Flashback to Pet Food Recall

This didn't make the news much, but it seems that there are still major problems with importing food ingredients from China. A brief report carried in the May issue of Petfood Industry states that hydrolyzed leather proten, known as a possible carcinogen, was found in batches of dairy products. Someone anonymously tipped authorities that manufacturers were trying yet again to boost apparent protein content of products by adding illegal substances. Leather protein is reported to be similar to melamine (one of the culprits in the major pet food recall), but harder to detect because it is actually a protein, albeit one that happens to be toxic.
When are we going to wake up and smell the roses and realize that we just can't trust products coming in from China? Shoot, we can't trust products coming from our own fields of spinach! We need much tighter inspection of any product coming in from China. If you knew how few inspectors were responsible for supposedly keeping us safe, you would have a panic attack. Fortunately, there are dog foods available that use only U.S.-grown products, certified organic products, and plenty of other safe choices.

Salmonella and Dry Dog Food

There was a news report this morning about an outbreak of salmonella among humans. They blamed it on the handling of dry dog food, and recommended that people wash their hands immediately after handling dog food.
Aren't they missing a rather basic point here? Why is it considered perfectly all right that the dog food is contaminated with salmonella? What about the dogs actually EATING the food?
Food safety in the U.S. is low and deteriorating. The numbers and powers of food inspectors have been seriously eroded over the last decade. We have to eat our hamburgers well done, whether we like them that way or not, or risk an E. coli infection. We can't let chicken touch a kitchen counter without having to disinfect everything in sight. Even washing our spinach and lettuce may not protect us from field contamination with fecal matter. This is all considered perfectly normal.
In my own local area, various political and real estate organizations have declared that there is no need to protect our remaining farmland. Yet these same people profess to be most concerned about terrorism. Well, if terrorists really were to launch a massive attack, wouldn't safe food and water be one of our primary concerns? With transportation likely disrupted, a local food supply would be of prime importance.
But that's my own local hot button issue. On a more national level, why do we put up with such a lack of food safety? There are some pet food manufacturers who have not been involved in the melamine recalls, not suffered a mycotoxin taint in their grain products, been able to supply a safe and healthy product. If you start investigating, you find that nearly all of them use suppliers they know and trust -- not the lowest bidder in China. Many of their products are officially certified organic, which lays a whole new layer of testing and certification on them. Yes, they are more expensive than the supermarket brands. But in my opinion, some peace of mind is worth some expense. I would be willing to pay the same for my own food, and often do, through buying at farmers markets and local grocers rather than international chains.
This is not an issue that gets even a mention during this long long campaign season. Doesn't anyone care if their food is safe?