Have you seen the movie Food Inc.? It's a must see. I already know where our food comes from - the ugly side of the meat, poultry and corn industries - so I was not grossed out by the movie. The disturbing truth is how inept food safety regulations and food recall systems are in our country. Food safety is not a priority, profit is. There are many strong and reasonable messages in the movie - such as buying local and organic; supporting food safety legistlation; eating less meat; growing home gardens and making the right choices at the grocery check-out line. Our voice and vote to make food safety a top priority happens at the check-out line everyday! There is so much we can do to improve human food safety.
Take for example...Kevin's Law which was introduced in 2005 but never became law. Kevin's Law would have strengthen the U.S. government's ability to prevent contaminated meat and poultry from entering the food supply by (1, 2):
- Requiring the USDA to identify the pathogens that threaten human health (e.g. Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes)
- Requiring the USDA to establish performance standards to reduce the presence of these pathogens in meat and poultry
- Confirming that the USDA has the authority to enforce its own standards by shutting down plants that continually breach basic health standards. Courts have held that the USDA does not have this authority in the absence of explicit authorizing legislation
Another concern is genetically-modified (GM) foods. The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques (3). These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Did you know that the FDA contends that GM foods are not subject to more stringent labeling?!
Bottom Line: Though all these concerns apply to human foods, they are also, similar if not the same, concerns we have with pet foods, too. With the demand for more human-grade food in pet food, it makes sense to address it, right? The way I see it: learning about pet food also means learning about our own food chain, sources, safety and regulations. Better to feed and eat whole foods (not processed) for people and companion animals. Back to basics!
Resources
(1) Kevin's Law - Wikipedia
(3) Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? - Deborah B. Whitman
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