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This one is very long! Had to split it in to 2 parts.
But you will see how BIG PET FOOD GIANTS CONNECT WITH VET SCHOOLS!
Part 1 of 2
An Unbelievable Conflict of Interest
Three U.S. universities – that accept multi-million dollar donations from pet food – write and enforce pet food law.
http://truthaboutpetfood.com/an-unbelievable-conflict-of-interest/
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
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An Unbelievable Conflict of Interest
By Susan Thixton
- August 13, 2018
Three U.S. universities – that accept multi-million dollar donations from pet food – write and enforce pet food law.
Law in forty-seven U.S. States require the government authority State Department of Agriculture to enforce pet food regulations. These same forty-seven States send government representatives to participate in the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) process which writes pet food/animal feed laws and defines all pet food/animal feed ingredients. Forty-seven U.S. States recognize a government authority should be charged with the responsibility of writing and enforcing law.
The three remaining U.S. States – Kentucky, Indiana, and Texas – have provided the significant responsibility of pet food enforcement and law development to universities; University of Kentucky, Purdue University, and Texas A&M University.
Kentucky
Kentucky law states pet food and animal feed regulations “shall be administered by the director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station of the State of Kentucky”. The ‘Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station’ – the authority that enforces pet food law in Kentucky – is part of the University of Kentucky. Quoting further Kentucky law “The College of Agriculture of the University of Kentucky shall constitute the Agricultural Experiment Station.”
In other words, a university that accepts donations from the pet food industry is charged with enforcing pet food and animal feed law in Kentucky. In Kentucky, pet food law enforcement is not performed by a government agency (such as the Kentucky Department of Agriculture), in Kentucky pet food law is enforced by University of Kentucky employees.
On the University of Kentucky website, the College of Agriculture “Departments” webpage evidences the University is indeed charged with regulatory authority:
The “Regulatory Services Department” within the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Mission Statement: “As a part of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station in the UK College of Agriculture, Regulatory Services is committed to service and consumer protection of Kentucky citizens, businesses, and industries.”
Pet food law in Kentucky is not enforced by a government entity…
such as the state’s Department of Agriculture…
Pet food law in Kentucky is enforced by a university.
Of concern, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Division of Regulatory Services has a “Advisory Board” that includes a significant number of industry representatives…
Eleven of the thirteen member Kentucky Regulatory Services advisory board are from industry. Griffin Industries – a rendering company part of the largest rendering firm in the US – and Alltech – an animal feed and pet food nutrition company – each have two members on the Kentucky Regulatory advisory board. (More on Alltech below.)
But it gets worse…
Not only do University of Kentucky College of Agriculture employees enforce law…THEY ALSO WRITE LAW.
University of Kentucky College of Agriculture employees – a public university that accepts donations from industry – are active members of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). AAFCO writes pet food and animal feed laws and ingredient definitions.
Kristen Green – a University of Kentucky College of Agriculture employee, is the Chair of AAFCO Pet Food Committee …
and an AAFCO Board of Directors member …
Ms. Green is also a member of the AAFCO Education and Training Committee, and the AAFCO Ingredient Definitions Committee.
Other University of Kentucky College of Agriculture employees also participate in the law writing process at AAFCO…
Jennifer Combs is a member of the AAFCO Current Issues and Outreach Committee.
Jim True is a member of the AAFCO Education and Training Committee.
Alan Harrison is a member of the AAFCO Feed Labeling Committee.
Sharon Webb is a member of the AAFCO Laboratory Methods and Services Committee, AAFCO Proficiency Testing Program Committee.
Frank Sikora is a member of the AAFCO Proficiency Testing Program Committee.
Is there a conflict of interest?
Looking back to the University of Kentucky website for potential conflicts of interest, on the “Industry Sponsor Agreement” page the university proudly states “Industry-funded research and technology transfer at the University of Kentucky have accelerated at an unprecedented pace over the past few years.” However the sponsor information stops there. The University of Kentucky “Sponsored Products Search Portal” is password protected. The public is not provided free access to learn exactly who donates to the university and how much is donated.
On the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Center for Student Success page we find a promotional video for Purina Pet Food. This page makes it apparent the University of Kentucky has a working relationship with Purina.
(To watch the above video, click here)
Just one example of a pet food manufacturer funding pet food research at University of Kentucky is found on the AVMA website; “In vivo measurement of flatulence and nutrient digestibility in dogs fed poultry by-product meal, conventional soybean meal, and low-oligosaccharide low-phytate soybean meal.” Two University of Kentucky scientists partnered with Hill’s Pet Nutrition to publish this research.
Looking at the AAFCO website for potential conflicts of interest, the Biography page for Kristen Green (University of Kentucky Regulatory Services employee, Chair of the AAFCO Pet Food Committee, and AAFCO Board of Director member)…
She has worked with the University of Kentucky as a Registration Specialist for the Division of Regulatory Services since 2012.
She received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Kentucky. Prior to her position with the Division of Regulatory Services, she worked for 5 years managing international animal feed registrations for Alltech, Inc.
Alltech, Inc. is a pet food and feed ingredient company.
Looking closely…
- 2012 Ms. Green leaves her employment at Alltech (a pet food and animal feed ingredient company) and is employed by the University of Kentucky Division of Regulatory Services.
- August 2012 Ms. Green becomes a member of the AAFCO Pet Food Committee, her first AAFCO meeting as a regulatory authority (all regulatory authorities can become members of AAFCO committees).
- January 2013 Five months later, at her second meeting as a regulatory authority Ms. Green becomes “Vice Chair” of the Pet Food Committee.
- 2016 Ms. Green becomes a member of the AAFCO Board of Directors, staged to become AAFCO President in coming years.
- 2018 Ms. Green’s previous employer, Alltech, Inc., holds two advisory positions to the University of Kentucky Division of Regulatory Services – the division of University of Kentucky College of Agriculture that she currently works for.
Unfortunately, there is more to consider. The University of Kentucky is not the only public university that writes and enforces law…
Indiana
Pet food and animal feed regulations in Indiana are not enforced by the state’s government agency – the Department of Agriculture. Instead, in Indiana pet food and animal feed regulations are enforced by Indiana’s Office of Indiana State Chemist – a division of Purdue University. The Office of Indiana State Chemist homepage states: “The Indiana State Chemist is charged with administering several agricultural laws involving animal feeds, fertilizers, pesticides and seeds. The goals of these laws are to ensure truth-in-labeling, food safety, user safety and the protection of our environment.”
On the Purdue University website, the Agricultural Research and Graduate Education webpage evidences Purdue is charged with regulatory authority:
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