1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:12,360 Well, hello Instagram, hopefully we let's see if I can invite 2 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:25,680 you. OK, How's everyone doing today? 3 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:30,680 Happy Monday. OK, let me go live on Facebook 4 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:32,479 and YouTube. OK. 5 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,680 Hello Facebook and YouTube. Hi. 6 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:41,080 Hi. Welcome to the weekly pet 7 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:47,000 roundup. I know it's Monday, which is it 8 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:51,960 can go a lot of different ways. I'm falling asleep on this 9 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:53,680 Monday. Is everybody else feeling a 10 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:58,960 little sleepy or is it just me? Like, I had my coffee. 11 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,440 I only have like one a day. And I don't like to, like, over 12 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:03,000 caffeinate because then I feel jittery. 13 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:06,320 But I feel like, yeah, I feel just sleepy. 14 00:01:06,320 --> 00:01:08,440 I feel like I could have just taken a nap today. 15 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,320 But there is time for that. Yeah. 16 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:17,440 Links the cat. Same. 17 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:19,000 I hope you get some rest tonight. 18 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,880 Links the cat, 23. I know I'm going to go to bed 19 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:23,120 early. I'm going to call it early 20 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:23,600 tonight. Good. 21 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:31,560 For you, I wish I could. So I wish I could ever do that 22 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,720 this week. I've actually been wanting to 23 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,680 talk about this for like months. So I was like really excited 24 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,080 last week when you're like, let's talk about the per act and 25 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:44,440 I'm like, oh, you want to talk about that? 26 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:49,800 OK, cool. It's actually a really, really 27 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:53,760 big deal. And I just think there's so much 28 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,360 noise right now that people aren't hearing about it. 29 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,320 People aren't seeing about it. It's certainly not in the media. 30 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:07,000 And so I'm curious as to where you first saw or where you heard 31 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,759 about it from. The first thing I heard about it 32 00:02:10,759 --> 00:02:14,400 from was from one of the mailing like emails from the true crazy 33 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,240 cat ladies. That's where I first found out 34 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:19,240 about it last week. I hadn't heard anything about 35 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:22,480 it. Yeah, so basically what's 36 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,000 happening and I want to let everybody know because I'm 37 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:29,160 trying to I'm trying to do better if a social media thing. 38 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:37,600 If you comment per PURR my my AI chat bot should message you 39 00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:43,280 details with a link to learn more about the per act as well. 40 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:48,360 But we're going to talk talk about it a little bit to kind of 41 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,080 get you prepped for what you're going to see when you go to this 42 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,320 link. So basically, and I, you know, 43 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:59,080 we have talked about pet food regulation in the past, but like 44 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:04,400 a broad overview is that, and, and even people in the pet 45 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:10,840 industry, like I was literally just talking to somebody who 46 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,240 manufacturers pet food the other day and it's like people just 47 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:18,400 slip all the time and say that AFCO regulates pet food. 48 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:25,240 That's not true. AFCO was set up as like an 49 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,120 independent contractor, I guess is like the best way to describe 50 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,480 how this relationship works between AFCO and the FDA. 51 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:38,520 And so basically the FDA set up an MOU or Memorandum of 52 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:43,760 Understanding 100 years ago, more than 100 years ago with 53 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:50,600 AFCO and said, you tell us what things with what definite with 54 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,360 the definitions of different things are label requirements, 55 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:59,280 all of that. Like what do, what do pet Food 56 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:04,920 Standards actually need to be? So AFCO went to the NRC and said 57 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,520 we're going to basically adopt NRC standards, which are are 58 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:15,600 widely used in other countries. And then for the past 100 or so 59 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,240 years, they have been tasked with all of this, providing this 60 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:23,040 information to the FDA, to all 50 individual states. 61 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,720 And then the states get to say, yes, we're going to adopt that 62 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:29,520 or no, we are not going to adopt that. 63 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:34,920 And over the past 100 years or so, the goal in the FDA's eyes 64 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:40,600 was for AFCO to kind of bring all of this together and get all 65 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,560 50 states on board so that everything was uniform across 66 00:04:45,280 --> 00:04:48,480 the US and every state. So a bag that you buy in New 67 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,320 York is the same as the a bag you buy in California or 68 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,600 whatever, you know, for, for example. 69 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:56,600 And they have not been able to do that. 70 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:00,520 There are states still that are like, Nope, we're not going to 71 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:04,960 adopt that. So at this point the FDA is 72 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:08,880 like, thank you so much for all of the hard work you have done. 73 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,360 We still want to work with you. We want to, we want to work with 74 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:18,240 you in some way, shape or form. Don't exactly know what that's 75 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,720 going to be yet. But the proposal right now is to 76 00:05:21,840 --> 00:05:23,960 end that memorandum of understanding. 77 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:28,200 And the FDA is going to take all of that information, all of the 78 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:34,040 pet food regulation and say the center of veterinary medicine. 79 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:36,800 You're going to have 100% control over this. 80 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:41,040 And we want to make it uniform across all 50 states, period, 81 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:44,720 end of sentence. On the surface, that sounds 82 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:49,840 really amazing. However, if you actually read 83 00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:53,560 through the PER Act, which I did after I went to the AFCO meeting 84 00:05:53,560 --> 00:06:01,880 in August, it is so vague. It is so vague that it doesn't 85 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,720 even say where they're going to get the funding to do all of 86 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:07,640 these things. So when you look at like how 87 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:13,480 they're doing things now, state agricultural, each state has 88 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:15,360 their own like agricultural department. 89 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:20,600 They have a lot of responsibility with regulating 90 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:24,040 pet food in their states. I should say pet feed, because 91 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,840 that's really mostly what we're talking about, though food falls 92 00:06:27,840 --> 00:06:31,400 under that because of how everything is currently set up. 93 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:36,520 So they're not even saying how they're going to fund doing all 94 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:40,080 of this. And it's a huge responsibility 95 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:44,920 placed back on the FDA. What's going to happen to all of 96 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:49,240 these people that work in every state to make sure that, that, 97 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:52,760 that have been working with AF Co for the past, I don't know 98 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,720 how many, you know, 100 years, obviously different people, but 99 00:06:55,720 --> 00:07:01,880 in the same position. And some of the things that are 100 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:08,080 of the of biggest concern is that there are, there are some 101 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:12,280 positives for pet food manufacturers because right now 102 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:17,400 a pet food manufacturer has to literally get their pet food 103 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,960 approved in all 50 states individually. 104 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:24,560 They have to submit to every state individually. 105 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:28,080 It has to meet those guidelines. And for most pet food 106 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:33,440 manufacturers, they're trying to get it all in one label, in one 107 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:37,720 product. And it's, it's mostly having to 108 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:45,440 do with like label guidelines. And So what what works for a 109 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,560 label in one state may be exactly the opposite of what 110 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:50,400 works for a label in another state. 111 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:54,520 So for small pet food manufacturers, I think there are 112 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:57,040 positives in that it's going to be uniform. 113 00:07:57,040 --> 00:07:59,080 All 50 states are going to do the same thing. 114 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:06,720 However, it's just so much. That's a huge hassle off of pet 115 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,200 food manufacturers. But I think it's going to bring 116 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:15,920 a lot of additional hassle. And the biggest concern is with 117 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:18,560 the consumer. So the there's going to be so 118 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:22,400 much less transparency for the consumer. 