For a long time, the safeguards that citizens of the United States enjoy in terms of food production have not extended to animals. While the Food and Drug Administration has numerous checks and balances in place in order to protect Americans from the threat of an undeclared allergen, a bacterial contamination, or other types of hazards, producers of food for animals largely existed outside the scope of the agency.
That may now change, though, as the FDA has come out with a proposal that would establish preventative safety measures for foods intended for animals. Much like current rules in place for food for humans, the rules would require all producers and distributors to adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices and to ensure that facilities and workers are in a sufficiently clean state to ensure food safety.
This type of safety measure isn’t thought to only benefit animals. When it comes to food given to a pet, owners are in contact with those products as well, and thus food contaminated with something like Salmonella could make a human ill too. And if some other type of livestock eats contaminated food and then winds up as food for humans, that contamination could transfer to people.
There are some differences in these rules, though. More attention will be paid to ensuring food for animals as the proper balance of nutrients, while the FDA isn’t as concerned about undeclared allergens affecting animals.