This desire for safer, effective methods leads pet parents to products they feel will do the least harm, and they increasingly want assurances by regulatory authorities. Natural pet foods and supplements are regulated at a federal level by FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and typically also at the state level through the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health or a department connection with the state university or chemist’s office. Currently, pet products can be marketed as a food or a drug, but no official supplement category is in place.
“Unfortunately, in many cases, current regulations are very broad and don't require the level of explanation or specificity that would truly enable consumers to really understand the difference in quality among different brands," said Steve Marton, CEO, HALO, Purely for Pets.
Added Merrill Lehrer, vice president of merchandising, Pet Food Express: “The pet food industry has been compared to the wild west, with what feels like limited government oversight. We've seen a few pet-food recalls due to hazardous ingredients leaking into the food/intentionally put into the food."
Shoppers who want more peace of mind than is provided by government can look for The National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) seal on products. The NASC is seen by many to be a positive force for pet products that don’t seem to fit within the regulatory framework. The NASC is a group of companies that have passed a physical on-site quality audit by NASC officials, which is conducted at random about every two years. Additionally, the organization does independent product testing, maintains an independent adverse event reporting (AER) system and reviews product claims for untruthful or misleading statements. All members are required to have and follow a written quality manual that meets GMP (good manufacturing practices) standards.
“There are lots of players out there that do not necessarily follow the rules," warned Marci Clow, RD, senior director of product research, Rainbow Light Nutritional Systems. “I’d advise retailers to only recommend products that have the NASC seal on them because that is some assurance that the rules are being followed and that they are recommending a product that has been produced in an audited facility."