
Human-Grade Versus Feed-Grade Pet Foods

What are Mycotoxins?
Mycotoxins are produced by mold. Mold is another term for a fungal organism or fungi. Fungi also include mushrooms, yeast, and Dermatophytes (Ringworm). Fungi aren’t inherently bad, but they can cause serious toxicity in the body when consumed or when they enter through other orifices (nose, mouth, skin, etc.). Mycotoxins, including aflatoxin, vomitoxin, and others, damage the liver, kidneys, and digestive tract, and weaken the immune system. Mycotoxins are also carcinogenic (cancer-causing), which should get owners thinking about the role pet foods and treats containing feed-grade ingredients may have contributed in the development of their pet’s cancer. Moldy grains are the primary source of mycoxotins in pet foods and treats, but proteins and fats also foster mold growth. Mold thrives when the appropriate environmental conditions of moisture, darkness, and warmth occur. Your pet’s dry or canned food can harbor mycotoxins, or mycotoxins can be produced by mold that flourishes in the bowl, trashcan, soil, or other household locations. Since grains are often the culprit for mycotoxin contamination of pet foods, I feel the movement for commercially available foods to be grain-free is a good thing. I’m not against pets eating human-grade, whole grains as part of their diets, as long as they don’t make up the majority of a meal’s portion and as long as the type of grains are rotated. Can My Pet’s Food Be Contaminated by Waste Products and Chemicals? Yes, your pet’s food or treats can contain waste products from other animals or insects and various chemicals. According to FDA Compliance Policy CPG Sec. 675.100: Diversion of Contaminated Food for Animal Use, the FDA “does not object to the diversion to animal feed of human food adulterated with rodent, roach, or bird excreta.” Excreta includes feces and urine, which can contain a variety of harmful components like pathogenic (harmful) bacteria (Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli), parasites, viruses, or other noxious substances. The pet eating the contaminated food isn’t the only one in the household at risk. Other pets or humans in the house can also be affected by components of animal and insect excreta, especially pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella. Juvenile, geriatric, and sick pets and people are most at risk of suffering toxic reactions to pathogenic organisms. Additionally, CPG Sec. 675.200: Diversion of Adulterated Food to Acceptable Animal Feed Use, states that the Center for Veterinary Medicine, HFV-230, “will consider the requests for diversion of food considered adulterated for human use in all situations where the diverted food will be acceptable for its intended animal food use. Such situations may include: a. Pesticide contamination in excess of the permitted tolerance or action level. b. Pesticide contamination where the pesticide involved is unapproved for use on a food or feed commodity. c. Contamination by industrial chemicals. d. Contamination by natural toxicants. e. Contamination by filth. f. Microbiological contamination. g. Over tolerance or unpermitted drug residues." Filth is one of my favorite terms for the all encompassing image it lends to any substances it is describing. Yet, I certainly don’t want Cardiff’s or my patients’ foods or treats containing filth of any kind. Both raw and cooked foods can contain pathogenic bacteria, mycotoxins, and other harmful substances, so I recommend that owners frequently reference the FDA’s Recalls & Withdrawals page to see if their pet’s food or treats has been recalled and why. Susan Thixton’s Truth About Pet Food is another great resource for recalls and sometimes yields shocking information about the pet food industry. Sign up for e-mail delivery of Thixton’s blog to have important notifications delivered directly to your inbox. Are Human-Grade Foods Regulated Differently from Feed-Grade Foods?