119 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:26,960 In fact, and I'm kind of pulling up what Susan Thixon says, 120 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,680 because I was telling you before we started, I feel like she's 121 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:34,200 one of the best people that kind of takes this government mumbo 122 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:38,039 jumbo jargon and kind of breaks it down to where like the 123 00:08:38,039 --> 00:08:41,120 average pet, pet food consumer can actually understand what's 124 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:51,840 going on. And she's saying that, OK, the 125 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:54,640 per act is going to allow pet food manufacturers to list 126 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,600 ingredients on the label that may not be included in the food, 127 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:01,000 allowing ingredients to sometimes be present and 128 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:05,320 sometimes not be present. They're also going to allow 129 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:08,960 quality claims to be made on pet food labels that are not 130 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:13,400 validated, such as human grade or like this is for urinary 131 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:16,120 tract health for your pet. So they're going to be able to 132 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,040 get a like big pet. I think small manufacturers 133 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:23,320 probably won't like companies that you and I know and trust 134 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:27,400 are not going to be partaking in this kind of misleading 135 00:09:27,560 --> 00:09:31,400 marketing. But big pet food for sure, like 136 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:38,360 this is a giant, like, take all the chains off, let let big pet 137 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:42,120 food kind of do whatever the heck they want moving forward is 138 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:45,040 how I see it. And it's really going to be 139 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:48,000 detrimental. Like we're already at a point 140 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:52,720 with, you know, being a pet health coach and working with 141 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,680 clients one-on-one. I see so many dogs and cats that 142 00:09:56,680 --> 00:10:01,240 are, for a lack, lack of a better term, pet food injured, 143 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:08,040 and it's going to make it that much harder for pet parents to 144 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:10,680 actually know what they're buying and putting into their 145 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:15,560 pets bowls. Yeah, absolutely. 146 00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:17,840 Well, I kind. Of took over. 147 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:19,040 Sorry. No, you're fine. 148 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:24,040 You're fine. So I'll just read the so did. 149 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:27,200 Did you read from her? The PER Act establishes the FDA 150 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:31,600 Center for Veterinary Medicine as the sole regulatory authority 151 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:36,280 over pet food for dogs and cats. What do you, Jessica, know about 152 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:38,800 the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine? 153 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:44,480 I know that the Center for Veterinary Medicine is very 154 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:52,680 tradition, very, how do I want to say this Western, like 155 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:54,920 they're, they have a Western mindset. 156 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:59,480 So they're not interested in holistic modalities. 157 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:04,480 They are very anti raw food. So I, I, I really am concerned 158 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:08,240 for the future of commercial raw food because of the, you know, 159 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:12,800 if, if this does and it looks like it is going to pass, they 160 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:17,520 are. So we we were talking before we 161 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:26,960 started recording pet food PFI pet food industry.com Yeah, my 162 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:28,960 brain was blinking on on the eye. 163 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:35,760 Also, they so PFI is an organization where a lot of the 164 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:38,360 big pet food manufacturers sit on the board. 165 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:43,960 So Purina Hills Royal Cane like they sit on the board and make 166 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:50,840 decisions basically for PFI and they are very, very intertwined 167 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:52,960 for the Center for veterinary medicine. 168 00:11:53,680 --> 00:11:57,080 So it makes sense that everything in the per act really 169 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:02,040 is designed to make things easier for big pet food to make 170 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:05,280 to kind of loosen regulation, kind of let them do what they 171 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:08,080 want to do, let them label how they want to label, let them put 172 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:11,080 food in or not put food in. And if that ingredient didn't 173 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,680 make it into this batch, Oh well, you know, the stable 174 00:12:14,680 --> 00:12:16,400 requirements are so much looser now. 175 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:24,800 So it's definitely going to be beneficial for big pet food, 176 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:30,920 which means it is not beneficial for consumers in my opinion. 177 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:34,240 I urge people to please go read the per act. 178 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:40,240 It is available on Congress. The Congress, yeah. 179 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,680 So this is. The way I will, I will read it. 180 00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:45,720 For those who are listening, I'll read it. 181 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:48,680 It's as. This is the summary that 182 00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:53,560 congress.gov gives. This bill establishes the Food 183 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:58,160 and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine, CVM, as 184 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:02,400 the sole regulatory authority over pet food for dogs and cats. 185 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,520 Take a quick break here. There has until this moment 186 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:11,960 never been a through Regulatory agency, correct? 187 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:17,840 So technically the FDA has and always has been the Regulatory 188 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:19,560 agency. They've just. 189 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:23,720 They're moving it from the FDA to this part of the FDA. 190 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:26,040 Correct. Yeah, yes. 191 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:27,040 Perfect. OK. 192 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,960 It also provides certain flexibilities for pet food 193 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,320 manufacturers with respect to the types of ingredients they 194 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:39,080 may use and the associated labeling and marketing 195 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:42,800 requirements. This is not from Susan to Susan 196 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:45,600 Fixon. This is from congress.gov. 197 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:49,640 It provides certain flexibilities. 198 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,520 That does not give me the warm and fuzzies at all. 199 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:57,680 It continues, the bill specifies that no state or local 200 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:00,160 government may establish, implement, or enforce any 201 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,880 authority or requirement related to pet food marketing or 202 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:08,800 labeling, and instead provides for oversight solely by the CVM. 203 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:13,080 Additionally, the bill provides a presumption that pet food 204 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:16,320 ingredients are generally recognized as safe. 205 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:23,840 There is a an acronym for that GRAS generally recognized as 206 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:29,720 safe if they are recognized as acceptable per the Association 207 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:33,560 of American Feed Control Officials, and the CVM does not 208 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:37,200 find otherwise. Manufacturers may voluntarily 209 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:41,760 notify the CVM of ingredients that are considered generally 210 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:47,880 recognized as safe, but that have not yet been specifically 211 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:51,800 recognized as such. Somebody please make that make 212 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:53,840 sense to me. I'm going to read that again. 213 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:57,120 I'm going to read that again. Manufacturers may voluntarily 214 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:01,040 notify the CVM of ingredients that are generally recognized as 215 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:06,960 safe but that have not yet been specifically recognized as such. 216 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:11,800 That they used recognized twice to basically cancel each other 217 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:16,920 out. Again, it's giving a huge amount 218 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:21,840 of leeway to big pet food, basically like right now, if we 219 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:25,280 think about if we take our pet food brains. 220 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,440 Off. And we put our human living in 221 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:33,960 America brains on and we think about the FDA and we think about 222 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:42,240 what we know to be true for drugs or pharmaceuticals, right? 223 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:44,480 Because that's the FDA Food and Drug, right? 224 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:46,920 Why they're in the same branch, I don't know. 225 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:54,120 Well, I think we do know. But anyway, a pharmaceutical 226 00:15:54,120 --> 00:16:02,240 manufacturer can run their own studies, pick and choose the 227 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,600 data, pick and choose the studies and say, here you go 228 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:09,520 FDA, this is, this is safe. Let us put our product through. 229 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:14,120 We just paid off all these people, blah, blah, blah, put 230 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:17,560 our put our pharmaceutical through and it goes through in 231 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:21,680 our food system here in the United States. 232 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:27,640 It is a it's an innocent until proven guilty let right system 233 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,520 with the FDA. So food manufacturers can put 234 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:33,800 all kinds of chemicals and toxins in our food and they do. 235 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:38,800 And there are hundreds that are banned in other countries 236 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:40,480 because they are known to be carcinogens. 237 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:44,000 They are known to be toxic. But our our food manufacturers 238 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,680 still put them in our foods because no one has taken the 239 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:51,400 money or the time to prove to the FDA that they are not safe. 240 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:55,520 So basically they're going to, they apply the same system to 241 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:58,080 pet food. Here you go, put it in there. 