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H5N1 in cat and dog food: New FDA requirements and safety plans
The FDA has made changes to require any cat and dog food manufacturers who use uncooked or unpasteurized products from poultry or cattle to revisit their food safety plans to ensure they include preventive controls that reduce the risk of transmission of H5N1 influenza to pets.
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In the wake of recent reports of cats becoming infected with H5N1 influenza and dying after consuming commercial raw pet foods in multiple states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is stepping in. The FDA has released new changes to the Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls for Animal Food (PCAF) rule. The update requires dog and cat manufacturers to consider the risk of H5N1 transmission in their food safety plans. According to the FDA, any pet food manufacturer covered by PCAF who uses uncooked or unpasteurized products from poultry or cattle must revisit their food safety plans. They must also regard the H5N1 influenza virus as a “known or reasonably foreseeable hazard.”
H5N1 in cat and dog food
Covered manufacturers must reanalyze their procedures for manufacturing, processing, packing and holding the food to identify any hazards presented by the H5N1 virus that require a preventive control to reduce the risks of illness and death to humans and animals due to this change to the PCAF rule. As part of adjustments to food safety plans, the FDA encourages several practices. These practices include sourcing ingredients from healthy herds and flocks and adding an additional heat treatment step to inactivate the virus in any products derived from cattle or poultry.
The FDA offers resources to pet food manufacturers to help them conduct their reanalysis. Additionally, the FDA continues to monitor any effects of H5N1 outbreaks on the safety of the food supply. Both the FDA and the USDA have confirmed through multiple studies that meat, poultry, and eggs are safe to eat when they are properly prepared and cooked. Furthermore, the pasteurization of milk and milk products makes them safe for humans and pets to consume.
At this point, AAHA is also following the developments in the transmission of H5N1 to cats and other species. Stay tuned for an article later this week that will cover the latest from several experts on the topic.
Further reading:
CVM GFI #245 Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals
FDA Outlines Ways to Reduce Risk of HPAI in Cats
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