The pet food ingredients meat and bone meal, beef and bone meal, animal fat, and animal digest are considered, by many, the worst of the worst.  FDA testing have made the association of euthanized animals with these ingredients.  According to a federal document prepared for Congress in 2004 defining what the rendering industry provides, these rendered pet food ingredients are sourced from "dead animals from farms, ranches, feedlots, marketing barns, animal shelters and other facilities".   

Aren't there laws to prevent such risk ingredients in foods?
Yes, there are.  They are known as the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (The Act).  However, The Act is not enforced with pet foods.  In fact, FDA policies have been devised to specifically allow pet foods and treats to violate the federal laws of The Act.  These FDA policies are known officially as Compliance Policies; these Compliance Policies specifically state "no regulatory action will be considered for animal feed ingredients resulting from the ordinary rendering process of industry, including those using animals which have died otherwise than by slaughter".  To explain - "no regulatory action will be considered" - means no recall or FDA investigation will take place.  And "including those using animals which have died otherwise than by slaughter" means euthanized animals, animals that have died in the field, road kill and much more.  In other words, the FDA Compliance Policies allow illegal foods to enter the marketplace.

Why are these types of ingredients allowed in pet foods?
Simply put, because any other disposal method of dead livestock or diseased animals rejected for use in human foods would be a significant expense to industry (livestock industry - from 2002 estimates, cost to industry would run over $100 million dollars a year if these risk materials were banned for sale).  Dead livestock and rejected for use in human food animals become pet food ingredients because the pet food/pet treat industry is a place to dump waste.  And remember, even though federal food safety laws prohibit these types of risky ingredients in any food - human or animal, the FDA specifically designed compliance policies allowing this material to be dumped into pet foods and treats.

Are there risks to pets and humans from these ingredients of pet food?
Yes, there are significant risks.  Mad Cow Disease is a deadly prion disease; the human version of this disease is known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.  These diseases are spread by consuming infected tissues.  To protect human health, the FDA forbids these animals to be processed into human foods and cosmetics.  To prevent the spread of Mad Cow Disease and similar diseases within the livestock industry, the FDA forbids rendered (cooked) diseased animals to become ingredients of most animal feeds.  But there is no protection offered to dogs and cats.  The FDA compliance policies have been specifically designed to allow rendered diseased animals to become ingredients of pet foods without concern of the health risks.  

The risk to pets from consuming rendered diseased animals, as far as we know currently, is only to cats - not dogs.  The feline prion disease is Feline Spongiform Encephalopathy.  It is unknown what the health risks would be to dogs and cats from consuming rendered diseased animal materials in pet food over their lifetime; one can safely assume these types of ingredients provide little to no quality nutrition.

The risk to humans?  Significant risks are ignored of children/adults consuming a bite of dog food or cat food and the risks are ignored of cross-contamination from the handling of pet food/human food.  New science has shown that these deadly diseases can spread much easier than previously believed.  This research shows that the number of humans and animals that could be 'silent carriers' of prion diseases may be higher than formerly believed.   The very realistic concern is that human 'silent carriers' can spread the disease through blood and/or tissue donations.   

Numerous studies have made startling connections between prion diseases such as Mad Cow Disease and Alzheimer's disease; both diseases involve prion protein and both diseases appear to cause degeneration of the brain.  A 2011 study from the University of Texas Health Science Center goes even further and suggests Alzheimer's disease may "arise from an infectious process, which occurs with other neurological diseases such as mad cow and its human form Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease [CJD]."  An estimated 5.4 million people may have Alzheimer's in the U.S. alone.   

Are the pet food ingredients sourced from diseased and downer animals the Alzheimer's 'infectious process'?  There is no science to prove this connection, however...are these pet food ingredients worth the risk?

The FDA takes the stance of let's wait and see what happens.  

Let's not wait and see what happens.  Please sign this petition asking pet food manufacturers and retailers to voluntarily remove the ingredients meat and bone meal, beef and bone meal, animal fat and animal digest from their foods/treats and ask retailers to immediately remove pet foods/treats that contain these ingredients from store shelves. 

As concerned consumers and petsumers, We the Pet People are requesting...

To manufacturers of pet foods and treats
That you stop producing pet foods using one or more of the following ingredients: meat and bone meal, beef and bone meal, animal fat, and/or animal digest.  

To pet food retailers
That you immediately stop selling pet foods that contain one or more of the following ingredients:  meat and bone meal, beef and bone meal, animal fat, and/or animal digest.  

Our Significant Concern with these Pet Food Ingredients
Recent science has shown that deadly prion diseases (such as Mad Cow Disease) can spread much easier than previously believed.  This research shows that the number of animals that could be 'silent carriers' of prion diseases may be higher than previously believed.  

Downer animals are prevented from use in human food and even human cosmetics because they are considered a significant risk of spreading prion diseases.  Downer animals are prevented from use in ruminant feed for fear of spreading Mad Cow Disease.  
 
We believe the same risk prevention should be applied to pet foods.

Of the known cases of Mad Cow Disease discovered in the U.S., "meat and bone meal from rendered cattle is considered the most likely source of infection." (2007 Report to U.S. Congress)  Despite the risk, meat and bone meal - and similar rendered ingredients beef and bone meal, animal fat, and animal digest continue to be common pet food/treat ingredients.  A 2004 report prepared by the Congressional Research Services for the U.S. Congress explains that rendered pet food ingredients can be obtained from sick and/or downer animals.  FDA research tells us that euthanized animals can be the sources of these pet food ingredients. 

Numerous studies have made startling connections between prion diseases such as Mad Cow Disease and Alzheimer's disease; both diseases involve prion protein and both diseases appear to cause degeneration of the brain.  A 2011 study from the University of Texas Health Science Center goes even further and suggests Alzheimer's disease may "arise from an infectious process, which occurs with other neurological diseases such as mad cow and its human form Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease [CJD]."   

The pet food ingredients meat and bone meal, beef and bone meal, animal fat, and/or animal digest pose a significant risk to human and pet health.  We as concerned educated consumers ask you to voluntarily remove these ingredients from your pet foods and treats and/or stop selling products that include them.