The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) praises the U.S. Congress for passing legislation to protect pet food safety as part of the massive Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (H.R. 3580). The move to protect pet food was spearheaded by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in the wake of recent scandals involving tainted pet food that killed dozens of animals and shocked the nation.
In May, Durbin and DeLauro introduced the Human and Pet Food Safety Act of 2007 (S. 1274/H.R. 2108) to enhance the nation's ability to protect the food supply. One day after introducing those bills, Durbin won unanimous approval for similar legislation that he offered as an amendment to the Senate's FDA package. He and DeLauro then worked to ensure that the human and pet food safety provisions were retained in the final conference report of the FDA bill, which passed the House by a wide margin on Wednesday and passed the Senate by voice vote on Thursday night. It is expected to be signed into law by the President.
"We are grateful to Sen. Durbin and Rep. DeLauro for their outstanding leadership in protecting food safety, not only for people but also for their beloved pets," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "Consumer confidence in the pet food industry has been shaken by the constant drumbeat of recalls and this legislation is an important step forward to protect the food supply for our companion animals."
The legislation requires the FDA to set ingredient and processing standards for pet food, strengthen labeling requirements, establish an early warning system for contaminated food products, and improve communication with the public and veterinarians during recalls including a searchable online recall list posted on the agency's website. It also requires companies to report contaminated food and make key records available during investigations so contaminants can be traced without delays and take other steps to help prevent needless deaths and illnesses.
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