Finally, a place for petsumers: The Association for Truth in Pet Food

UPDATE: I have no association with Susan Thixton of Truth About Pet Food, either personally of professionally, or the Association for Truth in Pet Food.

Today, pet food safety advocates, Susan Thixton and Mollie Morrissette, announced the creation of a consumer association devoted to the safety of commercial pet food. For the first time in U.S. history, consumers, and the pets they love and care for, will have official representation within the industry: the newly formed Association for Truth in Pet Food will be a membership-driven association representing the 62% of U.S. households that own a pet.

Pet Food Safety Crisis

Millions of consumers and their pets are entirely dependent on the safety and quality of commercial pet food. Yet, consumer trust is rapidly eroding due to the alarming increase in number and type of pet food safety problems: Contaminated pet food, tainted treats, formula foul-ups, sick and dying pets, all have left consumers angry and fearful. Government regulators try, but continue to fail, to adequately protect pets, leaving consumers increasingly vulnerable. Because government regulations already allow atrocities to occur without enforcement in pet food, a failure of a pet food manufacturer is of little consequence unless it affect the health of humans.

Free From Scrutiny

The pet food industry has remained insulated, operating in a multi-billion dollar industry bubble, free from the scrutiny of consumers. Until today. The time has come for consumers with pets to have official representation and protection at a time when the safety and quality of pet food is called into question with increasing alarm and frequency.

At a time when the globalization of food reveals the shattering vulnerability of the safety of human food, it is also exposing a much larger, and darker, problem in the safety of food for animals.

Veneer of Safety

Where human food has at least the veneer of safety, pet food and animal feed, food for animals that have no voice and therefore cannot object, are forced to eat waste, garbage, from the human food industry. The pet food industry claims that waste is a complete and balanced, nutritionally complete, and premium pet food has continued to systemically brand-wash consumers into believing a lie.

Pretty Poison

In this country alone, pet food labels are allowed to display pleasing images of choice meats and fresh vegetables, yet inside the bag or can the pet food could actually contain euthanized animals, contaminated meats, or moldy grains and vegetables. Our government has legal provisions allowing waste to be processed into pet food.

The Association for Truth in Pet Food will work to protect pet food consumers and in turn protect their pets in three central ways:

Advocacy

The association will represent consumers, the largest stakeholder in the pet food industry, with pet food regulatory authorities: The Food and Drug Association, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, and the National Organic Standards Board.

Accountability

The association will begin holding the pet food industry accountable. The association will conduct regular, random testing of pet foods with an emphasis on foods suspected of causing illness and death of pets. All positive test results will be provided to federal and state authorities and published publicly.

Education

The association will provide pet food consumers with access to unbiased pet food education. The association will provide much-needed information for consumers, as well as pet professionals, with information how to identify a foodborne illness and report a pet food adverse event to the proper authorities.

Join Us in Changing the Future of Pet Food

The association will be supported entirely by consumers and will not accept donations from for-profit corporations. Membership in the association is a suggested $10 per year. Your membership contribution will not automatically renew, instead you will receive an email reminder to renew your membership should you choose to do so. Members will receive a newsletter to keep you informed of all association activities, accomplishments, and updates.

Your membership contribution to the association will help:

Provide pet food consumers with a voice with regulatory authorities and industry players.
Support the independent testing of suspect and random pet food and pet treat products.
Provide on-going education to pet food consumers and pet professionals.