The US Food and Drug Administration now requires dog and cat food manufacturers to consider the pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 in their food safety plans.
This applies to businesses who are using unpasteurised materials derived from either poultry or cattle — including uncooked meat, unpasteurised milk and eggs.
The regulatory board is imposing these rules following a notable rate of H5N1 infection in cats, which can also be passed to humans.
Through this regulatory change, the FDA requires manufacturers in this field to recognise H5N1 as a hazard in their production process.
By issuing this update, the regulatory board will ensure that cat and dog food manufacturers are aware of the association between pet food products and the potential spread of H5N1.
Pet food as a potential transmission risk
As scientists further uncover how H5N1 is spread among the animal and human population, it has surfaced that the virus can be transmitted to cats and dogs via the consumption of infected poultry and cattle products.
This is true of products that have not been pasteurised, cooked or canned in a way that inactivates the virus.
The virus is particularly dangerous for cats, who can experience severe illness or death from H5N1 infection, according to the FDA. H5N1 can be contracted by dogs, though no cases have currently been reported in the US.
Who the rule affects and what they need to do
Under current regulation, the FDA has imposed the Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls for Animal Food (PCAF) rule on certain animal food businesses, which requires them to create a food safety plan.
This requires companies to identify and evaluate hazards for each type of animal food they handle, create or process, helping them to identify if any of these hazards require preventive control.
In this report, businesses need to assess each hazard and its impact on human and animal life if it were to occur, as well as the chances of it occurring without preventive controls.
The rule also determines that businesses must update their food safety plan in accordance with FDA guidelines — meaning it is now compulsory for cat and dog food manufacturers to consider the risk of H5N1 in its food safety plan moving forward.
FDA recommendations
Currently, there are a range of recommendations that the regulator has made to curb the spread of H5N1 through pet food, including:
- Seeking ingredients from healthy flocks/herds
- Processing pet food to ensure that H5N1 present in pet food constituents is inactivated. The FDA currently recommends heat treatment
- Controlling the supply chain to ensure that ingredients are from H5N1-free animals
Health authorities are currently keeping an eye on the spread of H5N1, with many government bodies now investing in pandemic preparedness strategies following the COVID-19 pandemic.