The Difference between Human Grade Pet Food made in the US and a Pet Food made in a Human Food Facility in Thailand

By Susan Thixton
- June 7, 2017





Pet owners in Australia have been working to determine why their pets got sick and/or died linked to Weruva’s BFF cat food. What they found in their investigation turned up some significant differences between a human food manufacturing facility in the U.S. (that also manufactures a pet food) and a human food manufacturing facility in Thailand (that also manufactures a pet food).
Pet food consumers in Australia have been dealing with some serious concerns of cats that have become ill and or died linked to Weruva’s BFF Cat Food for about a month. To my knowledge, thus far – no cause has been found. But it has been shared that authorities in Australia and the pet food company (shared by the pet food company) are testing the pet food to try to determine a cause. But…one thing that these determined consumers did turn up was import records.
Provided to me from a Australian pet food consumer whose own pet died she believes is linked to Weruva’s BFF Cat Food is this…

Arrows placed on the import document indicate that Weruva is the consignee, the pet food came from Songkla Canning Company in Thailand, and the product code is for pet “feed”“Residues and waste from the food industries; prepared animal feed.”
To be fair – Weruva clarified to me that the “HS Code” is a standard code used for pet feed. The description for the HS Code (“Residues and waste from the food industries…”) is a uniform code that would be used on all feed grade pet foods (on import documents).
The Weruva website clearly tells consumers the pet food is “produced in a human food facility” – but interestingly the Weruva website also states their formulas are produced “using many of the ingredients and processes that are used in products made for people.” Many…but not all? Again, to be fair – Weruva does not make the claim ‘Human Grade’ on their label or on their website. Only the statement ‘produced in a human food facility’ was found.
But here’s the thing…if a pet food is made in a human food facility, why wouldn’t the pet food company utilize the very powerful claim of human grade? The answer is the differences between a human food manufacturing facility is the U.S. to a human food manufacturing facility in Thailand.
A human food facility in the U.S. that also produces a pet food is required to use ALL human grade/human edible ingredients (including all supplements as human edible), required to transport and warehouse ingredients according to human food regulation, and the food is required to be manufactured according to the Good Manufacturing Practices of human food. No “residues and waste from the food industries” ingredients would be allowed into a product made at a human food facility in the U.S.
A human food facility in the U.S. that also produces a pet food would NOT produce an “animal feed” – it would produce a food, an animal food. Clearly that is not the case in Thailand.
If your pet’s food is manufactured in another country (other than the U.S.), the pet food/feed would be manufactured according to their laws not U.S. manufacturing laws. When the pet food/feed is imported into and sold in the U.S., the pet food/feed would be required to meet federal and state laws for animal feed such as label information and Guaranteed Analysis, but manufacturing requirements would be determined by the country of manufacture. In other words, we don’t know with certainty what those requirements are. And as in the example with Thailand, things can be very different than here in the U.S.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food