242 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:00,880 Pet food manufacturers saying, look, this is I promise you, 243 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:02,360 this is generally recognized as safe. 244 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,000 We're going to use it and there you go. 245 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:10,520 Ingredients that are considered generally safe, generally 246 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:14,000 recognized as safe, but have not yet been specifically recognized 247 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:15,720 as safe. That's literally what the 248 00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:19,040 sentence says. The last thing is the bill also 249 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:22,280 allows manufacturers to state without prior approval that 250 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:25,599 their products one sometimes, but not always have certain 251 00:17:25,599 --> 00:17:27,520 ingredients. Like you said though, dispatch 252 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,400 doesn't have this. The example they give us 253 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:34,080 flavors. So you're buying like a bacon 254 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,200 flavored kibble, but it may or may not taste like bacon. 255 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:41,360 I mean, are you really going to verify that No2 have certain 256 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:44,040 health benefits? Example they give is tartar 257 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:46,680 control. The other what Susan Fixon was 258 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:51,040 actually talking more about like urinary tract health, etcetera, 259 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,800 etcetera. And then the last one is, are 260 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:56,760 human grade or natural? If certain conditions are met, 261 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:00,400 they can write that it's human grade, even though it's not, 262 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:02,680 because nobody's really verifying that. 263 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:04,720 Yeah. Is that am I understanding that 264 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:08,080 properly? Absolutely, Absolutely. 265 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,720 We all know, I think everybody who like follows us and knows us 266 00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,040 knows that the word natural means absolutely nothing. 267 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:16,360 So like as a consumer, you just look the other way. 268 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:19,520 But human grade should mean something. 269 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:22,360 Yeah. Because the the agriculture, the 270 00:18:22,360 --> 00:18:24,840 Department of Agriculture has established, right. 271 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:25,680 Like these. Yes. 272 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:31,800 Criteria so that for me as a consumer is a huge problem 273 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:37,440 because I understand what human grade means and now that 274 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:41,360 definition that I've had forever does not apply anymore. 275 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:44,640 Like we just got rid of it. Yeah, Yeah. 276 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,440 Well, and the Center for Veterinary Medicine, in my 277 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:53,800 opinion, I, I don't think in our world at least doesn't have a 278 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:57,800 whole lot of trust, like we don't have a whole lot of trust 279 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:01,680 in them to begin with. From everything we talked about 280 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:08,040 earlier this year, the literal over fat over 1000, well over 281 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:15,240 1000 that we know of reports of pets being sick and very, very 282 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:20,240 sick and many that died. And basically the FDA coming out 283 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:24,280 and saying sorry, we can't, we can't prove that that, you know, 284 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:28,640 these pet parents are actually coming out with with media 285 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:32,800 stories saying pet parents are maybe not telling the truth. 286 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:40,000 You know, like meanwhile, one dot and granted every single 287 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:45,320 every single instance that an animal is injured matters, but 288 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:51,080 in comparison, one dog gets sick off of a raw food and they 289 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:54,880 freaking every media outlet all at the same time. 290 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:56,840 Don't feed this food, don't feed raw. 291 00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:59,960 You know what I mean? Like it's it's very, very 292 00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:03,040 biased, very, very obviously biased. 293 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,800 And so there's not a whole lot of consumer trust in them to 294 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:11,160 begin with. I think generally speaking out 295 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:14,720 even out like. Outside of pet food, there's not 296 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:16,600 a whole lot of consumer trust in the FDA. 297 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:21,600 No, no. Anybody who's gosh, anybody 298 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:30,000 who's has any understanding of the F the way the FDA works. 299 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,200 And honestly, like, I don't trust any. 300 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,280 I don't trust our government just because lobbying is 301 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:36,080 allowed, right? Like that's really what it comes 302 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:38,120 down to to me. It's like if there's money 303 00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:43,600 involved, you know, money talks and SHIT walks always. 304 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:47,760 That is the case for every government agency, I believe, 305 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:51,360 not just the FDA. The FDA unfortunately affects us 306 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:53,080 more, right? Like. 307 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:57,000 When the FDA. When like big chem, for example, 308 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:01,920 like big chemical is like getting stuff through that is in 309 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:07,600 our clothing, that is in our laundry detergent, that's in the 310 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,080 thing that we clean up our babies messes with, then it like 311 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:14,720 it's affecting us like right then and like right immediately, 312 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:17,000 right. So food, drug and all the 313 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,680 agriculture, all of those, they affect our every single day 314 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:24,280 life. And as a consumer, they also 315 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:27,920 affect our finances, right? Because here we are buying 316 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:35,640 something that says human grade, urinary tract health, tartar 317 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:40,360 control, thinking that we are doing the best for our pets, but 318 00:21:40,360 --> 00:21:45,200 we're paying more for something that is not necessarily better 319 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:48,720 or is not going to have the results that we're hoping for. 320 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:52,080 So what? How as consumers before, it was 321 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:55,200 already hard to navigate. When people ask me, and I get 322 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:57,480 asked this a lot, like what's the best food? 323 00:21:57,720 --> 00:21:59,680 I'm not doing raw, I'm not homemade. 324 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:03,160 Like I didn't have an answer. And I've been doing this for 325 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,080 almost 20 years, and I'm like, I don't know what to tell you 326 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:10,120 because I can't recommend anything. 327 00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:12,840 There's no transparency. You really don't know, Like 328 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:15,560 kibbles, just like the equivalent of Doritos. 329 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:18,000 At the end of the day, it's just like we're feeding our pets 330 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,920 Doritos every twice a day for their whole lives. 331 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:25,400 And now I feel like it's going to be even less clear, right? 332 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:31,200 Like if we were already unclear, if we were already a hodgepodge 333 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:36,160 of nonsense in the pet food industry, now we are giving 334 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:39,880 carte blanche. Two pet food manufacturers and 335 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,000 the only ones who get screwed are the consumers and our pets. 336 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:47,240 Yes. And I think one of the bigger 337 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:54,000 concerns for me specifically, and I think, you know, Susan 338 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,400 Thixton for one, probably probably sees it this way as 339 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:04,440 well, is that by removing AFCO, which is not great, is not a 340 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:10,080 great system in admittedly it's not wonderful, don't love it. 341 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:17,520 But by removing AFCO, we're also removing the ability of 342 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:23,760 consumers to have a word to show up at a meeting and say I'm not 343 00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:28,560 to get in front of these people and say I'm not OK with this. 344 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:30,560 And I have this, you know, whatever. 345 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:33,680 I have this petition with 10,000 signatures telling you like, 346 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:37,120 they're not OK with it, You know, to have that ability to 347 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:42,600 get in front of people who are creating the guidelines for pet 348 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,080 food like, well. Yeah. 349 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:46,240 Now we have had that for our representatives, yes. 350 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:51,640 And we all know how that how, how easy and how effective that 351 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:53,360 tends to be. Yeah. 352 00:23:54,360 --> 00:23:56,400 That's really who's going to be in charge now. 353 00:23:57,120 --> 00:24:02,640 Yes, and going back to like not trusting, I actually just saw 354 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:06,280 this today and it made me think when you were talking about the 355 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:09,360 FDA and and how it affects our everyday lives. 356 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:14,640 You know, they, they said, they told Roundup, they told Monsanto 357 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,880 who makes Roundup and they said or bear who makes Roundup. 358 00:24:19,120 --> 00:24:22,840 And they said, OK, you can't put glyphosate in Roundup anymore, 359 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:25,160 right? Like that was such a huge win we 360 00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:29,320 thought. And now today we know that the 361 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:35,080 new Roundup, somehow they have managed to find a combination of 362 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:40,560 four chemicals that they're saying is 45%, I'm sorry, 45 363 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:43,720 times more toxic than glyphosate. 364 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:47,000 Yeah, it's the same thing as BPA free, right? 365 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:49,240 BPA free. But now they have BS as or 366 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:52,200 whatever, BPA, s s or whatever that are just as bad, if not 367 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,440 worse. So yeah, they get around all 368 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:57,400 these things and I don't feel like. 369 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:05,000 So AFCO is, whether you like them or not, specialized, right? 