With climate change and shifting growth patterns for crops, aflatoxin may become even more of an issue in the future.
As much as pet food and treat makers deliberate on which ingredients go into formulations, they also focus on preventing unwanted toxins from making their way into dog, cat and other pet foods. Nevertheless, some of these chemicals are part of the food system for both people and pets, so some level of contamination is unavoidable. Others can be prevented through vigilance.
Arsenic, mercury, PCB, BPA, dioxin and aflatoxin were some of the ingredients and substances to avoid, in Petfood Industry’s Ingredient Issues column by Greg Aldrich, PhD, professor and pet food program coordinator at Kansas State University.
Pet food aflatoxin contamination has been a recurring issue. It seems to be more prevalent in 2020–2021 than in past years, but the problem dates back decades. With climate change and shifting growth patterns for crops, it may become even more of an issue in the future.
Concern for mercury in pet food affects only certain cat and dog food products. Periodically, questions arise from pet owners regarding mercury in pet foods. They are curious why mercury is put in their pets’ diets or, more emphatically, why poisons are being added to their food. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In the production of pet foods—no different than human foods—there are a number of compounds that make their way into the food that aren’t a part of the formula/recipe or stated on the ingredient listing. This is nothing underhanded or disingenuous, merely a function of the process, package and regulations.
These contaminants periodically find their way into food and feed for humans and animals.
Tim Wall covers the dog, cat and other pet food industries as senior reporter for WATT Global Media. His work has appeared inLive Science, Discovery News, Scientific American, Honduras Weekly, Global Journalist and other outlets. He holds a journalism master's degree
from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a bachelor's degree in biology.
Wall served in the Peace Corps in Honduras from 2005 to 2007, where he coordinated with the town government of Moroceli to organize a municipal trash collection system, taught environmental science, translated for medical brigades and facilitated sustainable agriculture, along with other projects.
For several years, the pet food industry has celebrated the market’s growth outpacing that of many other consumer goods categories, even during the pandemic.
