# Human Grade



## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

I never knew this...

A recent post written by Susan Thixton. Original may be found here: Ah, But There IS


The biggest excuse some pet food manufacturers use to not disclose the true quality of meat ingredients in pet food is "there is no definition for human grade." Ah, but there is a clear definition of human grade even if some pet food manufacturers don't want to tell you about it. USDA Inspected and Approved.

This is one of my many pet food peeves. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has no definition of human grade ingredients, but the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) does (inspected and approved). What makes this so frustrating is that members of AAFCO are state representatives of Department of Agriculture. You'd think that since AAFCO representatives are a part of the Department of Agriculture team, they would accept the same definition of human grade as their federal organization...you might think that, but it isn't what happens. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is the mother-ship of all things meat and vegetable (in the U.S.). It is federal Department of Agriculture employees that pass or fail meats - USDA approved or rejected. Per the USDA website "Inspection for wholesomeness is mandatory and is paid for with public funds." If ingredients are graded - such as Prime Beef or Grade A Poultry - the USDA charges a fee to the company wishing to sell graded foods (higher quality/grade = higher price). Rejected meats and meat products (example internal organs) are - according to federal law - not to be sold for consumption...for any reason, for animals or humans. 

State Department of Agriculture agencies work in conjunction with the mother-ship USDA. The Food Safety Inspection Services (FSIS) division of the USDA "requires State inspection programs to be at least equal to the Federal inspection program." 

So, pet food consumers should be able to assume that because State Agriculture Representatives work together with U.S. Department of Agriculture to inspect and approve meats for consumption (consumed by humans or animals) as federal laws require...the same definition for human grade meats and meat products (USDA Inspected and Approved) would be appropriate for AAFCO...because they ARE State Department of Agriculture Representatives...right? 

Wrong. 

Somewhere along the way, the FDA took it upon themselves to develop Compliance Policies allowing pet food meats to bypass the federal laws that the U.S. and State Department of Agricultures work to enforce. 

And, somewhere along the way, AAFCO members - although they are State Department of Agriculture employees - decided to ignore the mother-ship's (USDA) definition/requirement of all meats and meat products sold in the U.S. (human grade/Inspected and Approved) and decided to follow the FDA guidance. 

It boils down to this...
Federal Law requires all meat sold in the U.S. to be inspected and approved by the USDA; regardless to for human or for animal consumption.

The FDA, through use of Compliance Policies, allows pet food manufacturing to bypass the federal USDA Inspected and Approved. 

Pet Food meats and meat products (such as internal organs) are either USDA inspected and approved or they are not.

And the pet food manufacturer knows full well which side of the fence their meat ingredients reside on...further, they can provide you proof of USDA inspected and approved if they wanted to. 

If you wish to feed your dog or cat a pet food that is made from the same quality of meats you would feed to any other member of your family...Ask the manufacturer of your pet's food and treats which side of the fence their meat ingredients are from. 



Ask them, "Are the meats used in your pet food/treats USDA Inspected and Approved?" The response should be either yes or no. And, if you'd like proof - the pet food/treat manufacturer should be more than willing to provide you evidence to support their claim. 

Do not accept the responses... 

Answer: "AAFCO has no definition for human grade."
Answer: "Our pet foods are made in a pet food plant, it is illegal for us to state the ingredients are human grade."
Answer: "We use only the finest quality of ingredients."
Answer: "Our ingredients are sourced from USDA inspected facilities."

Using simple logic, if a pet food bothers to use USDA inspected and approved meats and vegetables - they will be more than happy to provide you a 'Yes' to your question and further provide clarification. For example from some pet food companies you will hear the response...

Answer: "Yes, all meat and vegetable ingredients are USDA inspected and approved; poultry is Grade A, Beef is Prime, vegetables are Restaurant grade."

Don't believe for one moment that they can't tell you. Regulations do not allow for reference to grade or quality on the pet food label, and regulations do not allow for the 'human grade' statement on labels unless a pet food is manufactured in a human food processing facility. But, with every shipment of poultry or beef or carrots received by the manufacturer comes a description of product purchased. The bill of lading, invoice, and often the food package itself will be marked as USDA Inspected/Approved (if it is Inspected and Approved).


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## Kibblelady (Jul 13, 2012)

I think we all know I do not care for Susan...