370 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:11,120 They're they're aware, right? ARP representatives cannot be 371 00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:16,680 expected to understand the insurance and outs of everything 372 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:21,640 that we throw to the federal government like it can't pass, 373 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:22,440 it can't be. Done. 374 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:24,640 Yeah, no. So I and. 375 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:30,040 So Susan Thixon gives us, you know, send send an e-mail. 376 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:31,880 She sends that she if you go to her website, 377 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:36,400 truthaboutpetfood.com and just use the little search feature to 378 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,480 find the per act. And again, the per act is just 379 00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:42,720 just because it's. Comment comment per and I'll 380 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:46,800 send you that link. OK, so the per ACT, even though 381 00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:50,720 it sounds like cats, it's for dogs and cats specifically, but 382 00:25:50,720 --> 00:25:52,360 that is actually just the acronym. 383 00:25:53,520 --> 00:26:02,040 But she has a sample letter, She has the list of your House of 384 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:06,560 Representatives. She has a list of the House 385 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:08,680 Committee on Energy and Commerce. 386 00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:14,600 Yeah, the list she has are the representatives who are members 387 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,560 of the subcommittee who are, who write the ACT together. 388 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:22,440 But then she she says to she has a link that you can find your 389 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:26,640 representatives so that you can get them involved. 390 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:31,560 But again, like how how many of them are really going to put 391 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:35,160 this at the top of their list? Yeah, how many of them have the 392 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:37,800 ability to understand the implications of this? 393 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:40,440 Because, you know, they're just they're they're not experts in 394 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:42,960 the pet industry. Like they're they're, you know, 395 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:46,400 they they may have may come from backgrounds where they're 396 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,360 experts in aviation, right? Like you never, you never know 397 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:50,880 what your representative comes from. 398 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:52,800 But like, I guarantee you, they're not experts. 399 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:54,760 They're not Susan fixing. So they don't. 400 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:58,520 They're not implications. Well, and I think the point is 401 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:07,360 that if a a representative receives enough feedback on the 402 00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:11,480 same issue they're going to, the idea is that they would have to 403 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:13,960 pay attention, right? They don't. 404 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:21,080 So when I emailed my representative specifically, I 405 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:27,520 said, look, you know, I kind of copied Susan's example and then 406 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:32,480 I customized it and I said, you know, could for me being in 407 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:40,720 Texas, I said there are two, two other Texas representatives who 408 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:44,640 are on this subcommittee and this is not OK by me as a, you 409 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:47,840 know, I mean, someone like customize it and let them know 410 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:51,560 that like this isn't just a copy and paste, like you were 411 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:55,400 actually paying attention that you are actually, Yeah. 412 00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:58,680 Well, right now the per ACT has simply been introduced. 413 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:00,720 It next next would have to go to the House. 414 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:03,720 That's why she's saying get get in touch with your house, your 415 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:08,280 your congressman or woman congressperson and then it'll go 416 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,000 to the Senate. So then you're going to have to 417 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:11,880 we're going to have to involve the senators. 418 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:14,240 Yeah. And then it goes to the 419 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:15,880 president and then it becomes a law. 420 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,960 So like if there's a process that it has to go through, but 421 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:25,360 the further it gets, I feel like the less chances of it being 422 00:28:25,360 --> 00:28:32,080 even just like redefined, right? Like if people don't say 423 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,920 anything, it'll go because nobody will stand between. 424 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:38,720 It in my opinion, it's not ready, right? 425 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:43,880 Like I'm not 100% against it because obviously we're not big 426 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:48,960 fans of AFCO either, but it's not already the the way it is 427 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:52,640 written currently. It needs a lot of work if they 428 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:56,480 were to pass this. I mean, it's just basically 429 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:59,640 giving big pet food kind of carte blanche to do whatever the 430 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:04,080 heck they want in my opinion. And again, it, it specifies 431 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:09,160 nothing about where the funding is coming from about, you know, 432 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:15,040 what's going to like, how do state agriculture agencies play 433 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:16,760 a role? Or do they not anymore? 434 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:18,960 Like they're, there's a, there's a lot missing. 435 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:22,480 It's not like we're going to get it, we're going to do this or 436 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:26,480 we're not going to do this. It's literally missing a lot. 437 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:30,720 And if you're not in the industry, you wouldn't 438 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:35,400 necessarily know that by reading the ACT, which is why, like, I 439 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:38,320 personally rely on people like Susan Fixton. 440 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:44,800 And I've fortunately for me, I happen to have direct access to 441 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:50,640 Doctor Kathy Alanovi, who has been, she has, you know, a pet 442 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:55,040 food trade association and sits on AFCO boards and does all the 443 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:58,640 things. So like, there's a lot 444 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:04,720 surrounding this that most people don't understand or, you 445 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:07,160 know, wouldn't wouldn't know just from reading the ACT 446 00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:09,480 itself. Though I do think they should 447 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:14,640 read the app. So the there's an attorney's 448 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:20,920 office, cove.com Covington is the name and they describe it in 449 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:23,080 great detail. And one of the things they say 450 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:26,240 is the per act would require FDA to issue guidance within 18 451 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,880 months based on the AFCO guidance in the 2024 AFCO 452 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:33,600 official publication regarding substantiating nutritional 453 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:38,480 adequacy claims, metabolizable energy protocols, affidavits for 454 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:41,720 fed pet food testing protocols, data to support a calorie 455 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:44,640 content claim analytics Bah Bah Bah Bah Bah Bah Bah. 456 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:49,640 But that's within 18 months and there's no oversight on that, 457 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:51,400 right? So like this gets passed and 458 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:53,760 then the FDA gets to call those shots, Am I wrong? 459 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:57,840 Correct. And I think specifically what 460 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:02,320 they're talking about there is that they did, AFCO did 461 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,400 recommend and I think they were giving pet food manufacturers a 462 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:11,720 number of years. I don't remember it was two or 463 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:16,480 five years to change the labels to. 464 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:19,800 So right now it lists protein, fat, moisture. 465 00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:23,080 They want they're they are going to be required to list 466 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:26,800 carbohydrates moving forward. And they were giving pet food 467 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:28,280 manufacturers like a number of years. 468 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:31,320 And so this is going to say Nope, it's got to be done in 18 469 00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:33,560 months. So I think that's kind of. 470 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:35,640 Where? And then there's the FDA must 471 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:39,080 issue proposed regulations after that within one year of 472 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:41,960 enactment. So it's 18 months to get the 473 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:48,280 guidance and a year to of an enactment and final regulations 474 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:51,200 within two years. The initial regulations must 475 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,800 include the AFCO model pet food rules. 476 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,240 But that's just the initial regulation, right? 477 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:58,560 Like at the end of the day, does it have to stay? 478 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:04,960 So, well, that's kind of one of the questions that I had when I 479 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:11,360 originally read it. So I'll just read you one of the 480 00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:14,400 things that I I emailed to Doctor Kathy. 481 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:18,320 I said it's also interesting how the ACT refers to replacing the 482 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:22,840 patchwork of regulation while simultaneously implementing the 483 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:25,960 AFCO 2024 publication. So they're saying this is 484 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:28,320 horrible and it's patchwork, but this is exactly what we're 485 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:29,440 implementing. Yeah. 486 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,280 And so I wonder if they plan to overhaul it. 487 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:36,200 Obviously that would take a whole lot of time. 488 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:39,200 And in my opinion, anything that we have seen in the past with 489 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:41,640 regulation is that they don't ever fix anything. 490 00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:43,440 They just add more regulation to it. 491 00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:48,680 So I think it would be overly optimistic to think that they do 492 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:52,640 anything more than add to the existing quote patchwork. 