PET Food Processing - March 2020 - 6

OFF THE LEASH

Dearth
of data

It's been more than 21 months since the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) opened the national conversation on
canine dilated cardiomyopahty (DCM) and what the agency
referred to as a potential correlation between a specific diet
and certain ingredients. Since July 2018, I've listened to many
conversations about this issue, both from representatives of
the FDA and other experts in the pet food industry. Each conversation identified more questions than answers.
DCM was again a key topic at the Pet Food Conference
sponsored by the American Feed industry Association in
Atlanta in January, which included an expert panel discussion
on DCM, as well as an update from the FDA. David Edwards,
Ph.D., director, division of animal feeds, Center for Veterinary
Medicine, offered a few comments on DCM, saying the FDA's
research is ongoing and that "it's not a problem that we can
solve on our own. We need the industry's help in this." He said
the agency still needs data from controlled studies.
Lack of data was the overall message from the panel discussion on DCM as well. George Collings, Ph.D., president,
Collings Nutrition Solutions, emphasized the importance for
nutritional balance in pet diet formulations. "What we have
to do is look for the good science that is out there and make
prudent moves," he said. "In the past when issues have arisen, [the industry] came together and worked out a solution.
We are making hypotheses and drawing conclusions but not
working together to get to the answers."
Another panelist stressed the need to focus on protein
quality and amino acid balance, and suggested the industry
should pool resources and jointly fund academic research to
resolve some of the questions illuminated by the FDA's DCM
hypothesis. Anna Kate Shoveller, Ph.D., associate professor, department of animal biosciences, University of Guelph,
explained that most work in companion animal nutrition is
controlled by individual companies but that the industry has
common needs for data and could come
together to form input groups. "On
the academic side, I have never seen
a group that gets along as well as
Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Guelph. So
here is an opportunity to engage us
to inform your industry and support
the health and well-being of pets,"
Shoveller said.
By pooling resources and gathering shareable data, the industry could possibly answer some of the unkowns the DCM
debate has identified.
Jennifer Semple | Editor, jsemple@sosland.com

6

PET FOOD PROCESSING | March 2020 | www.petfoodprocessing.net

®

EDITORIAL
Editor
Digital Associate Editor
Contributing Editors:

Jennifer Semple
Jordan Tyler
Kristen Putch
Donna Berry
Lynn Petrak
Chris Crawford
Jennifer Barnett Fox
Keith Loria
Richard Rowlands

PUBLISHING STAFF
Publisher
Publisher MEAT+POULTRY
Publisher Baking & Snack
Publisher World Grain
Publisher Food Business News and
Milling & Baking News
Publisher Bake/Supermarket Perimeter
Associate Publisher
Associate Publisher
Associate Publisher
International Sales Manager
Sales Associate
Sales Associate
Sales Manager - Classified Advertising
Director of Audience Development
Audience Development Analyst
Audience Database Specialist
Audience Development Coordinator
Director of Digital Media
Digital Advertising Manager
Advertising Manager
Advertising Coordinator
Design Services Assistant Manager
Production Specialist
Senior Design Consultant
Graphic Designer
Promotions Manager
Promotions Media Designer
Sales Coordinator

Steve Berne
Dave Crost
Paul Lattan
Dan Flavin
Mike Gude
Troy Ashby
David DePaul
Matt O'Shea
Bruce Webster
Adam Ungashick
James Boddicker
Tom Huppe
Lily Alvarez
Michael Barbee
Dustin Pickman
Lindsey Sheridan
Carlea Schuler
Jon Hall
Carrie Fluegge
Nora Wages
Kayley Kerns
Ryan Alcantara
Marj Potts
Becky White
Brian Peterman
Jim White
Abby Chronister
Whitney Hartman

CORPORATE
Chairman and CEO
President
Chief Financial and
Administrative Officer
Chief Operating Officer
and Executive Editor
Chief Marketing Officer

Charles S. Sosland
L. Joshua Sosland
Staci Greco
Meyer Sosland
Jim Saladin

Corporate Headquarters
4801 Main St., Suite 650, Kansas City, MO 64112
Phone: (816) 756-1000; Fax: (816) 756-0494
E-mail: PetFoodProcessing@sosland.com
Internet: www.petfoodprocessing.net
http://www.petfoodprocessing.net http://www.petfoodprocessing.net
PET Food Processing - March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PET Food Processing - March 2020
