Mislabeled Dog Food: Feeding This to Your Pet Could Cause Allergic Reactions

[Wylie's Mom]

Alert: Feeding This to Your Pet Could Cause Allergic Reactions

May 04, 2015 | 8,192 views

By Dr. Becker

Many of you may remember the horsemeat scandal in Europe two years ago. Long story short, it was discovered in January 2013 that human foods advertised as containing beef actually contained horsemeat. In some cases 100 percent of the meat content was horsemeat, not beef. Other “beef” products contained random meats such as pork.

The problem came to light when analysis of frozen beef burgers sold in several Irish and British grocery stores revealed the presence of horsemeat. Horsemeat is considered a taboo food in many countries, including the UK and Ireland. The same analysis found that 23 out of 27 samples of beef burgers also contained pig DNA. Pig is a forbidden food in Muslim and Jewish communities.

While the horsemeat issue wasn’t food-safety related, its discovery pointed to a serious breakdown in the traceability of the food supply chain, which increases the likelihood that harmful ingredients could also be present in the human food supply. The scandal eventually spread to 13 other European countries.

UK Researchers Test Pet Foods for Labeling Accuracy

Prompted by the horsemeat scandal, a team of researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Nottingham (UK) evaluated the presence and authenticity of animal sources of protein in a selection of popular canned pet foods sold in the UK.

The researchers first DNA-tested 17 canned pet foods for the presence of cow, chicken, pig, and horse. Then they compared their findings with the information on the pet food labels.
No horsemeat DNA turned up, however, there were abundant proteins from unspecified animals in 14 of the 17 foods. Those 14 samples contained cow, pig, and chicken DNA in various amounts and combinations that were not explicitly identified on product labels.

Seven of the 14 prominently labeled “with beef” contained between 14 and 56 percent cow DNA. Only 2 of the 7 contained more cow DNA than pig and chicken DNA combined. Of the remaining 5 samples, 3 contained more pig than cow DNA.

The 6 foods prominently labeled “chicken” or “with chicken” contained from 1 to 100 percent chicken DNA, and 2 of the 6 contained more pig or cow than chicken DNA.

One tested product that U.S. pet owners may recognize is Hill's Prescription Diet R/D Feline Weight Loss, which was labeled as containing chicken, but no chicken DNA was found.

Other examples:1

Dog Food-----------------------% Beef Pork Chicken
Bakers As Good As It Looks Succulent Stew with Beef 15% 22% 63%
Butcher’s Natural Nutrition with Beef and Liver 51% 0% 49%
Cooperative Gourmet Terrine with Chicken and Game 87% 12% 1%

Cat Food ------------------------% Beef Pork Chicken
Cooperative Supreme Chunks in Gravy with Beef 14% 13% 73%
Felix Complete with Beef 19% 36% 45%
Gourmet Solitaire with Beef 56% 24% 20%

Pet Food Industry Needs to Show Greater Transparency to Customers

The University of Nottingham researchers concluded that:

“There is a need for the pet food industry to show greater transparency to customers in the disclosure of the types of animal proteins (animal species and tissue types) in their products.
‘Full disclosure of animal contents will (a) allow more informed choices to be made on purchases which are particularly important for pets with food allergies, (b) reduce the risk of product misinterpretation by shoppers, and (c) avoid potential religious concerns.”

Their findings were published in March 2015 in the journal Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica.2

While these findings relate to pet food sold in Europe, the US has its own mislabeling concerns.

US Pet Foods Are Also Frequently Mislabeled

In 2012, a survey of dog foods found that 10 out of 21 were mislabeled.3 Some products contained animal protein not listed on the ingredient label, some contained none of a listed animal protein, and several contained high levels of gluten but listed no gluten source on the label and/or were labeled either gluten- or grain-free.

In August 2014, another pet food labeling study was published in which 20 of 52 dog and cat foods were mislabeled.4 Of the 20, 16 contained meat species that were not listed on the product label, with pork being the most common unlisted ingredient. In three cases, one or two meat species were substituted for other meat species.

If you have a pet with allergies or who needs a novel protein diet to manage food sensitivities or a bowel disorder, I recommend you contact the manufacturer of the pet food you buy and ask how, and how often, they verify the authenticity of their ingredients.

Another option is to feed your dog or cat species-appropriate meals from your own kitchen with fresh ingredients you select. If you decide to give it a try, remember that balanced nutrition is critically important when preparing homemade pet meals.

[jp4m2]

I can't really say I'm surprised by this. If the human food supply has a multitude of issues we really can't expect the pet food to be any better. it's going to be worse...Doesn't really mean much any more when a manufacturer tries to promote quality control, inspections and testing yet the product says otherwise.

[107barney]

I don't see how comparing Europe's mislabeling problem to the U.S. leads to a conclusion that a dog can have an allergy here in the U.S. But I suppose anything is possible. Since I consider myself open minded, the way to avoid such problems is to go with a reputable company with superior quality control like Royal Canin, Hills, and Purina.