493 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:59,520 It does mean an overhaul. And so in that regard, I'm like, 494 00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:01,920 OK, cool, something shiny and new. 495 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:03,400 Maybe they're going to fix it all. 496 00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:07,640 But the reality is, if history has told us anything, the FDA 497 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:09,600 doesn't fix anything. So. 498 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:13,520 AFCO came out in February when this was first proposed and said 499 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:16,320 that AFCO was not consulted or invited to be involved in the 500 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:18,880 drafting. But AFCO told Pet Food Industry 501 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:22,560 News that it has given the draft of the bill shortly before the 502 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:25,240 IT was given the bill before it was introduced. 503 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:30,200 The executive director of AFCO says as a result of Afco's 504 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:34,040 limited input, we do have many concerns related to the proposed 505 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:37,520 legislation at this time, which was February when this was 506 00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:40,040 published. AFCO is collaborating with 507 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:43,280 numerous trade organizations with insight into the FEED 508 00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:46,320 industry to review our concerns and determine the next best 509 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:48,960 steps. Yeah. 510 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:54,320 And I think what they have said since then, because the FDA did 511 00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:59,720 have somebody attend the AFCO meeting in August that I was at 512 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:04,280 and he spoke the FDA representative and said that 513 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:09,120 they are committed to continuing their partnership with AFCO. 514 00:34:09,159 --> 00:34:12,520 They basically just don't know how yet. 515 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:18,760 And since then, they, there has been some talks of like, so the 516 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:24,000 Center for Veterinary Medicine, who is proposed to take over all 517 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:30,400 of the pet food regulation. I want to say it's Kansas State, 518 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:35,639 the the veterinary Kansas State University's veterinary 519 00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:39,600 department that they're going to be working with to do that. 520 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:46,000 And I think the idea being floated is that ATCO can work 521 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:51,120 with Kansas State to work with Center for Veterinary Medicine. 522 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:56,440 So it's, it's still very like disjointed. 523 00:34:57,240 --> 00:35:01,880 Yeah, but bottom line, it's like everywhere I turn and every 524 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:05,560 little nook and cranny is like it's going to be very 525 00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:11,000 detrimental to consumers. 1 where the in every facet as far 526 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:14,080 as I can tell. Yeah, Yeah. 527 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:19,080 There hasn't been any statements from AFCO on this that I can see 528 00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:23,320 on their from their Executive Director, Austin Thorell. 529 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:25,760 I've been looking and like there was nothing. 530 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:28,400 The only things that I see are from like March and April. 531 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:33,040 So I don't know are they like working under, you know what I 532 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:34,520 mean? Like are they working on it? 533 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:36,880 Are they saying nothing yet? Do you? 534 00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:41,520 Have so OK, yeah, no, I haven't. I have an e-mail from AFCO that 535 00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:45,960 was sent October 1st and it does it was it is Kansas State. 536 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:48,960 It says AFCO is considering a proposal from Kansas State 537 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:53,160 University to establish new regulatory pathways for animal 538 00:35:53,160 --> 00:35:56,720 food ingredients. So that, and I think that's the 539 00:35:56,720 --> 00:35:59,200 last I've heard from AFCO about it. 540 00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:05,960 So it's considering a proposal from Kansas State University to 541 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:08,880 provide the scientific review for its new animal food 542 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:13,400 ingredients submission pathway, of course, but that's just for 543 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:15,720 food and that's just for ingredients, right? 544 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:20,040 So there's a lot of other things that AFCO marketing it's. 545 00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:21,400 Yeah. Yeah. 546 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:26,680 So question, AFCO obviously is not in a position where this is 547 00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:29,520 good for them because they probably got paid for being part 548 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:32,840 of this, right? So like up on the other side of 549 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:35,880 the coin, AFO is going to be like, no, I don't want this just 550 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:38,440 because like now I lose my third party status in this. 551 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:40,360 Whole. Scenario. 552 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:46,520 So they're not like, you know, I like to I like to think of it as 553 00:36:46,520 --> 00:36:50,120 like the most reliable witness, you know, and there's no 554 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:52,360 reliable witness here because Afco's not going to be like the 555 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:57,680 Super most reliable, the pet food industry not the most 556 00:36:57,680 --> 00:36:59,240 reliable. The only person that really 557 00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:03,120 makes no money off of this has nothing to lose or gain is Susan 558 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,760 Thixon. Am I right in this whole thing? 559 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:11,600 Yeah, because even any trade associations, they they have, 560 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:15,880 right, they have interest. Yeah. 561 00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:19,520 So yeah, Susan doesn't doesn't have. 562 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:21,720 An interest Hi, Brooke. Hi, Brooke on Facebook. 563 00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:25,080 How are you? Today's topic is like it's kind 564 00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:28,880 of boring, but also like concerning, you know, it's it's 565 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:31,960 like, oh, nobody wants. It's not at all boring to me, 566 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:34,840 but I understand. Well, no, I mean like like 567 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:38,400 there's. Yeah, to the average person it 568 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:39,720 would be very boring. I get that. 569 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:42,840 I feel like it's boring because there's not a lot to there's not 570 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:44,760 a lot. It's kind of at a standstill. 571 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:45,840 So like I feel. Like, there's a lot. 572 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:50,160 To like report. Yeah, and I think AFCO will 573 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:55,680 probably take anything that CVM throws at them because they 574 00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:58,400 don't want to. I mean, right now as it stands 575 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:02,560 like if if they completely lose the memorandum of understanding 576 00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:07,800 with the FDA and there is no pathway for them to continue to 577 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:12,400 be involved, then yes, everybody there loses their job basically. 578 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:20,240 And again, don't don't have any idea what would happen to those 579 00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:27,320 people in the state departments of agriculture who work under, 580 00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:30,560 you know, in the pet food regulation departments like 581 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:34,080 there, there was nothing in the act that said what would become 582 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:37,040 of them. Yeah, so it's just a whole lot 583 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:40,880 of standing still right now. But do they have any like the 584 00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:43,320 I've looked for a timeline. There's no timeline anywhere 585 00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:46,200 that I can see. So it's just like a whole lot of 586 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:48,080 nothing, I guess. Is that that's the point of the 587 00:38:48,320 --> 00:38:50,280 Yeah, boring. It's a boring topic because it's 588 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:52,520 not like we have any dead like we don't have. 589 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:54,520 No. Yes, if you want to send a 590 00:38:54,560 --> 00:38:57,520 letter, an e-mail, please do ASAP because we don't know when 591 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:01,200 you know this passes this, this is presented to. 592 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:03,760 I don't know. Does it even say let me just 593 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:09,880 check the Congress dot? I imagine that it is. 594 00:39:10,720 --> 00:39:14,320 It was introduced in February. February 16th. 595 00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:16,160 Let's see. All yes. 596 00:39:19,240 --> 00:39:24,600 And the only the last action is introduced to the House February 597 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,680 15th. Refer to the House Committee on 598 00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:31,200 Energy and Commerce on the same day and then refer to the 599 00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:33,920 Subcommittee on Health on the 16th of February. 600 00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:35,520 That's it. Like that's all that's happened 601 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:38,360 so far. Yeah, and I'm sure it's really 602 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:41,920 difficult to get anything done right now with, you know, we're 603 00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:43,680 so. Close to an election looming, 604 00:39:43,680 --> 00:39:46,640 yes. Yeah, it's either. 605 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:49,080 They're going to want to try to push anything through they can 606 00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:53,960 last minute between now and the end of the year or, or not the 607 00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:55,440 even the end of the year between. 608 00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:57,880 But I, I just don't think they're going to get anything 609 00:39:57,880 --> 00:40:02,720 through in the next week. So it will probably go to the 610 00:40:02,720 --> 00:40:06,960 next Congress administration. Yeah, the next administration, 611 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:15,160 which I honestly, I, I I'm of two minds on that too, because 612 00:40:15,160 --> 00:40:19,040 obviously not knowing who's getting in, who's going to win 613 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:22,680 and not to get political, but there is definitely. 614 00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:30,160 Yeah, Doctor Kozier is saying regulation and law is not 615 00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:32,680 interesting to most people until it's either costing them money 616 00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:35,440 or impacting their needs. And that's the thing that I 617 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:38,640 think this is going to impact consumers greatly. 