WASHINGTON — An improved system of tracking pet-food ingredients from the point of origin to the point of utilization, a better system of reporting contaminants and a truth-in-labeling initiative are steps that might go a long way toward preventing another pet-food crisis of the magnitude the nation is experiencing.

That's what two veterinarians who formerly worked in the pet-food industry told the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee at a special hearing to look into the problem.

Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM, who operates the All About Cats Health Center in Yorba Linda, Calif., and Dr. Claudia A. Kirk, associate professor of medicine and nutrition at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in Knoxville, joined three regulatory officials in giving testimony at the April 12 session.

She believes that is particularly true of imported ingredients, like wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate from China – both tainted with the chemical melamine – that are involved in the current crisis.

"While regulatory oversight helps protect foods produced within the United States, global suppliers are not under the same level of regulatory scrutiny," Kirk says.

Will it ever be possible to fully ensure that foods are safe?

"I doubt that we can prevent all contaminations. There are hundreds of thousands of toxins. Many are yet unknown and others are difficult to detect," Kirk told the panel. "We screen for the expected – and that does not include melamine.

"We'll probably never be able to guarantee 100 percent safety," she said, though she does give the current oversight system some good marks.

"In general, the system does an excellent job of testing. Despite that, toxins will show up here and there.

"There was no reason to suspect melamine (a substance used in plastics and fertilizer) in this case. Even if inspectors had been standing right there in the plant, it wouldn't have been detected."

A researcher and nutritionist in the pet-food industry before her teaching career, Kirk says "It's true that the industry is somewhat self-monitored, but the major manufacturers do work hard at testing and achieve a degree of safety that's equal to or better than what is done for foods for human consumption."

Flawed reporting system

Kirk isn't complimentary, however, about the current system for reporting problems, and believes that change is needed.

"Surveillance and centralized reporting by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have helped identify and contain food-borne diseases in people, but there are no such surveillance and reporting services available for companion animals," Kirk told the committee.

"One solution would be to establish a centralized site for veterinarians and consumers to report adverse events and catalog affected cases. Earlier detection, notification and withdrawal of tainted products will help prevent ongoing exposure."

Because reported problems currently go first to the manufacturer, Kirk contends, often too much time passes before a complaint reaches an agency such as the FDA, which in this instance then acted quickly.

"Nearly a month after the suspected ingredient was identified, manufacturers continued to discover products with the banned ingredient. This was an additional month of pet exposure to potentially toxic foods. Tracking of ingredients from the point of origin to final disposition will facilitate the rapid implementation of a total recall and thereby limit further exposure," Kirk said.

Hodgkins, who called for reform of the current pet-food regulatory system, believes that should begin with more accurate labeling.

"There can be no doubt that the present system of pet-food regulation is in need of meaningful reform. I have no doubt that such reform can be achieved, as a first step, by a truth-in-labeling initiative."