[Doodlebug]

I am surprised to see a Hill's prescription diet on there. This is concerning.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by Doodlebug

I am surprised to see a Hill's prescription diet on there. This is concerning.

No it isn't. It's just fear mongering by holistic vets to push the products and services that they want to sell and promote. Please take information like this with a grain of salt.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by 107barney

I don't see how comparing Europe's mislabeling problem to the U.S. leads to a conclusion that a dog can have an allergy here in the U.S. But I suppose anything is possible. Since I consider myself open minded, the way to avoid such problems is to go with a reputable company with superior quality control like Royal Canin, Hills, and Purina.

They're saying that dog food labels can be mislabeled - and if a food is in a bag that's an allergen, it can cause issues for a dog who is allergic...what's unclear or confusing for you about that?

Btw, HILLS was one that was mislabeled: "One tested product that U.S. pet owners may recognize is Hill's Prescription Diet R/D Feline Weight Loss, which was labeled as containing chicken, but no chicken DNA was found."

I didn't understand the segue of "Since I'm open minded, the way to avoid..."...what did being open minded have to do w/ what followed that statement? I didn't understand the comment or how/where it fit. Did you mean something else?

[Doodlebug]

Originally Posted by 107barney

No it isn't. It's just fear mongering by holistic vets to push the products and services that they want to sell and promote. Please take information like this with a grain of salt.

Thanks, will do.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

They're saying that dog food labels can be mislabeled - and if a food is in a bag that's an allergen, it can cause issues for a dog who is allergic...what's unclear or confusing for you about that?

Btw, HILLS was one that was mislabeled: "One tested product that U.S. pet owners may recognize is Hill's Prescription Diet R/D Feline Weight Loss, which was labeled as containing chicken, but no chicken DNA was found."

I didn't understand the segue of "Since I'm open minded, the way to avoid..."...what did being open minded have to do w/ what followed that statement? I didn't understand the comment or how/where it fit. Did you mean something else?

It's why I don't like co-packers.
No I didn't mean anything else.
No, I'm not confused in the least.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by 107barney

No it isn't. It's just fear mongering by holistic vets to push the products and services that they want to sell and promote. Please take information like this with a grain of salt.

KNOCK THIS OFF.

This is just a flippin' article. If you have a problem w/ it, then either don't read it or MOVE ON.

If you have something to add to this discussion, great. If you're just going to sit there and denigrate stuff that isn't even there, then you need to just step out.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

KNOCK THIS OFF.

This is just a flippin' article. If you have a problem w/ it, then either don't read it or MOVE ON.

If you have something to add to this discussion, great. If you're just going to sit there and denigrate stuff that isn't even there, then you need to just step out.

Yes, it's an article, one with conspiracy theories and misinformation, as is usually obtained from the mercola compound. I'm truly confused. Just yesterday, you commented that conventional vets fear monger about raw food. That was your opinion. I did not comment on it, although I disagreed. Would you PLEASE clarify when it is ok to use the word "FEAR MONGER" ? Is it only ok for you?

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by 107barney

Yes, it's an article, one with conspiracy theories and misinformation, as is usually obtained from the mercola compound. I'm truly confused. Just yesterday, you commented that conventional vets fear monger about raw food. That was your opinion. I did not comment on it, although I disagreed. Would you PLEASE clarify when it is ok to use the word "FEAR MONGER" ? Is it only ok for you?

Where did I say that you could not use the words fear monger?

[yorkiemini]

Don't mean to be harsh, but, I couldn't help latching on to the term "mislabeled" -- sounds more like fraudulently labeled. I want to know exactly what is in the food I/my dog is consuming. If they are making it, it does not seem like a difficult task to label it correctly - they know what they are putting into it! If they don't, there seems to be reason for suspicion.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by Doodlebug

I am surprised to see a Hill's prescription diet on there. This is concerning.

R/D canned is not labeled as having chicken, but chicken liver 'flavor'.

[megansmomma]

I have just spent the last hour trying to follow all of the links in the posted article and from what I can tell the mentioned testing is linked back to Mercola articles written by Dr. Becker all the way back to 2007. I'm very interested if anyone has a link to what I would presume was a recall of the mentioned food.

[Doodlebug]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

R/D canned is not labeled as having chicken, but chicken liver 'flavor'.

I would be more concerned if the label DID NOT show that there was chicken in it and it DID contain chicken, since Daisy seems to have a chicken allergy. My vet called Hills and spoke to their nutritionist to find a good safe food for her in the Hills prescription line. She is on the Hills prescription d/d (salmon formula) for skin support now. I have decided for myself, I am looking at dog food labels and have no clue about chicken liver flavor, chicken broth etc. Can she have foods containing those things if she has a chicken allergy? How about turkey? Are eggs bad for her? So I have decided to put my trust in my vet and the nutritionists at Hills to recommend a good food for my girl. They know so much more than I do. I hope I am doing the right thing.

By the way, thanks Ellie May, you have provided a lot of good and helpful information over the years and I just want you to know how much I appreciate it.