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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 24 of 24. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by IsoM on January 21, 2003, at 17:33:38
Rather than something light hearted, I'm including a somewhat editted article I gathered. I editted for brevity, not to bias what's written. Here it is below. It's pretty sickening. I know many will already be aware of this but thought some would be interested. Just remember ladies, the next time you put on lipstick what's in it. And the next time we light a candle or wash our hands.
-------ANIMAL WASTE AS FOOD MEAL
"As the American Journal of Veterinary Research explains, this recycled meat and bone meal is used as a source of protein and other nutrients in the diets of poultry and swine and in pet foods, with lesser amounts used in the feed of cattle and sheep. Animal fat is also used in animal feeds as an energy source." Every day, hundreds of rendering plants across the United States truck millions of tons of this "food enhancer" to poultry ranches, cattle feed-lots, dairy and hog farms, fish-feed plants, and pet-food manufacturers where it ‘s mixed with other ingredients to feed the billions of animals that meat-eating humans, in turn, will eat.
"Rendering plants have different specialties. The labeling designation of a particular "run" of product is defined by the predominance of a specific animal. Some product-label names are: meat meal, meat by-products, poultry meal, poultry by-products, fish meal, fish oil, yellow grease, tallow, beef fat and chicken fat. (My Note: This means that something labeled chicken by-product could also have pets, road kill, etc if the main ingredients were chickens.)
"The dead animals (termed the ‘raw’) are accompanied by a whole menu of unwanted ingredients. Because animals are frequently shoved into the grinding pit with flea collars still attached, then organophosphate-containing insecticides get into the mix as well. The insecticide Dursban (My Note: It’s banned in Canada, but I don’t know if it is in the States) arrives in the form of cattle insecticide patches. Pharmaceuticals leak from antibiotics in livestock,various drugs given to animals that didn’t recover from their illness, and euthanasia drugs given to pets are also included. Heavy metals accumulate from a variety of sources: pet ID tags, surgical pins and needles.
Plastic winds up going into the pit. Unsold supermarket meats, chicken, and fish arrive in Styrofoam trays and plastic shrink-wrap. No one has time for the tedious chore of unwrapping thousands of rejected meat-packs. More plastic goes into the pits with the arrival of cattle ID tags, plastic insecticide patches and the green plastic bags containing dead pets from veterinarians. Skyrocketing labor costs are one of the economic factors forcing the corporate flesh-peddlers to cheat. It is far too costly for plant personnel to cut off flea collars or unwrap spoiled T-bone steaks. Every week, millions of packages of plastic-wrapped meat go through the rendering process and become one of the unwanted ingredients in animal feed.”
A March 1997 New York Times News Service report defines rendering as “the seldom-discussed practice of boiling down and making feed meal and other products out of slaughterhouse and restaurant scraps, dead farm animals, road kill and -- distasteful as it may seem -- cats and dogs euthanized in some animal shelters and veterinarian practices.”“Renderers in the United States pick up 100 million pounds of waste material every day -- a witch's brew of feet, heads, stomachs, intestines, hooves, spinal cords, tails, grease, feathers and bones. One half of every cow, butchered and one third of every pig are not consumed by humans. An estimated 6,000,000 - 7,000,000 dogs and cats are killed in animal shelters each year, said Jeff Frace, a spokesman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in New York City. Many of them will go to rendering plants and not incinerators.
“For example, the city of Los Angeles sends 200 tons of euthanized cats and dogs to West Coast Rendering, in Los Angeles, every month, according to Chuck Ellis, a spokesman for Los Angeles Sanitation Department. Pet food companies try not to buy meat and bone meal from renderers who grind up cats and dogs, said Doug Anderson, president of Darling International Inc., a large rendering company in Dallas. ‘We do not accept companion animals,’ he said. ‘But there are still a number of smaller plants that render anything.’
“At least 250 rendering plants operate in the United States, said Bruce Blanton, executive director of the 130-member National Renderers Association in Alexandria, Va. While there are still a few small operations on the outskirts of some cities, he said, modern rendering plants are large and centralized, and the industry's revenues amount to $2.4 billion a year.