Here is a thing that causes confusion. The confusion is between regulation, manufacture and advertising. Umm meat that is not passed as "human grade" may at times fail due to it's appearance or it status as a food stuff that is not popular in the country... these things are sent to the renderers etc and made into pet food. I do not know the reasoning but yes *some* meats are unfit for human consumption and also sent to a renderer. Realize being sent to a renderer does not automatically mean that it is incorporated into pet food..... this is the problem with this whole "cats and dogs are in pet food!!" business... renderers render down fats etc for products like candles, shampoo etc as well. We have to do this or what do we do with all these deceased animals? The quality of the ingredients in a pet product are always up to it's owner for the most part, they oversee the production no matter where it is made (in perfect situations, you have times when manufacturers mess it up.. *cough cough Merrick*) I know of *NO* company that would call a renderer and ask for the fat or meat source that contains the nasty stuff please...or cats and dogs.... think about it... I know many want to believe in the big bad pet food industry but, that is really over doing it. In calling something "human grade" a company can make the consumer feel all warm and cozy but it does not mean much...there is no accepted definition of this with the AAFCO and they are the organization that sets definitions for *labeling* purposes. The FDA oversees compliance with production regulations both on a federal and state level....for false advertising it would be the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). When companies got on this "human grade" kick due to consumers actually creating that term, some of them started putting it on their product packaging.... the AAFCO got after them for this since it was not approved, Wellness was one that I remember. The FDA went after Solid Gold for the medicinal claims on her supplements, the FTC would go after a company for making statements that are not true BUT in the case of "human grade" it would have to be an accepted definition that they were "violating", clear as mud yet? lol Simply put as well, if we insist on the quality that Susan is referring to above how much will all the pet food cost in the future? I know people want their pets eating things they would eat themselves but really dogs can eat things that for some reason or another did not pass USDA inspection, there are many reasons it can be turned down... not just the most horrible things people can think of. I have in the past given this comment.... If I am out at my grill cooking some really nice chicken breasts mmmm they smell great! I go to turn them over and one slips from the tongs and falls to the ground and gets covered in dirt  Mannn that stinks....in the USDA world that is no longer "human grade" but, it is fine for my dog to eat. That is of course a very simplistic, positive explanation but often is not far from the truth many times.... storage and transfer issues can cause a rejection, an issue further down the line at a plant....many things  I do not mind my dog eating these things... others fine, I understand. But, if the push for these standards that many companies just cannot meet and stay in business continues, we are going to lose so many companies, which will lose us variety and cause the price of pet food to go more so through the roof than it already is. Make sense? That's just my thoughts on the matter and many won't agree and that's fine....but it is a point to be made.

Susan wants people all riled up, frightened and paranoid  I do not like to watch people being manipulated  It bothers the hell out of me ....


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## DaViking (Sep 27, 2011)

Bloggers and activists need to eat too. In order to eat they need to write something that will stir the pot. All good in the hood. Should you care? No. Prime beef and restaurant grade vegetables are probably the last things you should worry about in terms of finding your pup the best food possible. And further, if the entire world would go "human grade" tomorrow everything would collapse around us, the waste would reach epic proportions and the economics surrounding pet food manufacturing would change dramatically.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

:usa::usa::usa::usa::usa:


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## Kibblelady (Jul 13, 2012)

magicre said:


> cherri, may i ask a favour?
> 
> in order for me to read your answers more easily, so i can absorb what you're saying, do you think you could break down some of your thoughts into separate paragraphs?
> 
> ...



No problem  I used to do that when I was done writing lol I forgot to start doing that again when I came back online.

Carry on...


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## starturtle (Jul 12, 2012)

Why does human grade really matter? I understand not wanting to feed my dog road kill and what not, but I have seen my dogs kill wild rabbits, squirrels and stray cats, I am pretty sure they would not be considered human grade. My only concern when this would happen is transfer of any disease or parasites, but kibble is processed and cooked so I don't understand the concern. 

I know this is in the kibble section but if there are any raw feeders reading, I always thought you could feed meat that was "expired" for lack of a better word to dogs and it would be okay. That meat would not be considered fit for human consumption.

I am by no means advocating Ol' Roy or Dog Chow. I just transitioned to Earthborn from Orijen and I feel I do feed my dogs a good kibble. I am just confused by why the concern for "human grade" meat in a product that is cooked down and resembles nothing like it started.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

:usa::usa::usa::usa::usa::usa:


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## Kayota (Jul 21, 2012)

I'm in the middle I guess... I can't afford grass fed all the time. But I still think raw is better than any kibble, even if it's 4D.


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

starturtle said:


> Why does human grade really matter?


I personally would believe it allows one to add an additional factor in determining which kibble to purchase. Considering the price per pound of premium kibble (which never ceases to amaze me), I certainly would like to know.

I don't find this any different from verifying the quality of pre-made raw. One's cooked and the other isn't.



> I know this is in the kibble section but if there are any raw feeders reading, I always thought you could feed meat that was "expired" for lack of a better word to dogs and it would be okay.


Sure, there are those who do that, however, I doubt they would pay full retail for expired meat.


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