extraneous matter & filth analysis

EXTRANEOUS MATTER ANALYSIS

Market Survey: PET FOOD

Several pet food products were purchased and analyzed for filth; evidence of insect and rodent infestation. Pet lovers everywhere use their discretionary income to provide for their pets. The medical costs alone rival that of humans. The advertising on TV for these products claim that they are of the very best quality. In order to have a healthy pet, you must feed them their custom blends of nutrition, vitamins, protein, fiber, etc., etc. Four different companies (Hartz, Friskies, Pet Pride, and Alpo) are represented in our survey. Included are canned food, dry food, and dry treats for cats and dogs, and bird seed.

Results using AOAC extraction procedures:

	Canned Dog Food (225 grams)	6 insect fragments 1 rodent hair (6mm) 13 animal hairs (2-7mm)
	Canned Cat Food (225 grams)	1 animal hair (3mm)
	Dry Dog Food (100 grams)	8 insect fragments 1220+ shredded animal hairs (1-3mm)
	Treats - Dog (100 grams)	6 insect fragments 158 animal hairs(1-7mm)
	Treats - Cat (100 grams)	1 whole insect 43 animal hairs (1-5 mm)
	Bird Seed - Parakeet (100 grams)	none
Opinion: Whether you like it or not, it seems that animal hairs are part of your pet's diet. The dry dog food contained such a large amount of hair that the company has a process that shreds it to a uniform size. Rodent hair of 6 mm length is considered by the FDA to be post-processing contamination. The base ingredient used in most of these products is corn. If you refer back to our market survey on pasta, you will realize that dog food and cat food have less insect infestation than the pasta we eat and the base ingredient of pasta is semolina flour.
For a complete list of the FDA's Defect Action Levels for food products, please visit FDA-CFSAN Defect Action Level Handbook. Send comments to

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