Disclosure assertion: Darwin’s Pet Meals has been included in TruthaboutPetFood.com’s Listing of Pet Meals I (Susan Thixton) would feed to my very own pets for a number of years. They are going to be included once more within the 2024 Listing. Darwin’s has supplied us verification – each yr they’re included within the Listing – to proof human grade ingredient high quality, human grade complement high quality, natural components and meats sourced from humanely raised animals of their pet meals. Darwin’s has been clear with us for each query we’ve got. The a number of FDA ‘advisory’ press releases about this pet meals has not deterred our belief on this pet meals.
On October 12, 2023 the FDA issued one other “advisory” about Darwin’s Pet Meals. This warning adopted a earlier FDA warning assertion about Darwin’s issued in August 2022.
The FDA October 2023 FDA advisory acknowledged three Darwin’s merchandise examined optimistic for Salmonella. Nevertheless, Darwin’s acknowledged in a public discover “the product examined optimistic for salmonella solely following an incubation interval; it was not detectable utilizing standard testing strategies.”
We despatched inquiries to FDA on October 12, 2023 asking the company to verify or deny Darwin’s assertion that the pet meals was allowed to incubate previous to testing. We requested if the uncooked frozen pet meals was allowed to incubate, and in that case, for what number of hours and at what temperature was the pet meals held at? (Resembling, if a uncooked, frozen pet meals was held at room temperature for 3 days…in fact it could check optimistic for Salmonella.)
The FDA has not responded to those questions.
FDA additionally acknowledged of their very public advisory “After receiving a client grievance, FDA collected and examined a pattern of an extra product.”
Attention-grabbing. The FDA obtained “a client grievance” (one client grievance) and determined to check this pet meals.
The FDA didn’t present a date when that client grievance was obtained, so we requested the company: When did the company obtain this client grievance? Can FDA present a redacted copy of this client grievance?
The FDA has not responded to those questions.
Left with out solutions, with out transparency from FDA – we determined to research FDA data of adversarial occasion studies (pet proprietor submitted studies of sick or lifeless pets linked to a pet meals or deal with) submitted to the company. The newest data FDA has accessible (with out submitting a Freedom of Data Act request which takes years for the company to reply to) are from Could 2, 2020 by means of Could 1, 2021. (Information from Could 2, 2021 by means of June 10, 2022 included no studies of sick pets linked to Darwin’s.)
On this one-year time-frame, the FDA obtained 4 client complaints relating to Darwin’s pet meals.
However in the exact same time-frame, taken from the equivalent FDA data – the FDA obtained 87 client complaints relating to Blue Buffalo pet meals.
In simply 4 days, the FDA obtained 5 occasions the studies of sick pets believed to be linked to Blue Buffalo pet meals than it obtained in a whole yr for sick pets believed to be linked to Darwin’s. The signs reported for Blue Buffalo have been just like the signs reported linked to Darwin’s – however the Blue Buffalo studies have been extra severe and in simply these 4 days two pets died.
Reminder: the FDA obtained one client grievance relating to Darwin’s pet meals and examined the pet meals.
If FDA took an unbiased place on testing and regulating pet meals, this might imply that the FDA would have examined Blue Buffalo 87 occasions – as a result of they obtained 87 client complaints. The company ought to have – identical to the motion they took with Darwin’s – examined Blue Buffalo with every client grievance they obtained. However to our information, FDA didn’t check Blue Buffalo – not even as soon as.
To our information, FDA by no means investigated Blue Buffalo for any of those client complaints. To our information, FDA by no means inspected the Blue Buffalo manufacturing plant(s) concerned within the manufacturing of those pet meals. And with certainty, the FDA by no means issued an advisory or alert warning pet house owners about Blue Buffalo like they did with Darwin’s.
To be truthful to Darwin’s and Blue Buffalo, not all adversarial occasion studies are straight linked to a pet meals. Typically – although unknown how typically – one other subject might be the reason for the pet sickness and the pet meals is blamed.
However the details stay…the FDA’s personal data proof that inside a one yr time-frame, the FDA obtained 4 studies of pet sickness believed linked to Darwin’s pet meals and 87 studies of sick and lifeless pets believed to be linked to Blue Buffalo. The FDA has made a number of makes an attempt to publicly disgrace (or destroy) Darwin’s and the company has not even talked about Blue Buffalo.
Private opinion: Pet house owners needs to be very involved, it doesn’t matter what model of pet meals you present your pet. When you feed uncooked pet meals, you have to be very involved that the FDA Heart for Veterinary Medication (CVM) is making an attempt to destroy this model of pet meals. When you feed your pet any meals manufactured by the FDA favored Massive Producers – you have to be very involved what issues FDA are ignoring which may sicken or kill your pet. Both method, we’ve got an enormous downside with how FDA CVM regulates pet meals.
Be happy to e mail FDA your considerations: AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov.
Now we have filed a Freedom of Data Act request with FDA for data of any testing carried out on any Blue Buffalo pet meals through the one yr time-frame when 87 client complaints have been obtained. Sadly, it should most likely be a number of years earlier than the FDA offers us with data.
Wishing you and your pet(s) one of the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Meals Security Advocate
Creator Purchaser Beware, Co-Creator Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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