Should Pet Owners Still Be Concerned With Imported Pet Foods?
Susan Thixton
Worries of imported products from China continue. The day before Valentines Day a small shard of metal was found in a child's valentine candy - thank goodness it was discovered before a child was hurt. This candy, like so many other recalled products recently - was made in China.
I don't know how long it's going to take China to get their act together or if they ever will - but concerns of imported Chinese products and ingredients are real and on-going.As a pet owner - you must be very diligent to avoid any pet food, treat, toy, anything that your pet could consume - that is made in or has an ingredient from China or other risky countriesor be ready to accept the consequences.
It's not my intention to scare the socks off you - but it is my intention to motivate you enough to find out where everything you give your pet is from.Tainted or toxic or dangerous imports from China have been headline news for over a year now - starting with the pet food recall that is one year old this month.I am on the FDA's recall announcement email list - and I receive emails just about every single day regarding recalled products (all products, not just pet food).Butbetter than 60% of all of these recalls have to do with imported products or imported ingredients.The biggest concern for all pet owners was the tainted wheat and corn glutens and since that catastrophe there has been headline recalls from Chinese imported tires, toothpaste, dog treats, children's toys, and now candy.
Please do not become complacent about your pet's food and treats. Please don't get too comfortable - and assume all is well with pet food. All types of recalls are happening on a daily basis mostly due to imported ingredients. You don't want to be caught off guard and not know if your pet is eating food or treats that contain imported ingredients from some country with far less quality control than U.S. products.
The FDA might have a way to go before pet owners feel completely safe with our pet foods. But two things are for certain - the FDA is head and shoulders above China. And right now, the risk of products being tainted, toxic, or dangerous continues to be far greater with imported products than U.S. products.
Please take the time to find out where each ingredient in every product your pet consumes comes from. It should take no more than a ten minute phone call for each manufacturer. That ten minute phone call could be a life saver for your dog or cat. Take pro-active steps to protect the health of your pet.
Ask the manufacturer if they use all U.S. ingredients. If you get a response similar to 'yes, we use all U.S. suppliers' - that is not the information you want. The 'supplier' could be a U.S. company, but the actual ingredient might come from China which was exactly the case with the contaminated wheat and corn gluten that caused the pet food recall last year. Ask specifically 'Does your pet food or pet treat contain ANY ingredient that is from another country other than the U.S.?' From my experience in questioning over 30 different pet food and pet treat manufacturers for Petsumer Report which provides this information to subscribers, often times you feel like an investigative reporter having to dig for the information. Be persistent, this is information that you need and deserve to know.
Not all Chinese imported ingredients or products are dangerous to your pet. However Chinese imports have a proven on-going history of being recalled and potentially dangerous - and there are no signs of improvement. For the health of your pet, find out if you are feeding a food or treat that contains imported ingredients.
Before you buy another bag of pet food, learn the secrets to selecting the safest, healthiest for your pet. Register for the free Truth About Pet Food newsletter and read from a library of pet food articles in Paw's Club. http://www.TruthAboutPetFood.com/PetsumerReport.html pet food, pet food safety, dog food, dog food safety, cat food, cat food safety, imports, Chinese imports, risk from Chinese imports, pet food recall
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