In the United States, the Environmental Protection Working Group conducted a study on pet food for cats and dogs.
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In the US, the Environmental Protection Working Group conducted a study on pet food for cats and dogs. Of the 11 bags, each contained PFAS, a type of acid that can be found in, for example, non-stick pan coatings or water-repellant packaging. Moreover, the concentration of this inedible substance was very high. According to inspectors, similar substances probably got into the food from the bags and were used there to repel fat.
Despite calls from doctors and veterinarians, the Food and Drug Administration has refused to ban the use of PFAS in food packaging. Furthermore, Congress has frozen efforts to do so through legislation.
“We need strong new state and federal action to eliminate the sources of PFAS contamination … and stop the unnecessary use of PFAS in pet food packaging and products found in and around the home,” said Sydney Evans, The Guardian, before The Guardian, Environmental Working Group Science Analyst.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is an umbrella term for a group of over 4,000 chemicals. They are called “eternal chemicals” because they do not break down naturally. These substances began to be produced in the 1940s. In September 2020, the European Food Safety Authority published a health risk assessment related to the presence of these chemicals in food. They turned out to be very toxic: they caused an increased risk of cancer (mainly of the kidneys and testicles), weight loss in newborns, increased liver weight and changes in liver enzymes, ulcerative colitis and a decrease in the immune response to the vaccine.
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