618 00:40:38,640 --> 00:40:41,480 But they're not going to know. They're not going to understand 619 00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:43,160 how correct. Yes, exactly. 620 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:45,040 That's then. And what I mean is boring 621 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:47,520 because there's no updates. I don't mean that it's not 622 00:40:47,520 --> 00:40:49,800 important to discuss, otherwise I wouldn't have recommended the 623 00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:52,720 topic. But what I'm saying is, yeah, 624 00:40:52,720 --> 00:40:56,120 like it, of course it affects us, but nothing is happening. 625 00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:58,880 So when, when will this affect us? 626 00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:02,160 What's the next step? We have no information on that. 627 00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:06,560 So if you are concerned with what we've shared with you and 628 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:11,480 what is available for us to read right now, then I would say 629 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:15,680 don't wait. And then after the election, if 630 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:19,280 there is going to be a change in your representatives because of 631 00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:21,920 this election, contact them as well. 632 00:41:21,920 --> 00:41:27,960 So keep on this, keep, you know, keep checking in with Jessica. 633 00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:30,840 I'm sure she'll share with you. But it's something that you 634 00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:33,520 probably need to do now. And then you may have to do 635 00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:38,080 again once there is a changeover in your district or in your 636 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:41,920 state. So just remember that the timing 637 00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:46,680 is one that means that you might have to send a few letters, a 638 00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:51,000 few emails, And like Jessica said, customize it, share why 639 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:52,880 you care. When I write to my 640 00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:54,920 representatives, I make it personal. 641 00:41:54,920 --> 00:42:00,560 And I, of course, you know, I do. 642 00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:04,680 I know kind of like, if you're a Republican, what your values 643 00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:06,240 are. And I know if you're a Democrat, 644 00:42:06,240 --> 00:42:09,080 what your values are, they may be different in your mind. 645 00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:11,000 So appeal to those values, Right. 646 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:16,600 Like, yeah, you, you, you should know enough by being involved in 647 00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:20,120 politics because as a voter you are involved in politics whether 648 00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:24,840 you like it or not, but has no knowing that, no, like, oh, this 649 00:42:24,840 --> 00:42:28,120 is somebody who's not doesn't share my values, but we can come 650 00:42:28,120 --> 00:42:29,800 together on this one thing. Right. 651 00:42:29,800 --> 00:42:32,840 Like yes, because. I like are not the same, but 652 00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:34,400 this is important. This is why. 653 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:40,160 Food, our food supply and our pets food supply is not a 654 00:42:40,680 --> 00:42:44,920 partisan issue. So no, it's not a partisan 655 00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:46,800 issue. So I don't care if your 656 00:42:46,800 --> 00:42:52,680 representative, if your representative is somebody that 657 00:42:52,680 --> 00:42:56,560 you did not vote for, it is still important that you. 658 00:42:56,760 --> 00:42:57,680 Yeah. They're still your 659 00:42:57,680 --> 00:42:59,760 representative. They are, even though you did 660 00:42:59,760 --> 00:43:02,880 not wish for them to be. They are your representative, 661 00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:07,120 and as one of their constituents, they have to hear 662 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:08,720 you out. Whether they. 663 00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:12,720 Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of, there's a lot of automation 664 00:43:12,720 --> 00:43:15,000 these days, a lot of thank you for your e-mail. 665 00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:18,720 Like I get it, but like I was. Saying they're campaigning, 666 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:20,920 especially if they're trying, it's trying for re election. 667 00:43:20,920 --> 00:43:22,320 They're all campaigning. They're not in the office. 668 00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:25,000 We all know that. Yeah, some healthy dog workshop. 669 00:43:25,040 --> 00:43:28,080 Yeah, it's still in the it's been in the subcommittee since 670 00:43:28,440 --> 00:43:31,440 since February 16th, the day after it was introduced. 671 00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:35,120 Nothing has happened since. That's on congress.gov. 672 00:43:36,160 --> 00:43:39,240 So, yeah, I mean, there's not much to discuss, but it is 673 00:43:39,240 --> 00:43:41,720 something that you need to be put on your radar. 674 00:43:41,720 --> 00:43:44,840 One of the things I like to do about things like that is I like 675 00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:48,920 to create a Google alert, and I really like it to be like a news 676 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:53,920 source, not like some Amazon something, yeah. 677 00:43:53,920 --> 00:43:57,920 Or like that, I don't know, you know, make sure that it's the 678 00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:01,480 per act. And if you go on congress.gov, 679 00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:06,000 it has, you know, HR7380, a 118th Congress. 680 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:11,040 You could put maybe that where you can better, you know, narrow 681 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:13,000 down the results. You're not getting a million of 682 00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:15,600 nonsense. But yeah, I think it's really 683 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:16,840 important for us to stay informed. 684 00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:20,000 This is just one of the things that like why everybody cares 685 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:23,480 about the election, right? As consumers, these elections 686 00:44:23,480 --> 00:44:26,720 affect us. And I think not to, again, not 687 00:44:26,880 --> 00:44:30,000 to get political in any way, shape or form because who I vote 688 00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:34,720 for is only for me to know. But when you are locked out of 689 00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:37,320 voting, this stuff happens to you. 690 00:44:37,960 --> 00:44:42,560 So if there's anything we can say, Jessica, and I agree on 691 00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:48,200 this 100%, is figure out who best represents you best, 692 00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:50,560 represents your interests and go vote for them. 693 00:44:50,920 --> 00:44:54,760 And it's a presidential election, so that takes all 694 00:44:54,760 --> 00:44:56,560 sorts of attention from everybody. 695 00:44:56,560 --> 00:45:00,600 But your local representatives are impacting every single thing 696 00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:04,400 that happens to you, your family, your pets, in your 697 00:45:04,400 --> 00:45:06,800 backyard. So it's not just about the 698 00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:11,400 representatives. It's not about the 699 00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:16,760 representatives who best represent you 100%, because if I 700 00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:21,600 had to vote for anybody right now that is 100% my equal, my 701 00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:25,280 like carbon copy in my values, I wouldn't be able to vote right? 702 00:45:25,280 --> 00:45:28,000 Because like nobody represents me 100%. 703 00:45:28,240 --> 00:45:33,360 That's not the point is. The point is, if you know 704 00:45:33,360 --> 00:45:37,680 somebody is you know. Is going to What policies are 705 00:45:37,680 --> 00:45:41,360 going to make your life better? No. 706 00:45:41,360 --> 00:45:47,680 And somebody who you'd feel could have a discussion about 707 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:51,320 something like this, right, like where you feel like you can take 708 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:54,400 something to this representative and you would be taken 709 00:45:54,400 --> 00:45:58,160 seriously. If that's not the other guy or 710 00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:01,800 the other girl, then go to whomever you think is going, 711 00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:06,200 would be willing to hear you out, would be willing to, you 712 00:46:06,200 --> 00:46:10,840 know, at least read your, you know, at least read your letter, 713 00:46:10,840 --> 00:46:13,440 at least have one of their staff members reach out to you because 714 00:46:13,440 --> 00:46:15,640 there's a lot of people who make a lot of promises. 715 00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:18,400 And then when it comes down to it, they're not going to do 716 00:46:18,400 --> 00:46:19,880 anything for you. They're just in it for 717 00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:21,720 themselves. And that's politics. 718 00:46:21,720 --> 00:46:24,040 That's the United States specifically because of all the 719 00:46:24,040 --> 00:46:27,760 lobbying we allow. And until that changes, I'm 720 00:46:27,760 --> 00:46:30,560 going to be a cynic. That's just who I am and who I 721 00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:32,720 am. But like, get out there and 722 00:46:33,000 --> 00:46:34,960 vote. Get out there and vote. 723 00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:38,600 Like, there's no way you can complain about anything that is 724 00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:42,200 happening in Congress if you did not vote, vote for your 725 00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:43,520 representatives. Sorry. 726 00:46:44,480 --> 00:46:50,440 There's there's a reason why, you know, whether it's Congress 727 00:46:50,440 --> 00:46:52,760 or sent, why a representative is paid like, I don't know, a 728 00:46:52,760 --> 00:46:55,760 hundred, $150,000 a year, but they come out millionaires. 729 00:46:56,120 --> 00:46:58,560 There's a reason and it, it's the lobbyists. 730 00:47:00,960 --> 00:47:05,400 So it is, it is not a great system, but it's what we have to 731 00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:06,880 work with. Exactly and. 732 00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:11,640 So whomever you feel like will be less about the lobby and more 733 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:15,080 about the people, if that's important to you, then go get 734 00:47:15,080 --> 00:47:18,480 out there and vote for them because otherwise they're, you 735 00:47:18,480 --> 00:47:20,840 know, and we're still everybody's campaigning, 736 00:47:20,840 --> 00:47:24,080 everybody's spending the millions of dollars a day on 737 00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:26,760 ads. And at the end of the day, like 738 00:47:27,120 --> 00:47:29,800 we need to get out there and vote for who we think best 739 00:47:29,800 --> 00:47:32,720 represents us and our families and our, and our values and the 740 00:47:32,720 --> 00:47:34,480 issues that are going to affect us every day. 741 00:47:34,480 --> 00:47:39,200 And honestly, as pet parents, this issue has a really big, big 742 00:47:39,200 --> 00:47:42,520 impact on us. Like to feel like you're buying 743 00:47:42,520 --> 00:47:44,880 something, thinking you're buying something. 744 00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:47,880 And then it's just crap. Like think about you going to a 745 00:47:47,880 --> 00:47:51,640 Louis Vuitton store, purchasing a Louis Vuitton, and then it 746 00:47:51,640 --> 00:47:54,720 turns out it was made in China because nobody's regulating 747 00:47:54,720 --> 00:47:56,560 that. Like, can you like, that's the 748 00:47:56,560 --> 00:47:58,880 equivalent to me. It's like you go somewhere and 749 00:47:58,880 --> 00:48:02,840 you get a GE appliance, but it's actually not a GE. 750 00:48:02,840 --> 00:48:05,880 They just put a sticker on it. Like that's really what this is 751 00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:09,920 equivalent to. So if you're a hard worker and 752 00:48:09,920 --> 00:48:12,920 you want to protect your, you know, your, your money, your 753 00:48:12,920 --> 00:48:16,880 finances and your pets, because this is food, this is literally 754 00:48:16,880 --> 00:48:19,600 their lifeline. This is what they eat every day, 755 00:48:19,920 --> 00:48:22,760 then this is a big deal. And and if you're not angry 756 00:48:22,760 --> 00:48:26,920 already, like. Yeah, and. 757 00:48:27,160 --> 00:48:31,160 Get out there and get angry. Yes, and comment the word purr, 758 00:48:31,160 --> 00:48:36,600 PURR and I'll send you a link to Susan Thixton's blog that tells 759 00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:42,480 you and everything about the per act and how and and it has links 760 00:48:42,480 --> 00:48:45,160 to contact your representative in Congress. 