Asava Calls For Improvements In Pet Food Labelling

[kyliegirl]

The Australian Small Animal Veterinary Association (ASAVA) is calling for a review of pet food labelling laws in Australia.

According to ASAVA President, Dr Matthew Retchford, there is currently no legislative control in Australia over ingredients in pet food and, in particular, whether preservatives are added. The most common preservative added to pet food is sulphur dioxide (Preservative 220-228), which is sometimes added to fresh meat and processed, unrefrigerated pet food rolls as a method to obtain long shelf life. The preservative masks the signs of putrification, such as bacteria odour and red meat turning brown.

However, sulphur dioxide also rapidly deactivates thiamine (vitamin B1) in pet food. "Thiamine is an essential source of energy for dogs and cats, vital for repairing body tissues and vital for brain function," Retchford says. "Severe deficiency can lead to hemorrhage in the brain and loss of sections of brain tissue."

Evidence of thiamine deficiency in dogs includes poor appetite, loss of body weight, lethargy, lack of interest, wobbliness and, in extreme cases, brain injury charecterised by depression and even leading to death.

"Acute signs of thiamine deficiency as observed by the ASAVA, occur when the dogs are exclusively fed a diet of highly sulphited pet meat," Retchford warns.

The food standard code in Australia and New Zealand, which regulates food for human consumption, states that all raw meat, poultry and game must not contain sulphur dioxide. "But there are no legal requirements for pet companies to list additives and preservatives in labelling text, despite the high levels of sulphur dioxide found in chilled Australian pet foods," Retchford says. "The ASAVA calls for levels of sulphur dioxide and any other preservative in pet food to be kept low enough to not interfere with thiamine levels, and for improvements in pet food labelling to ensure consumers understand what they are putting in their pet's food bowl."

If you choose to feed your pet fresh meat as part of a balanced diet, the ASAVA recommends meat suitable for human consumption and preferably on the bone, but ruling out cooked and flavoured human treats or scraps.

For more information on canine nutrition, keep your paws open for the #90 July/August 2008 edition of Dogs Life, which is a Health and Nutrition Special.

[Muttaburra]

Thanks for this, it is a very important issue to be aware of.

[k9katz]

It is also worth remembering that the lack of legislative control in Australia over ingredients in pet food also applies to all Australian made DRY foods regardless of whether its a cheap supermarket brand or a top premium food. Basically if they dont want to state that a product is used in their food, they dont have to.