Many thanks to our good friend Mollie Morrissette for her excellent reporting on this issue. This is one more reason for why it is so important to have consumer representatives at AAFCO meetings–we provide a layer of protection (and a warning to these guys that we are watching!) when feed suppliers want to use harmful or non-edible feed materials. A similar ingredient (“Fat product, feed grade”) was discussed at the last two meetings, and despite opposition from industry, was finally banned.

Company warned to stop using revolting feed additives: Industrial grease, sludge and pesticides don’t go in animal feed

Hardy Animal Nutrition, a subsidiary of the Magnus International Group, a company known for re-purposing raw materials such as vegetable oils, cooking greases, animal fats into animal feed and pet food ingredients, was sent Warning Letter last week, informing them to stop using toxic, inedible ingredients in their production of animal feed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The company, whose clients include Purina, Cargill, P&G, Land O’ Lakes, and ADM Animal Nutrition, was told to pay attention to statements on animal feed ingredients indicating that some products “are not intended to be used in animal food,” because they are unfit for animal food.

WARNING LABELS? WHAT WARNING LABELS?
Somehow they missed the warning notice on the barrels of Industrial Grade Brown Grease: DO NOT FEED TO ANIMALS.

And even though a Sludge Oil product is identified the product as a VEGETABLE OIL, that didn’t stop them from using it to make a liquid animal feed ingredient.

I guess they didn’t see the pesticide clause on the Vegetable Fatty Acids with Pesticides stating THIS MATERIAL IS NOT INTENDED OR SUITABLE FOR USE FOR HUMAN OR ANIMAL CONSUMPTION and certifies that the product should not be used for such purposes.

Nope, they just ignored all that stuff. And went ahead and used that garbage to make dairy feed.

But the FDA didn’t ignore it.

When they came to inspected their animal feed plant in Ohio last year, they found stuff in there that should never to be used to make anything resembling food – for humans or animals.

FDA SAYS KNOCK IT OFF

The FDA warned them to cut that sh*t out and stop using toxic ingredients to make animal food. In the Warning Letter, the FDA told the company:

“Our inspection revealed significant violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act), causing the animal food distributed by your firm to be adulterated according to sections 402 (a)(2)(c) and (a)(3) of the FD&C Act [21 U.S.C. §342(a)(3)]. The introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of any food that is adulterated or misbranded is prohibited according to section 301(a) of the FD&C Act [21 U.S.C. § 331(a)].”

The FDA had to spell out for them, that because the company processed illegal ingredients into products that become components of animal food, and that the products contain statements indicating that they are not to be used in food, therefore, “the Brown Grease, Vegetable Fatty Acid with Pesticide and Sludge Oil are not intended for use as animal food; therefore, they are adulterated under section 402(a)(2)(C)(i) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 342(a)(2)(C)(i)] because they are food additives that are unsafe within the meaning of section 409 of the FD&C Act [21 U.S.C. § 348].”

The FDA ordered the company to respond in writing as to how it has, or plans, to address the issues mentioned and prevent their happening again. Additionally, the FDA informed them they might be charged for the cost of re-inspecting the facility as the violations are related to food safety.

THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD

Considering the company recently wrote a big fat donation of $50,000to the American Feed Industry Association’s Institute for Feed Education & Research, I don’t see them as having any problem paying re-inspection fees, should it ever come to that.

The company said they donated the money because, they understand the “extreme importance of food and feed’s future, especially for our children,” said Magnus International co-owner Scott Forster.

Hopefully, Mr. Forster’s children are vegans, and don’t drink milk or eat cheese, because those dairy products might come from cows that had no choice but to eat their company’s toxic swill.

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