1,132 days ago, we submitted a citizen's presentation to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and asked the agency to give pet food consumers with openness to what they buy for their cats and dogs.
The federal law requires the FDA CVM to respond within 180 days. However, the only answer we have received from the agency is (dated January 11, 2023): “The FDA is currently considering the issues raised by your citizen's presentation. However, the agency will require additional time to give a final answer.”
We have asked FDA CVM several times over the years when we can expect to receive their answers, The agency ignores these issues. The latest requests we have sent to the agency for an estimated date for response to our citizen's presentation was July 7, 2025, July 14, 2025, July 28, 2025 and August 7, 2025. FDA CVM did not respond to any of these requests.
At present (since FDA CVM does not enforce federal teams in pet food), pet owners are not informed if they buy a pet food that may contain very inferior ingredients (feed quality). As an example, 'chicken' that is listed in the ingredient panel for a pet food may be the type of chicken you know; USDA inspected and passed chicken. But, “chicken” listed in the ingredient panel in another pet food can be condemned, sick, decompose chicken. Even pet foods that claim “made with real chicken” may be to buy damned, sick, disintegrate chicken without revealing on the pet matthet.
Furthermore, it is not just chicken. Each ingredient in pet food has a unique definition that can be very different from the same ingredient in human food.
The federal law prohibits this type of consumer fraud.
Department 21, Chapter 9 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, Subchapter IV Food, section 341 Definitions and standards for food states:
“When prescribing a definition and standard for identity for food or food class where optional ingredients are allowed, the secretary, in order to promote honesty and fair trade in consumers' interest, shall appoint the optional ingredients to be named on the label.”
Federal law is specific to animal food:
“The Common or usual name of a food, which may be a coined term, Shall accurately identify or describe, in as simple and direct term as a possible, the basic of the food or its character dials or ingredients or ingredients. and may not be confusingly similes to the name of any other food that is not reasonally encompassed within the same name.
These laws mean that condemned, sick, disintegrating chicken cannot be named 'chicken' (on a pet food label) because it is “Confusingly similar” to the USDA inspected and passed chicken. Damned, sick, disintegration of chicken is one “Underclass” of the USDA inspected and approved chicken and law requires it to be “Given their own common or ordinary name … that separates it …” For consumers of pet food.
Our citizen's presentation suggested that the FDA should require pet manufacturers to label pet foods that either “chicken” (if the ingredient meets the legal requirements in poultry products Inspection Act/USDA inspected and approved) or the subclass “feed quality” (if the ingredient does not meet the legal requirements in chicken). This would be a simple, easily understandable way for pet food consumers to know what they are buying.
Anyway, federal law requires disclosure to consumers … and the FDA CVM must immediately facilitate it -the information of the food label.
But…The agency has delayed responding to our legal request for 1,132 days.
We are asking for your help to push the FDA CVM to answer. Send the agency the following (or similar) e -mail:
E -post: askcvm@fda.hhs.gov
Topic: Dockey ID FDA-2022-P-1643
I request that CVM gives a complete response to the Document ID FDA-20122-P-1643. Law requires that label disclosure of subclass (feed quality) ingredients and pet owners throughout the United States deserve to know what they are buying. Pet owners have waited more than 1130 days for CVM's response, it is long enough. Give consumers for pet foods with openness to what we buy as the presentation of this citizen suggested.
[your name]
Thanks in advance for your help!
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author buyers watch out, co -authors dinner pawsible
Truthabouttfood.com
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