“After trucks deliver the wastes to the plants, it’s ground to a mash. Then the material is minced further, fed into a vessel where it is steam-cooked to 250 degrees or more, and then the stew is cooked for 20 to 90 minutes, Blanton said. In the resulting mash, heavier material drops to the bottom and the lighter stuff floats to the top. Fat is siphoned off the top, filtered and sent through centrifuges to further refine it, Blanton said. Chemical manufacturers turn much of it into fatty acids for lubricants, lipstick, cement, polish, inks and waxes. Other fractions, including gelatinous layers, tallow and grease, go into thousands of products, including soaps, candles, pharmaceuticals, homeopathic medicines and gummy candies. The heavier protein material on the bottom goes through a separate process, Blanton said. It is dried, squeezed to remove more fat and dried again. The resulting powder is the major ingredient in pet and animal feed. It is a cannibalistic practice that has proved highly profitable.” (My Note: This is the source of gelatin. Gelatin is used to make capsules for supplements and meds; for Jell-o, and for a host of other human food products.)
Posted by NikkiT2 on January 21, 2003, at 17:39:14
In reply to What goes in pet food and animal feed, posted by IsoM on January 21, 2003, at 17:33:38
My husband is vegetarian, so I am used to checking every thing we buy.. The thing he finds hardest to find are vegetarian trainers (sneakers). The glue used in the majority of the non-leather ones contains animals products. We have been lucky and found a Vegan shoe shop which stocks most styles and makes.
I'm in the habit of double checking anything that could contain anything animal related.. and only use cosmetics that don;t contain any animal produce as well as not having been tested on aminals.. luckily I;m allergic to lanolin which is the main animal by-product used so have always had to be careful.
Nikki
Posted by coral on January 21, 2003, at 18:01:56
In reply to Re: What goes in pet food and animal feed » IsoM, posted by NikkiT2 on January 21, 2003, at 17:39:14
Ughh.... how distasteful. What I don't understand, as a person who lives with two cats, is why manufacturers don't mince up mice and rats? My cats would definitely enjoy it and it would save finding partially devoured carcasses strewn about.
Posted by IsoM on January 21, 2003, at 18:41:33
In reply to Re: What goes in pet food and animal feed, posted by coral on January 21, 2003, at 18:01:56
If you read cat food ingredients on packages, you'll always see taurine added to cat food. It's an essential amino acids that cats can't make, like humans can. Pet food manufacturers had to add it to the ingredients when cats started dying off from cardiac problems & many lost their sight from its lack.
Which made me wonder - why does it have to be added? How did cats get enough before? The answer happens to be from eating one of their natural foods - mice & other rodents. Mice are one of the richest sources of taurine there is.
My long time joke about developing a cat food that "cats would kill for" (literally) maybe should be realised. I figured to come up with Rodent Ragoût, Mouse Moussaka, Squirrel Swirl, Grasshopper Goulash, & such. Now I'm wondering if there may be a market for it. But I don't think I'd be willing to chop up the little critters even if my cats loved it. And the smell of the mix cooking in my kitchen! Good way to swear off food forever.
Posted by Phil on January 21, 2003, at 21:16:26
In reply to Mice as cat food » coral, posted by IsoM on January 21, 2003, at 18:41:33
Here's a good cat link that covers feeding and everthing else about cats.
Posted by Tabitha on January 22, 2003, at 4:06:26
In reply to What goes in pet food and animal feed, posted by IsoM on January 21, 2003, at 17:33:38
I was determined to get through that article without getting grossed out, but... GUMMY CANDIES???
Say it isn't so. I love gummy worms, gummy bears, gummy frogs with marshmallow bellies, gummy savers, gummy fruits, gummy skeletons, gummy rats, ...
Posted by Ginjoint on January 22, 2003, at 7:13:39
In reply to Mice as cat food » coral, posted by IsoM on January 21, 2003, at 18:41:33
A few years ago, a news program here in the States (I think it was Dateline or 60 Minutes) did an expose on pet food. They asked the same question about cat food - why not make it out of mice, which have just the right amount of amino acids, etc. for cats? Finally, one of the executives at a pet food company gave an honest answer: It was because their marketing people pushed the idea that opening a can of ground-up mice would be distasteful to the human owners of these pets (!), whereas we're "used to" the idea of chickens, pigs, and cows as food in our society. Unbelievable. I looked at my cats, who eat prescription food that's $33 (US) for 24 cans, and felt guilty anyway.