761 00:48:46,480 --> 00:48:51,720 Because that is what we can do at this point is to contact 762 00:48:51,720 --> 00:48:56,520 because hopefully, hopefully your representative, my 763 00:48:56,520 --> 00:49:00,120 representative, they get enough of these emails that they're 764 00:49:00,120 --> 00:49:03,000 like, OK, this is actually a concern to the people that I'm 765 00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:06,720 representing. You know, I'm, I'm, I'm making a 766 00:49:06,720 --> 00:49:14,000 face because I feel like pet parents are not outspoken 767 00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:16,400 enough. I feel like they feel defeated a 768 00:49:16,400 --> 00:49:18,680 lot of the time and they're like, it's not worth my time. 769 00:49:19,160 --> 00:49:22,520 So I don't have faith in us as a general group. 770 00:49:22,520 --> 00:49:26,760 The pet parents, I see it with kids too, right? 771 00:49:26,760 --> 00:49:28,480 Like I see it with, it's not just pets. 772 00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:31,760 I see it with parents too. Like we're so overwhelmed that 773 00:49:31,760 --> 00:49:33,920 it's just like that thing that never gets done. 774 00:49:34,120 --> 00:49:36,760 And like, like you said, most people don't even know this is 775 00:49:36,760 --> 00:49:38,360 happening. I'm in the pet industry. 776 00:49:38,360 --> 00:49:42,960 I'm, I, I have not heard about it until now because I'm not in 777 00:49:42,960 --> 00:49:46,120 the food space specifically. I'm hearing all sorts of news 778 00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:49,760 and this news, did I see it somewhere and like not pay 779 00:49:49,760 --> 00:49:50,880 attention to it? Maybe. 780 00:49:51,160 --> 00:49:54,040 But like, that was the the only time that I paid true attention 781 00:49:54,040 --> 00:49:58,720 to it was in an e-mail from the two crazy cat ladies that said, 782 00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:02,560 and I think it was kind of, I don't, I'm not saying that 783 00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:05,240 they're inflammatory in any way, but like their e-mail was kind 784 00:50:05,240 --> 00:50:07,720 of like a little kind of an urge. 785 00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:10,400 This is a big deal, right? Like it said something that 786 00:50:10,400 --> 00:50:14,840 caught my attention. But if they hadn't even framed 787 00:50:15,520 --> 00:50:17,360 it that way, I still may not know. 788 00:50:18,000 --> 00:50:20,760 Yeah, well, and Doctor, Kosher is right, She says it's called 789 00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:23,000 fraud in the pet food industry commits that everyday. 790 00:50:23,000 --> 00:50:28,240 You're 100% accurate, which is why I, for the most part I do 791 00:50:28,240 --> 00:50:34,320 still my cats eat some canned food and that is from companies 792 00:50:34,320 --> 00:50:36,880 that I don't know personally. But everything else that goes 793 00:50:36,880 --> 00:50:41,360 into my pet's mouth is only from a company that I talk to, the 794 00:50:41,360 --> 00:50:44,920 people that make the food. Like I don't, you know, like 795 00:50:44,920 --> 00:50:46,600 that's just where I am in my journey. 796 00:50:46,600 --> 00:50:49,640 And I know most people aren't there, which is why I have to 797 00:50:49,640 --> 00:50:52,960 use my voice to let people know what the heck is going on and 798 00:50:52,960 --> 00:50:56,960 advocate for them to get involved because it's not right. 799 00:50:57,400 --> 00:51:00,840 And it's not like we, I, I get it. 800 00:51:01,200 --> 00:51:05,080 But not everybody can do what, you know, what Isabel and I do 801 00:51:05,080 --> 00:51:07,560 everyday. And you know, you have your own 802 00:51:07,560 --> 00:51:12,680 life to live and kids to take care of and bills that need to 803 00:51:12,680 --> 00:51:15,040 be paid. And it's tough. 804 00:51:15,840 --> 00:51:22,000 But if you want to see change, you do have to get involved. 805 00:51:22,000 --> 00:51:25,360 And so when people like us are making noise and saying, no, 806 00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:28,040 seriously, this is important. Please, if all you do is send 807 00:51:28,040 --> 00:51:29,800 this e-mail, please go send the e-mail. 808 00:51:30,120 --> 00:51:35,240 So comment per PURR. And on Instagram, I'll send you 809 00:51:35,240 --> 00:51:38,200 the link to Susan Thixon's blog so you can go send that e-mail. 810 00:51:38,200 --> 00:51:41,600 And I will please say. This I'll finish off with saying 811 00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:46,520 my I, I, my, my pets do eat commercial dog and cat food. 812 00:51:46,520 --> 00:51:51,800 And I do believe that there's a range, there's like a tier of 813 00:51:51,800 --> 00:51:56,080 companies and the ones that are going to do the most harm are 814 00:51:56,080 --> 00:51:59,160 not the little ones. They're not the ones that went 815 00:51:59,160 --> 00:52:02,600 into this for the right reasons. And like, I will say that I do 816 00:52:02,600 --> 00:52:06,200 have faith in some pet food manufacturers. 817 00:52:06,800 --> 00:52:10,280 My concern is always with the ones that have the most power. 818 00:52:10,760 --> 00:52:14,240 Those are the ones that I'm always like a little concerned 819 00:52:14,240 --> 00:52:18,000 by because when you have that much power, that much influence 820 00:52:18,080 --> 00:52:22,360 and that much to lose, right? Because you're looking at your, 821 00:52:22,360 --> 00:52:26,240 your, your, it's an it's, it's, it's a business before it is 822 00:52:26,240 --> 00:52:28,840 anything else, right? Like for a small pet food 823 00:52:28,840 --> 00:52:32,000 manufacturer that went into it because their pet, you know, 824 00:52:32,360 --> 00:52:36,520 passed away of a potentially preventable disease. 825 00:52:36,800 --> 00:52:40,080 It's very personal to them. But when you get to these huge 826 00:52:40,080 --> 00:52:43,840 conglomerates, it's very impersonal and there tends to be 827 00:52:43,840 --> 00:52:47,840 like a disconnect between the consumer and the product because 828 00:52:47,840 --> 00:52:49,760 all we want is the bottom line, right? 829 00:52:49,760 --> 00:52:53,520 So I do want to say that for me, the biggest concern is those 830 00:52:53,520 --> 00:52:56,360 conglomerates and why? Because they reach the the vast 831 00:52:56,360 --> 00:53:00,240 majority of the pet loving population. 832 00:53:00,560 --> 00:53:04,400 And if you think that those companies whose names I will not 833 00:53:04,400 --> 00:53:06,920 share, but we've already discussed a few of them here. 834 00:53:07,440 --> 00:53:12,480 If you think they only reach the United States, they're global 835 00:53:13,240 --> 00:53:17,600 and a lot of countries will look at the United States as a 836 00:53:18,080 --> 00:53:22,000 standard. Latin America specifically, they 837 00:53:22,000 --> 00:53:28,000 don't have the resources to have an FDA, the CA, whatever it is, 838 00:53:28,360 --> 00:53:31,320 Committee on Pet Food, They're just like, if it's safe 839 00:53:31,680 --> 00:53:34,200 according to the American FDA, we'll sell it here. 840 00:53:34,280 --> 00:53:36,600 Like that's kind of what happens a lot of the time. 841 00:53:36,600 --> 00:53:38,600 We're a standard for the rest of the world. 842 00:53:38,600 --> 00:53:43,000 So when we tell you that these things impact, they have a big 843 00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:46,880 impact, they have a humongous impact, they have a worldwide 844 00:53:46,880 --> 00:53:51,920 impact. And for me, that's why I choose 845 00:53:52,680 --> 00:53:56,480 the smaller companies for my pets because I feel like there's 846 00:53:56,480 --> 00:54:01,160 still that personal connection, there's still that goal of 847 00:54:01,160 --> 00:54:05,600 keeping pets healthy while make turning a profit. 848 00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:09,000 And the profit doesn't come first for those companies. 849 00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:13,240 So that's how I recommend people go when they choose their pet 850 00:54:13,240 --> 00:54:14,880 food. It's how big is it? 851 00:54:14,960 --> 00:54:17,280 Like what you know, like who owns it? 852 00:54:17,280 --> 00:54:21,840 Like what, what are they about? What are their values? 853 00:54:21,840 --> 00:54:24,680 Because like if, if just pleasing investors is their 854 00:54:24,680 --> 00:54:27,720 value, then that come out. Yeah. 855 00:54:28,080 --> 00:54:32,760 And that is the truth for those what what we call big pet food, 856 00:54:33,040 --> 00:54:34,960 right? Just like big food is just 857 00:54:35,160 --> 00:54:37,920 about. Yeah, Big military, big Yeah, 858 00:54:38,200 --> 00:54:42,440 all of it, All of it. And, and when you're, and it, it 859 00:54:42,440 --> 00:54:45,600 affects our kids too. Like it's the same reason why, I 860 00:54:45,600 --> 00:54:49,400 mean, literally the same people who own the big pet food, own 861 00:54:49,400 --> 00:54:52,960 the big snack food and we're all sick, right? 862 00:54:52,960 --> 00:54:56,080 So like, at the end of the day, it really is those big companies 863 00:54:56,080 --> 00:55:01,760 that get to have their, you know, oversight waived and we 864 00:55:01,760 --> 00:55:04,560 pay the consequences. Yeah, we do. 865 00:55:05,160 --> 00:55:11,040 We have to pay in taxes to oh, I give a little thumbs up. 866 00:55:11,680 --> 00:55:13,400 We have to pay. Is that what happens so if I do 867 00:55:13,400 --> 00:55:15,400 this? It'll give me, I don't know. 868 00:55:16,800 --> 00:55:21,520 Well, it didn't do it for you. We have to pay in taxes for the 869 00:55:21,520 --> 00:55:26,800 regulation, for the Regulatory agency to allow them to do 870 00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:29,640 whatever the heck they want. And then we pay for it with our 871 00:55:29,640 --> 00:55:33,560 pets. And I'm just, I'm just, I'm just 872 00:55:33,600 --> 00:55:35,440 going to say it from now on. I don't. 873 00:55:35,440 --> 00:55:36,880 It just came out of my mouth earlier. 874 00:55:37,400 --> 00:55:44,640 Our pets are pet food injured. And that's my from here on out, 875 00:55:44,640 --> 00:55:46,600 that's what I'm going to call it, their pet food injured 876 00:55:48,760 --> 00:55:51,280 because it is preventable. Just like with us, it is 877 00:55:51,600 --> 00:55:55,760 preventable. It is lifestyle choices that are 878 00:55:55,800 --> 00:56:00,560 contributing to the insane amounts of disease that we're 879 00:56:00,560 --> 00:56:05,360 seeing in humans and pets. It's it's a mirror between US 880 00:56:05,360 --> 00:56:07,760 and our dogs and our cats aren't far behind. 881 00:56:07,760 --> 00:56:12,920 It's, it's so sad, but I think more and more people are waking 882 00:56:12,920 --> 00:56:16,360 up to it one way or the other, whether that's with human health 883 00:56:16,360 --> 00:56:19,560 or with pet health. And hopefully, you know, 884 00:56:19,560 --> 00:56:22,640 eventually they see all of the overlap because it is. 885 00:56:23,560 --> 00:56:27,440 And that's one of my biggest concerns, honestly, with even 886 00:56:29,720 --> 00:56:35,920 doing better in regulating the human food industry is that if 887 00:56:35,920 --> 00:56:40,560 we don't do better in regulating the pet food industry at the 888 00:56:40,560 --> 00:56:45,680 same time, then we're just going to see more and more of the junk 889 00:56:46,000 --> 00:56:48,400 that they can't put in human food anymore. 890 00:56:48,400 --> 00:56:49,680 So let's just give it to the pets. 891 00:56:50,480 --> 00:56:52,760 Yeah. Because that's what people. 892 00:56:53,160 --> 00:56:54,480 Are Doritos, they're both the same. 893 00:56:54,480 --> 00:56:55,720 Exactly. That's the I just. 894 00:56:56,320 --> 00:56:57,680 Yeah, I completely agree with you. 895 00:56:57,800 --> 00:57:04,000 I, I feel like at the end of the day, we are always going to be 896 00:57:04,000 --> 00:57:07,920 OK if we're educated, but then it's always the pet parents who 897 00:57:07,920 --> 00:57:10,800 aren't educated. And then you start talking about 898 00:57:11,360 --> 00:57:15,600 socioeconomic levels and how those groups are more affected 899 00:57:15,600 --> 00:57:18,280 by these things because they have less education, less 900 00:57:18,280 --> 00:57:20,800 understanding. So this is also an 901 00:57:20,800 --> 00:57:23,520 accessibility, an equality. Yeah. 902 00:57:23,880 --> 00:57:27,280 An equity issue. Right, because you and I and 903 00:57:27,280 --> 00:57:32,240 everybody watching, it's our responsibility to act and to 904 00:57:32,240 --> 00:57:35,640 make sure our voices are heard. For those people who don't have 905 00:57:35,640 --> 00:57:38,800 any idea this is even going on, we're not just protecting our 906 00:57:38,800 --> 00:57:41,440 pets, we're trying to protect their pets too. 907 00:57:41,720 --> 00:57:45,880 Just like as a parent, Isabel, I'm not, but I know you are. 908 00:57:46,160 --> 00:57:49,080 Any and everything you do to get involved to make your child's 909 00:57:49,080 --> 00:57:51,960 life better is going to trickle down to other people's children. 910 00:57:51,960 --> 00:57:54,960 And that's community, right? Like that. 911 00:57:54,960 --> 00:57:55,960 And that's what it takes, correct? 912 00:57:56,680 --> 00:57:57,600 Correct. Absolutely. 