Tag Archives: feathers

Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food Fraud Quick Bites

The Hellcat of Pet Food

By Susanne Kuehne
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Susanne Kuehne, Decernis
Food Fraud, pet food, cat food
Find records of fraud such as those discussed in this column and more in the Food Fraud Database. Image credit: Susanne Kuehne.

Pet food is a highly profitable business. Global pet food sales hit a record $90 billion in 2018, and adulterated or mislabeled feed is not uncommon. In the United States, the FDA ensures correct labeling and adherence to quality standards in pet food. Over the course of six years, a processing facility in Texas shipped low quality, mislabeled ingredients such as feathers and by-products, labeled as premium single ingredients, to pet food manufacturers and distributors. The guilty party had to pay $4.5 millions in restitution to the fraud victims, and the defendant is on a five year probation.

Resources

  1. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Missouri (October 24, 2019). “Texas Manager Pleads Guilty to Pet Food Fraud, Company Pays $4.5 Million Restitution”. Retrieved from The United States Department of Justice.