Ginjoint
Posted by Rach on January 22, 2003, at 21:34:00
In reply to Re: What goes in pet food and animal feed » IsoM, posted by NikkiT2 on January 21, 2003, at 17:39:14
> I'm in the habit of double checking anything that could contain anything animal related.. and only use cosmetics that don;t contain any animal produce as well as not having been tested on aminals..
>Hey Nik, what are the major brands that you use? Or do you have to pick and choose each product. I'd be interested to know what I put on my face each day, to be honest I've never thought too much about it.
xxx
Posted by NikkiT2 on January 23, 2003, at 17:01:42
In reply to Re: What goes in pet food and animal feed » NikkiT2, posted by Rach on January 22, 2003, at 21:34:00
I tend to use Clinique.. but still always check labels.. Nivea aren't too bad either...
I used to use Beauty Without Cruelty products.. but was allergic to them!! *l* Oh, and do you have the Body Shop too?? I use them for my bubble bath's etc (I;m also allergic to soap and Body Shop is one of the only places that does soap free bubble bath!!) Their makeup range is really good too.
Other than that, I;m not sure.. as my skin is so sensitive, when I find a product that agree's with it (like my wonderful Nivea deoderant!) I tend to stick with it as long as I can!!!
Good luck... its so hard to find good products that are cruelty free and animal produce free.. Thats why we're so lucky over here to hae Body Shop...
Nikki x
Posted by Rach on January 23, 2003, at 19:05:10
In reply to Re: What goes in pet food and animal feed » Rach, posted by NikkiT2 on January 23, 2003, at 17:01:42
We do have the body shop here. :) I'll have to check out the clinique & nivea stuff, thanks.
Posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 14:21:57
In reply to Re: What goes in pet food and animal feed » NikkiT2, posted by Rach on January 23, 2003, at 19:05:10
Body Shop isn't the wonderful all natural store it's made out to be. I've read a lot about them & their "policy". All cosmetic ingredients that were commonly used before a certain date, the FDA has allowed to be continued if it doesn't show serious carcinogenic activity. But that doesn't mean it's completely safe. It's just part of the very complicated FDA rulings & compromise with not making & disrupting major businesses.
Any product can say "Not Tested On Animals" even if it was once tested on animals. There's no need to test these same ingredients over & over each time. One ingredient commonly found in shampoos, bath gels, liquid soaps, toothpastes, & a host of other products is sodium laureth sulfate. It's NOT carcinogenic but it's safety isn't certain. It can be absorbed through skin & mucous tissues. I personally am not too crazy about it. Try to find a toothpaste that doesn't have it - even in health food stores. Many people have a sensitivity to it & in toothpaste, it can cause canker sores in some people. It's also the reason orange juice tastes so bitter after you've brushed your teeth.
Many ingrdients used in cosmetics are used in a wide range of other industrial products. That in itself, doesn't mean it's harmful. So is water used in many products, industrial, medical, etc. You get the picture. But I think the less different products used, the better we are for it. I personally don't care if my toothpaste foams (from sodium laureth sulfate) or not. I don't like the aftertaste & dry mouth from it.
I actually make my own face cream from beeswax, hempseed oil (any good oil like olive oil would work too), some essential oils, vitamin E & A, & a little zinc oxide. It has the consistency of a thick cream & after I wash my face, while it's still damp, I use a tiny dab & rub it around my wet face. Because my face is wet, it distributes evenly & very thinly - no greasy look. Works well on dry hands or legs. I add extra beeswax to make it stiffer & use it as a lip salve. I've made this cream & lip salve for friends & they swear by it. One said it stopped her cold sore from developing. I make no claims - it's only simple ingredients.
Cosmetics don't have to be fancy. That's just advertising propaganda to make us think we can make or do for ourselves. All the extras added are generally to fool us into thinking one company's product is superior to another. The best we can do for our skin is avoid sun, drink lots of water, & eat nutritious foods. It's what goes in us that affects our skin far more than what we put on it.
Posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 14:46:25
In reply to Re: What goes in pet food and animal feed » IsoM, posted by Tabitha on January 22, 2003, at 4:06:26
Sorry, Tabitha, but all gelatin (or gelatine) comes from rendering dead animals. Pig skin is the main source, but hooves, horns, & other parts are used too. I can't be certain but the food & pharmaceutical grade gelatin is supposed to come from healthy animals. I do know that regulations aren't always followed or strictly held.
At the store I work at, everyone knows when health inspectors are coming, & things get tidied up fast. To be behind the scenes at some large stores & factories is quite an eye-opener!
There are plant gums that function much like gelatin. It's what strict vegans use. These gums from seaweed & other plants thicken just like gelatin but without needing to be heated then cooled. They gel at room temperature. I use some for thickening my salad dressings & other foods. I'm not a vegetarian so I use them when I don't want to heat the food I'm making.
Some gums available are carrageenan, guar gum, agar, & gum tragacanth. You'll often see them listed on foods like dressings, ice creams, etc. Most can be bought at a health food store, but I prefer to order from a pharmacy, if possible. Much cheaper that way.
Gummi candies made in the States & Canada do contain gelatin but if you buy Oriental gummi candies, most contain vegetable gums. Read the ingredients to be sure.
Posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 14:54:57
In reply to Re: Cat link » IsoM, posted by Phil on January 21, 2003, at 21:16:26
But only because you forgot to include the link - what was it?
I once tried a raw meat diet (with supplemental foods added) for my cats. Silly creatures! They weren't too crazy about it - hardly would touch it. But whenever they hear the sound of that plastic wrap on meat packages being ripped open, they come running, hoping for some scraps. Go figure! But then, two of my cats are absolutely nutso over raw beans, & my boy kitty loves many diff vegetables - beans, broccoli & mushrooms are his favourite.
I had one kitty, years ago, who loved apples! I couldn't leave a bowl of apples out - they'd all be gnawed, chewed & mangled the next day. When she heard me bite into an apple, she'd be at my side meowing for her share. She'd eat strawberries too, & lick out the empty rinds of grapefruit when I was finished. But she turned her nose up at meat, raw or cooked!
I truly believe pets soon come to resemble the eccentricites of their owners. Dull pets = dull owners. Why are mine so bizarre & crazy? (Don't answer that.)
Posted by coral on January 24, 2003, at 16:01:20
In reply to cosmetics Nikki and Rach, posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 14:21:57
Dear Iso,
Re: cosmetics. Your cream sounds terrific.
One of the top ten medical schools in the US recommends Crisco as the best moisturizer. I use it by melting it, adding a drop or two of an essential oil, and letting it harden. Works beautifully. (I don't use it on my face since I use retin-A but use it on all the other rough spots.... and heavens knows there are so many rough, dry spots with this nasty, bitter cold winter we're having.
Posted by Phil on January 24, 2003, at 16:24:57
In reply to Re: That Was A Lousy Link!!! » Phil, posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 14:54:57
Me thinks the med I take that you smoke may have affected my.....you know, when you think back..Memory!!! I'll see if I can find it. The link.
Posted by Phil on January 24, 2003, at 17:43:58
In reply to Re: That Was A Lousy Link!!! » Phil, posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 14:54:57
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/owners.html
: )
Posted by M. Lee on January 24, 2003, at 18:19:57
In reply to Gelatin and Candies » Tabitha, posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 14:46:25
> Sorry, Tabitha, but all gelatin (or gelatine) comes from rendering dead animals. Pig skin is the main source, but hooves, horns, & other parts are used too. I can't be certain but the food & pharmaceutical grade gelatin is supposed to come from healthy animals. I do know that regulations aren't always followed or strictly held.
>I used to think that was an "urban legend"
Everything you wanted to know about gelatin and related foodstuffs:
http://www.foodsubs.com/ThickenGelatins.html
Posted by Tabitha on January 25, 2003, at 2:01:04
In reply to Gelatin and Candies » Tabitha, posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 14:46:25
I am just going to block that knowledge from my mind. I think I knew about gelatin, but never made the association with my beloved gummies.
Self-hypnosis tape.... Gummy candies are made from only lovely and appetizing ingredients. What's more, they're an important part of a balanced breakfast. ... Repeat...