913 00:57:57,600 --> 00:57:59,320 And yeah. And it's speaking out for those 914 00:57:59,320 --> 00:58:00,800 who can't. Like I'm thinking just in El 915 00:58:00,800 --> 00:58:06,120 Paso, like the level of education in the in, in just pet 916 00:58:06,120 --> 00:58:10,400 rearing is so much lower than when I was in Northern Virginia 917 00:58:10,400 --> 00:58:13,640 or when I grew up in Miami. And like, you know, it's so 918 00:58:13,640 --> 00:58:18,000 unfair that these are the people who are working two jobs because 919 00:58:18,000 --> 00:58:21,440 in El Paso, the socioeconomic level of the city in general is 920 00:58:21,440 --> 00:58:24,280 lower than Northern Virginia, one of the wealthiest counties 921 00:58:24,280 --> 00:58:27,320 in the country, right? And so these people are working 922 00:58:27,320 --> 00:58:30,160 two jobs. They're struggling to make ends 923 00:58:30,160 --> 00:58:32,080 meet. They're spending their money on 924 00:58:32,080 --> 00:58:35,680 this dog food for a dog that, you know, that they're hoping to 925 00:58:35,680 --> 00:58:38,920 hang on to because they add so much to their life. 926 00:58:38,920 --> 00:58:42,640 And now the pet is getting sick. It's not getting the benefits of 927 00:58:42,720 --> 00:58:46,800 this urine health dog food that they invested in and they're 928 00:58:46,800 --> 00:58:49,600 spending more money at the vet. And it's just like this vicious 929 00:58:49,600 --> 00:58:52,640 cycle. And it's so frustrating because 930 00:58:52,640 --> 00:58:54,800 they didn't know. They didn't they didn't have the 931 00:58:54,800 --> 00:58:58,160 time to do the research. They don't have, you know, you 932 00:58:58,160 --> 00:58:59,800 don't know what you don't know, right? 933 00:58:59,800 --> 00:59:02,680 So they don't even know what questions to ask. 934 00:59:04,480 --> 00:59:09,320 Girl, I was at Pathology this weekend and in the back with 935 00:59:09,320 --> 00:59:12,160 Janet because then Pam was helping her. 936 00:59:13,960 --> 00:59:19,240 Don't know Popology is a really wonderful boutique pet boutique 937 00:59:19,240 --> 00:59:22,360 in Boston that's owned by our friend Janet. 938 00:59:22,400 --> 00:59:30,080 Yes and these 40 LB bags of kibble 100 a $110. 939 00:59:30,520 --> 00:59:36,760 I'm like what the what? Like if you were literally out 940 00:59:36,760 --> 00:59:41,880 there spending $100 today because everything is crazy for 941 00:59:41,880 --> 00:59:49,240 a 40 LB bag of kibble, let me help you move over to that 942 00:59:49,240 --> 00:59:53,040 freezer section because your $100 is going to go way further 943 00:59:53,280 --> 00:59:57,520 for a lot better food like. I mean chewy, when you go on 944 00:59:57,600 --> 01:00:01,040 chewy it's shocking. Like I when I go on chewy it is 945 01:00:01,040 --> 01:00:02,920 shy. I just bought some food for a 946 01:00:02,920 --> 01:00:07,840 friend and I was like that's what this costs. 947 01:00:08,160 --> 01:00:13,080 I know I'm like this is. Really junky food stuff I like 948 01:00:13,080 --> 01:00:19,040 would never feed is not much cheaper than the the better 949 01:00:19,040 --> 01:00:22,520 stuff that I would feed. And it's like, you don't know, 950 01:00:23,720 --> 01:00:28,440 $888 for 28 lbs of a low fat GI diet. 951 01:00:28,440 --> 01:00:30,440 Absolutely. The the prescription diets, we 952 01:00:30,440 --> 01:00:32,520 could talk about that blue in the face. 953 01:00:32,680 --> 01:00:35,280 Gosh, they're the biggest racket that has ever existed. 954 01:00:35,520 --> 01:00:37,240 They are and that's one of the things. 955 01:00:37,240 --> 01:00:41,840 But it, it's a, it is a big concern and the pet food and 956 01:00:41,840 --> 01:00:45,000 it's something that that AFCO has been working on. 957 01:00:45,000 --> 01:00:49,800 And I'm very curious to see if the FDA ever does anything about 958 01:00:49,800 --> 01:00:53,800 it because they market it. You have to have a prescription 959 01:00:53,800 --> 01:00:56,160 like it's medicine and there's no medicine in it. 960 01:00:56,520 --> 01:00:59,600 Like it's the biggest it's. Making it difficult for pet 961 01:00:59,600 --> 01:01:04,960 parents. My my dog's socks was on the UTI 962 01:01:04,960 --> 01:01:07,600 stuff, the crystals Bah Bah Bah Bah Bah. 963 01:01:07,600 --> 01:01:10,000 The second I put her on homemade food, she'd never had a crystal 964 01:01:10,000 --> 01:01:12,200 again. But of course, every vet I 965 01:01:12,200 --> 01:01:15,320 talked to was like, how dare you even think that she'll she could 966 01:01:15,320 --> 01:01:18,600 have an obstruction. It could be terrible and it 967 01:01:18,600 --> 01:01:19,480 wasn't. So. 968 01:01:19,480 --> 01:01:21,760 I mean, I know that not everybody is in the position 969 01:01:21,760 --> 01:01:24,880 that I did that when I was like recently married, we had both 970 01:01:24,880 --> 01:01:28,280 full time jobs. Like we didn't have any kids. 971 01:01:29,320 --> 01:01:33,280 We had the ability, the time, the, the, it was convenient for 972 01:01:33,280 --> 01:01:34,920 us. We had the space in our home to 973 01:01:34,920 --> 01:01:37,120 do it. I know not everybody can do 974 01:01:37,120 --> 01:01:39,680 that. So I'm not suggesting that, but 975 01:01:39,680 --> 01:01:42,920 this is what I say. It's like so important for us to 976 01:01:42,920 --> 01:01:46,280 stay on top of these things and to like share it with friends 977 01:01:46,280 --> 01:01:48,840 because like really, if this does come up in a conversation 978 01:01:48,840 --> 01:01:50,840 with your girlfriends, like, oh, what are you feeding? 979 01:01:51,120 --> 01:01:53,120 Remember this and tell them to look into it. 980 01:01:53,800 --> 01:01:55,200 Please. Yeah, yeah. 981 01:01:56,040 --> 01:02:01,560 Well, so OK, read the per act. It's available at what 982 01:02:01,560 --> 01:02:07,840 congress.gov. Go to Susan Thixton's blog, read 983 01:02:08,520 --> 01:02:13,920 how she writes it all out in words that we can all understand 984 01:02:14,680 --> 01:02:18,160 from somebody who is very experienced having been to many, 985 01:02:18,160 --> 01:02:21,800 many, many, many AFCO. That honestly, that is one of my 986 01:02:22,400 --> 01:02:28,120 biggest concerns overall is that we're potentially going to lose 987 01:02:28,600 --> 01:02:31,760 the consumer advocacy port like because where are consumers 988 01:02:31,760 --> 01:02:34,920 going to go? Where are consumers going to go 989 01:02:35,440 --> 01:02:40,160 to say, right, to say, to get in front of these regulators to say 990 01:02:40,160 --> 01:02:43,760 this isn't OK, right? Like at least we have that with 991 01:02:43,760 --> 01:02:47,360 AFCO for what it's worth, at least we have that right now. 992 01:02:47,360 --> 01:02:52,040 But anyway, and while we're still live, you can comment per 993 01:02:52,040 --> 01:02:57,760 and I'll send you that link. And yeah, I mean, just as 994 01:02:58,400 --> 01:03:01,920 always, like don't listen to me if you don't want to listen to 995 01:03:01,920 --> 01:03:03,960 me. Go do your own research, please. 996 01:03:04,240 --> 01:03:05,240 Yeah. Please, please. 997 01:03:06,600 --> 01:03:10,240 So for those who are on Facebook and YouTube, I did share the 998 01:03:10,240 --> 01:03:15,960 truth about petfood.com, the link about about the per act, 999 01:03:15,960 --> 01:03:17,280 which I think is what you're going to send them. 1000 01:03:17,280 --> 01:03:23,240 So for Instagram comment per and for Facebook and YouTube, just 1001 01:03:23,240 --> 01:03:25,640 check the comments. I put it there for you. 1002 01:03:26,120 --> 01:03:30,560 And don't forget to vote, guys, don't forget to vote. 1003 01:03:31,480 --> 01:03:36,760 Please vote yes. It's our responsibility. 1004 01:03:37,200 --> 01:03:40,320 We we need to do it. I voted Friday, actually, after 1005 01:03:40,320 --> 01:03:41,200 you voted. Do you know that? 1006 01:03:41,240 --> 01:03:42,800 I was like, you know what? I'm just going to go vote. 1007 01:03:42,800 --> 01:03:44,840 You did. I was like, cuz I I yeah, I 1008 01:03:44,880 --> 01:03:48,520 travel next week. Wait, Miami? 1009 01:03:50,400 --> 01:03:56,520 For your mom moving OK. So no, no, live with me next 1010 01:03:56,520 --> 01:04:00,240 week. I'm so sorry, but that gives you 1011 01:04:00,240 --> 01:04:02,160 more time to go vote. Please do. 1012 01:04:02,560 --> 01:04:07,000 So I went to vote Friday and there was a lady who was 101 1013 01:04:07,000 --> 01:04:13,640 years old voting and I just think that it was so wonderful. 1014 01:04:13,640 --> 01:04:18,040 Just a reminder, guys, in most states, you cannot speak about 1015 01:04:18,040 --> 01:04:21,080 your candidate. It's illegal. 1016 01:04:21,360 --> 01:04:24,320 You cannot. Oh, at the polling station? 1017 01:04:24,480 --> 01:04:27,000 Yeah, you can't. Whomever because. 1018 01:04:27,200 --> 01:04:30,880 Yeah. Somebody walked out and screamed 1019 01:04:31,000 --> 01:04:34,960 whatever candidate 2024 And I was like, you can't wear 1020 01:04:34,960 --> 01:04:37,440 T-shirts, you can't wear anything. 1021 01:04:37,440 --> 01:04:41,760 Just go demure and mindful and place your vote. 1022 01:04:41,760 --> 01:04:46,200 And you can celebrate outside however many feet, but just get 1023 01:04:46,200 --> 01:04:48,000 there. Because I mean, if this older 1024 01:04:48,320 --> 01:04:53,640 woman, 101 years old, if she was able to vote, I think we can all 1025 01:04:53,640 --> 01:04:55,240 vote her. I guess it was her daughter who 1026 01:04:55,240 --> 01:04:58,640 took her and she was still mobile, which is really amazing 1027 01:04:58,640 --> 01:05:01,840 for 101. Yeah, she needed help walking 1028 01:05:01,840 --> 01:05:05,880 and voting, but if she can do it, so can we. 1029 01:05:06,240 --> 01:05:09,800 Yeah, absolutely. I'm glad I got it done. 1030 01:05:10,080 --> 01:05:12,360 I wanted to do it like there was a line. 1031 01:05:13,080 --> 01:05:14,160 I waited. Really. 1032 01:05:14,200 --> 01:05:15,200 Good. It was like an. 1033 01:05:15,840 --> 01:05:18,680 Hour evening. It was Friday evening and I 1034 01:05:18,680 --> 01:05:20,440 think I only waited like 25 minutes. 1035 01:05:20,720 --> 01:05:25,520 But in Texas November 1st is the last day for early voting. 1036 01:05:25,520 --> 01:05:29,360 So mark your calendars, get out there, and if you have a YWCA 1037 01:05:29,360 --> 01:05:32,960 close, that's where I vote. They usually have polling 1038 01:05:32,960 --> 01:05:35,360 stations there. Yeah, well, you can check. 1039 01:05:35,560 --> 01:05:40,160 I don't know, just Google your state and early polling and go, 1040 01:05:40,240 --> 01:05:43,880 yeah, early voting, yeah. And I think actually Google has 1041 01:05:43,960 --> 01:05:47,600 them on the on maps, probably. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 1042 01:05:47,640 --> 01:05:50,320 Polling station or polling? Yeah, yeah. 1043 01:05:50,840 --> 01:05:56,160 All right, guys, please, please, please do all the things, do all 1044 01:05:56,160 --> 01:06:01,360 the things, get involved. We will see you, I guess, on two 1045 01:06:01,360 --> 01:06:02,640 weeks. Do we want to do something on 1046 01:06:02,680 --> 01:06:05,880 Veteran's Day? Oh, through the veteran's day. 1047 01:06:05,880 --> 01:06:09,880 I don't know what day it is. Veteran's day is November 11th. 1048 01:06:09,920 --> 01:06:13,560 I feel like it would be fun to go live and and like talk about 1049 01:06:13,880 --> 01:06:19,440 how to support veteran dogs because that is a really big and 1050 01:06:19,600 --> 01:06:22,800 important topic. It is. 1051 01:06:22,880 --> 01:06:27,120 It's a very sad one too. Well, the it's happy in that 1052 01:06:27,120 --> 01:06:29,640 there are organizations that are doing all the right things for 1053 01:06:29,640 --> 01:06:32,200 them, but like a lot of people don't know why you need to 1054 01:06:32,200 --> 01:06:35,440 support these dogs like they don't know I interviewed. 1055 01:06:42,200 --> 01:06:45,040 An organization that does this, but there are many. 1056 01:06:45,160 --> 01:06:48,880 And like what I learned was like how much rehab a lot of these 1057 01:06:48,880 --> 01:06:50,800 dogs need. Like it's not just they don't 1058 01:06:50,800 --> 01:06:55,120 kept homes or it's not just they get left in combat zones. 1059 01:06:55,520 --> 01:06:58,680 It's that even when everything works out like they bring them 1060 01:06:58,680 --> 01:07:02,600 back, they have a, you know, they, their handler from, you 1061 01:07:02,600 --> 01:07:04,840 know, their military handler wants to bring them. 1062 01:07:07,200 --> 01:07:10,560 They have so much work to do that it's like prohibitive for 1063 01:07:10,560 --> 01:07:13,880 the members of the military. And, and there's no like real 1064 01:07:13,880 --> 01:07:17,200 protection for them, even though they fight just as much and just 1065 01:07:17,200 --> 01:07:20,040 as hard and they put themselves in just as much danger as our 1066 01:07:20,040 --> 01:07:24,360 human military. So that's a really important 1067 01:07:24,360 --> 01:07:26,520 topic that I feel like, like we said, like not everybody 1068 01:07:26,520 --> 01:07:28,200 understands these insurance and outs. 1069 01:07:28,200 --> 01:07:31,280 And like, if you're game, I will, I would love to like 1070 01:07:31,280 --> 01:07:34,600 discuss that and just give people some knowledge as to why 1071 01:07:34,600 --> 01:07:36,600 it's important to support these causes. 1072 01:07:37,200 --> 01:07:42,600 Sure sounds good to me sounds good all righty well y'all have 1073 01:07:42,600 --> 01:07:45,120 a great week. Please do go vote. 1074 01:07:45,200 --> 01:07:48,080 Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it and and. 1075 01:07:48,440 --> 01:07:50,280 We don't care who you vote for, just go. 1076 01:07:50,400 --> 01:07:51,640 Vote, Ellen, you one way or the other. 1077 01:07:51,640 --> 01:07:55,960 Just do it like, yes, please. All right. 1078 01:07:56,200 --> 01:07:58,320 Well, have a great week. Thanks so much for hanging out 1079 01:07:58,320 --> 01:08:01,440 with us, and we'll talk to you in two weeks. 1080 01:08:01,440 --> 01:08:02,000 Bye. Bye.