Recent events have opened our eyes to the realities of commercial pet foods.
Pet food recalls highlight problems with imported wheat gluten contaminated
with the plastic “Melamine” and grains high in molds containing
aflatoxin.
But
there
are
other
unhealthy
ingredients
that
aren’t
being
talked
about.
One
such
ingredient
is
tetra
sodium
pyrophosphate
(TSPP),
used
as
a
thickening
agent
and
emulsifier
in
foods
such
as
Purina's
Friskies
or
Purina
One
Healthy
Kitten
Formula.
TSPP
is
patented
as
a
“palatability
enhancer”
that
somehow
encourages
pets
to
eat
more
of
unappealing
ingredients.
The
hazards
overview
for
TSPP
cautions
that:
"Chronic
ingestion
or
inhalation
may
induce
systemic
phosphorous
poisoning.
Liver
damage,
kidney
damage,
jaw/tooth
abnormalities,
blood
disorders
and
cardiovascular
effects
can
result."
Isn't
feeding
such
items
to
our
animals
daily
considered
"chronic
ingestion"?
Current
pet
food
regulations
allow
manufacturers
to
use
ingredients
that
you
would
never
knowingly
give
to
your
pet.
Most
states
have
abdicated
their
responsibility
for
animal
foods
oversight
and
simply
adopted
the
guidelines
established
by
the
American
Assoc.
of
Feed
Control
Officials
(AAFCO).
The
name
says
it
all,
the
manufacturers
write
their
own
rules
to
allow
them
to
sell
agricultural
waste
products
as
food.
Following
the
recent
recalls
AAFCO
is
now
distancing
themselves
from
responsibility
and
pointing
out
that
animal
food
oversight
is
the
responsibility
of
the
USFDA
so
none
of
this
is
their
fault.
But
it
is
their
members
who
have
written
the
rules
and
who
produce
the
great
majority
of
pet
food.
What can you do? Make your own raw or home cooked pet food. Read labels and
research
companies
whose
products
you
buy.
Look
for
whole
foods
made
entirely
from
human
grade
ingredients
without
GMOs
and
chemical
preservatives.
And
call
your
Senator
or
Congressman
to
demand
that
the
USFDA
actually
do
its
job
-
for
ALL
ingredients!
Just
My
Opinion
-
Kay
Aubrey-Chimene
References:
Purina
Friskies
-
http://www.friskies.com/feeding/dry_detail.aspx?p=151
Purina
One
Healthy
Kitten
Formula
-
http://www.purinaone.com/products_cat_growthdevelop.asp
JT
Baker
Material
Safety
Data
Sheet
-
http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/s4826.htm
TSPP
patent
-
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20010002272.htm
Ann
N.
Martin,
Food
Pets
Die
For:
Shocking
Facts
about
Pet
Food
85,
(NewSage
Press
1997)
American
Assoc.
of
Feed
Control
Officials
-
http://www.AAFCO.org
AAFCO
statement
-
http://aafco.org/Portals/0/Public/petfood_regulations.pdf