Posted by IsoM on January 25, 2003, at 3:29:21
In reply to Re: That Was A Lousy Link!!! » IsoM, posted by Phil on January 24, 2003, at 17:43:58
Wonderful! Another cat link, I'm such a sucker for them. I'll look it over better tomorrow. Thanks.
Posted by noa on January 25, 2003, at 10:18:15
In reply to Re: Gelatin and Candies, posted by M. Lee on January 24, 2003, at 18:19:57
There is vegetable gelatin, but it is not generalyy used in consumer food products.
Posted by IsoM on January 25, 2003, at 15:33:37
In reply to Re: Gelatin and Candies, posted by noa on January 25, 2003, at 10:18:15
Posted by Rach on January 26, 2003, at 6:14:51
In reply to cosmetics Nikki and Rach, posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 14:21:57
Thanks for the cosmetics info, Iso. I too have some home cosmetics that I used to make all the time, but then I got lazy...I'll try to find the recipes I had!
One cat I had LOVED carrots. I would eat them raw all the time, and she would come up for her share. Then she would lick and lick the end of the carrot once I was finished. It would even get to the point where she would try to lick the juice from my face!
The cat I have now loves my weetbix with sugar and skim milk. She will stalk me when I am eating it. This is a cat who hates to even been petted for too long, let alone be picked up, but she will voluntarily sit on my lap trying to get to my breakfast!
Posted by NikkiT2 on January 26, 2003, at 11:06:08
In reply to cosmetics Nikki and Rach, posted by IsoM on January 24, 2003, at 14:21:57
Iso...
I was only talking about products containing animal products.. I have done a study on Body Shop before, and they are actually alot better than the majority on the high street.. I use them as its very hard for me to find products I;m not allergic to... including zinc oxide...
Also, as Rach is in Oz and I;m in the UK I only mentioned the larger suppliers, as the small one I tend to use in Covent Garden isn't available any where else than their store...
I don't have a clue as to ALL products and their ingredients, and what the problems with certain stuff is.. I only know that I only use products that don;t use animal testing (and int he UK they can only say this if it passes their rules as to having NEVER been tested on animals) and don;t contain animal products.. and obviously doesn't contain stuff I'm allergic to.
Nikki
Posted by bluedog on January 30, 2003, at 23:53:24
In reply to What goes in pet food and animal feed, posted by IsoM on January 21, 2003, at 17:33:38
Hello Iso
I find all this kind of information absolutely fascinating. But also makes me feel terribly guilty whenever I feed my dogs commercial pet food though I have educated myself and now read labels VERY carefully when I select commercial feed for my dogs. The best common sense article I've ever come across on how to feed my dogs is this http://www.grccny.org/Feeding%20a%20Golden.htm. The article relates to golden retrievers but actually can be applied to all dogs and I'm sure with a bit of common sense the principals can be transferred across to cats as well. (NOTE: When I download this article there appears to be a very large gap in the middle of the article....just keep scrolling down the page and the article simply continues exactly as in a hard copy of this article that I printed out in 1999)
Anyway, your post reminded me of a report made by the Animal Protection Institute (API) which I stumbled across a few years back on "What's really in pet food" when I had a little cancer scare with my then only 2 year old female golden retriever. Anyway I rummaged through all my papers and found the hard copy of this report which I printed out at the time and despite the printout being dated as 1999 the url was still good.
here's the link http://www.api4animals.org/areas.asp?c=4&ID=59
Generally I find the API site an excellent site. It probably repeats a lot of what you already know but you can never have too much info. However one glaring difference I have noticed between my hard copy (dated 1999) and the current online report is that the reference to euthanised companion animals being added to the brew seems to have been omitted. Does this mean that this practice no longer goes on?
Here's a link to information first published in 1990 that was initially referred to in my 1999 hard copy http://www.nexusmagazine.com/Petfood.html.
This information is still obviously floating around the net. I suppose you can draw one of two conclusions.
1. The practice of rendering euthanised companion animals no longer occurs; OR
2. Exposure by the media has driven this practice even further underground than it was in 1990 to 1999.
What do you think?
warm regards
bluedog
This is the end of the thread.
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