I’d like to share an analogy:
Jonnie and Billy are playing in the sandbox. All of a sudden there’s loud yelling, then crying. Upon investigation, one finds Jonnie has a bloody nose and is crying while Billy is holding his Tonka truck.
Maybe it’s not a great analogy but it seems obvious that Billy caused problems and needs discipline. However, any parent knows it’s not always that simple.
It turns out Jonnie fell and smashed his nose while Billy had nothing to do with the accident. He just wanted to play with his toys.
Billy just wanted to play in the sandbox but had his rights to do so taken away by parents and neighbors who didn’t investigate the real problem.
What Billy has experienced is what a pet food manufacturer, Rad Cat, has experienced at the hands of attorneys, regulators, food distributors, and even insurance companies.
Jonnie? Represents the regulators who claim foul play while having creating a problem in the first place.
I hope you do not find my analogy to be obtuse.
I’ve been told several times by pet food manufacturers that even though the state department of agriculture and/or the FDA do not have all of their “evidence“ properly documented, that it’s easier for the pet food manufacturer to recall than to fight for the law to be followed. At first glance, this makes sense – it does take a lot of time and resources to participate in some very aggressive phone calls where the manufacture experiences overt bullying by regulators. There is a lot of sleep loss in pushing back. To make matters worse, most “advisers” will recommend to recall, after all, the advisers would have to work a lot harder as well if the manufacturer fought for what is right and justified under the law.
Furthermore, the perception is that a recall really doesn’t seem to have much impact these days. The human food industry is prolific with food recalls. The aggressive, zero tolerance, stance the FDA has taken, without scientific backing, has created a fearful regulatory marketplace. (Ironically, FSMA was set up under the guidance of helping industry, not destroying it.) In a horrible alignment of too many financial blows, Rad Cat, a manufacturer of raw pet food, who has used high-pressure pasteurization so as to appease the regulatory powers that be, has been driven out of business by the overzealous, unsubstantiated, claims of the federal government. (The manufacturer is still waiting for proof from the government. If it hasn’t arrived after this many months, one is highly suspicious that the proof does not exist!)
The FSMA law says the FDA must: “determine that there is a reasonable possibility that the use of, or exposure to, that animal food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals. Not all animal food that is adulterated has a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.”
The last thing I’m suggesting is that if there’s an honest to goodness health issue, to run from it. The problem is, the perception is is that raw pet food is making animals sick left and right. It’s not.
Evaluation of recall methods for both human food and the conventional pet food industry find that those recall don’t happen until humans are ill! Why is that? Because due diligence means the national and state departments of agriculture, together with the FDA, not only test for presence of bacterial pathogens, but they test which bacterial serovar, as well as if the bacteria is present to a degree that will cause disease.
“Will”. Not “may”.  Big difference.
So when manufacturers have recalls because it’s “easier,” that’s not looking at the big picture. The goal is for all the kids to be able to play in the sandbox (it’s big, there’s room for everyone!).
Without a doubt, it is absolutely time that we all band together and make of plans to save the sandbox… Meanwhile, unfair persecution will continue and drive another one of our colleagues out of business. Colleague. Seriously. We are playing in 2% of the sandbox. It’s a giant sandbox. “They” are the institution and conventional pet food. “We” are the real food manufacturers.
Like the Alamo, Rad Cat has gone down with a very valiant fight. Like the Mexican-American War, Real Pet Food is not going away! Not a member? Join Today.