The manufacture and sales of pet food is unregulated in Australia, as well as in many other countries. In the USA, the commercial pet food industry is regulated by the FDA and is considered one of the highest regulated products in the country. But what does that mean? It means that a) products used in pet food must be deemed fit for use in pet food, b) food safety standards are met, c) the final product must meet the AAFCO nutritional standards.
What are the standards that a food needs to meet to be deemed fit for use in pet food? That is a very broad criterion. According to the Pet Food Institute is means:
“Ingredients may be approved through AAFCO’s Ingredient Definitions Committee to be listed in their Official Publication.

An ingredient may have gone through the process to receive a Food Additive Petition from FDA which would be listed on the FDA website.

Also on the FDA website, there exists a list of ingredients which are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). Processes exist for companies to self-affirm GRAS.

In addition, ingredients that were in use prior to 1958 and have not caused any issues are considered safe and legal for use.” 

In simple terms, commercial food may have met the above criteria, but may not have. This is not reassuring. 

The pet food industry in Australia is completely unregulated, as is the case with many countries all over the world. This means that pet food manufacturers do not have to meet food quality or nutritional standards. It is one of the reasons so many people are turning away from commercial dog food products and taking the health of their pets into their own hands and raw/fresh feeding their dogs. However, this turn has created another commercial opportunity in the pet food industry: convenience raw and fresh pet food products. Just because the food is raw, it doesn’t mean it is made with quality products or that it is nutritionally adequate for your dog. Commercial pet food is still commercial pet food.

The recent indospicine contamination of the meat from the Victorian knackery that claimed the lives of 15 dogs and the hospitalization of almost 50 others earlier this year has highlighted the unfettered nature of the pet food industry in Australia. Not only was the meat contaminated, but it was also horse meat being sold as kangaroo and beef meat. 

In conjunction with the quality issues with commercial raw/fresh foods, the nutritional aspects are also a concern.  

So how do we ensure our dogs are getting good quality food? The best thing to do is to purchase and prepare the food from scratch. Buying your proteins from a familiar butcher or farmer or purchasing human grade meat from the supermarket are the best, safest options. It is the only way to have a degree of assurance of the food quality and safety of your dog’s food. If you rely on the convenience of pre-made commercial raw products, contact the manufacturers and request information about the ingredients, safety protocols and nutritional content of the food. If consumers demonstrate to pre-made food manufacturers that we want good quality products and product transparency, then maybe we can influence our local raw/fresh food manufacturers.