FDA warns about additive for obese pets
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to pet food maker Iams Co. about an additive in some of its products for overweight dogs and cats.
8 and recently posted on the FDA website, said that several Eukanuba-brand
dry and canned pet food products made by Iams, a unit of Procter & Gamble
Co., contain chromium tripicolinate, which is allowed as a source of
supplemental chromium only in swine feed.
The company will take chromium
tripicolinate out of future formulations of its Eukanuba Veterinary Diets
Optimum Weight Control and Restricted-Calorie dry and canned products for obese
dogs or cats, spokesman Kurt Iverson said. He said the FDA had not ordered a
recall of the products.
Safety
Because chromium tripicolinate
has not been tested for safety in dog and cat food, products containing the
chemical are considered adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic
Act, the FDA letter said. The letter issued by the FDA’s Center for Veterinary
Medicine also said Iams had earlier tried to demonstrate that chromium
tripicolinate is non-genotoxic, but the agency determined that data submitted by
the company did not sufficiently address its safety concerns.
Related websites:
Iams
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