few different contaminants will NOT change till the science is up to date. FDA won’t take motion in opposition to poisonous ranges of contamination, AAFCO won’t set up heavy metallic maximums till the science is up to date.
We urge each pet proprietor to insist that FDA companion with the Nationwide Analysis Council to instantly replace the 2005 Mineral Tolerance of Animals. Pet meals/animal feed is all the time placed on the again burner of FDA’s ‘to do’ listing. Our pets deserve up to date science. FDA Heart for Veterinary Drugs electronic mail: AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov
Susan Thixton
Pet Meals Security Advocate
Creator Purchaser Beware, Co-Creator Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Discover Wholesome Pet Meals in Your Space Click Here
The 2026 Listing
Our trusted ‘listing’ of pet meals. Click Here to study extra.
The 2025/26 Deal with Listing
Susan’s Listing of trusted pet deal with producers. Click Here to study extra.
Affiliation for Fact in Pet Meals is a stakeholder group representing pet meals shoppers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend conferences and voice client considerations with regulatory authorities. Click Here to study extra.



