Will you die from consuming food meant for pets?

 

Consuming food intended for pets might not be as risk-free as it used to be.

 

It's not unusual for us to offer our four-legged companions a bite or two from the table. But is it safe to do it backwards? Is it safe for a person to consume food meant for animals? Is there a possibility that it will take your life?

 

According to Dana Hunnes, an assistant professor at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a senior dietitian at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, pet food can harm humans if it is contaminated. This is the short answer to the question. Pet food is susceptible to contamination from foodborne pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli, just like human food is. According to Healthline, it is essential to preserve your four-legged pals according to the rules provided by the manufacturer of their food for proper storage. For instance, the Food and Drug Administration of the United States advises keeping dry and canned food for pets in a cold, dry environment that does not exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature (26.6 degrees Celsius).

 

However, Dr Beth Ann Ditkoff, a biology faculty member at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, told VICE that eating the food that you give to your pet may put you at a greater risk of becoming contaminated. This is because we do not always store pet food with the same degree of care that we do our food.

 

The FDA has issued several recalls and withdrawals concerning pet food over the years. These include potential Salmonella contamination in 2022 that may have been caused by rodent activity at a distribution centre and a dog food recall in 2021 because it contained elevated levels of aflatoxins, toxins produced by certain fungi on crops.

 

However, food for pets that have not been tampered with is safe, at least in the near term, according to Hunnes. According to her comments on Live Science, most commercial pet food comprises food-grade scraps and byproducts. Most of the ingredients that go into pet food come from slaughterhouse wastes, such as bone meal, scraps of meat, and offal (which can include the stomach, large intestine, or tongue), soybean, and grain byproducts from processing factories. Although some of these components might not seem very tasty, it's important to remember that human and pet food originate from the same places. According to Hunnes, kibble is not intrinsically poisonous, and it is safe to try if you are intrigued by kibble or even opt to consume it if there is an emergency scarcity of food. However, you should avoid certain raw foods for pets because they can be dangerous. According to the findings of the Healthline study, human beings should never pursue such a course of action.

 

According to Hunnes, the consumption of pet food should preferably be restricted to a short period—ideally no more than a couple of days. In a time of crisis, pet food can supply both calories and protein. However, it is essential to keep in mind that human food is not designed to meet the specific requirements of humans, as is the case with pet food.

 

For instance, vitamin K, which, according to Hunnes, can be harmful to humans when consumed in large quantities, is present in dog food. Also, unlike humans, dogs and cats can produce their own vitamin C, a nutrient that must be obtained through the diet. Because of this, certain pet foods do not include vitamin C. According to Hunnes, the long-term consumption of large amounts of food intended for animals by humans carries the risk of nutrient inadequacy.

 

It is also essential to be aware that most food sold for animals is marked "not suitable for human consumption." According to a story from VICE, if eating pet food does cause you to become ill, whether as a result of a nutritional deficit or a contaminant that got into the food before it reached your house, you would have minimal legal recourse in such a scenario.

 

In the end, food intended for animals is safe for human consumption, but it is not ideal. You are free to experiment with it or even put it to use if the situation calls for it. However, from a nutritional and food safety point of view, this is not a solution that can be implemented on a long-term basis.

Article surce : https://www.livescience.com/32515-will-eating-pet-food-kill-me.html

Image sourc   : https://pixabay.com/id/illustrations/makanan-junk-food-burger-1104168/

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