Source: PETFOODIndustry
Tim Lombardo, from EAS Consulting Group, discussed emerging hazards in pet food at the 2024 Petfood Forum. He highlighted risks stemming from food fraud as novel ingredients are incorporated into pet diets, particularly from foreign manufacturers. Food fraud, driven by economic motives, can inadvertently harm consumers.
Lombardo identified six ingredients of concern: wheat gluten (contaminated with melamine), turmeric (possibly tainted with lead chromate), chicken meal (susceptible to substitution and additional hazards), milk-based products (vulnerable to adulteration and dilution), honey (commonly adulterated with corn syrup), and raw pet food (with rising Listeria monocytogenes concerns). While Salmonella is a primary worry in pet food, Listeria is becoming more prevalent, especially in raw diets, posing challenges for producing pathogen-free products.