Are you an average adult American? If so, then you consume 70 pounds of beef, 60 pounds of pork, and 550 pounds of dairy (love that ice cream). Americans feel safe eating because they know the foods they eat have been monitored by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
But, how safe is our food industry, really? Do the USDA and FDA really monitor our food for quality and safety? Is there anything to fear?
Introduction
Recently approval has been given by the USFDA for use of the combination of six bacterial viruses or bacteriophages as a food additive. These bacteriophages are to be used on ready-to-eat meats and poultry to kill strains of listeria monocytogenes prior to their packaging.
Listeria monocytogenes are of major public health concern because it can cause serious infection in pregnant women, newborns and adults with weaken immune systems. It has been estimated that 2,500 people become seriously ill with listeriosis each year. Hence there is a growing need to develop effective treatments against pathogenic microorganisms such as listeria monocytogenes. The approval of bacteriophages by the USFDA for use in ready-to-eat meats and poultry therefore serves to address this public health problem.
For some 25 years I have alerted the public to the dangers of exclusively feeding heat processed foods. Companion animal feeding has progressed – actually digressed – from table scraps and real foods the family could spare to today’s “100 % complete” processed foods in primarily kibble form, with some canned and semi-moist also available. The foods appear to be scientific and improved, but they’re far worse for the animals. Not only is nutrient value diminished by heat, but a spectrum of toxins is created. Additionally, the singular feeding of processed food has led to the spurious “100% complete and balanced” claim that is both logically and scientifically flawed.
Entrepreneurs have seized upon this information to create a spate of raw frozen (RF) foods to capture a market niche and to fill the demand from consumers wanting a raw alternative to standard heat processed canned, semi-moist and dried pet foods. This market trend, as with most others, may begin with some truth (raw food is the best food) but gets distorted, if not perverted, once economic opportunity enters the picture. This paper will examine the rationale of these products, their economics and dangers. A more intelligent and healthy alternative will be proposed.