President Bush Signs Pet Food Safety Bill

As part of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007, President Bush joined the sweeping congressional approval as he signed off on legislation Thursday. The new law establishes pet food safety standards and creates an early warning system that identifies pet food contamination.

The amendment calls for the Secretary of Heath and Human Services to devise ingredient and processing standards as well as update pet food labeling guidelines that include nutritional and ingredient information. The legislation states that this must be completed within two years.

The amendment also establishes that an early warning and surveillance system be created to properly notify the public during a pet food recall, and it must be created within one year. In addition, the FDA will post pet food recall information on its website in a single location “that is easily accessed and understood by the public.”

The legislation swiftly received bi-partisan approval in just over a week’s time. Prior to Bush signing the amendment on Sept. 27, it passed by a vote of 405 to 7 in the House on Sept. 19 and passed unanimously in the Senate on Sept. 20, 2007.