There have been nearly 1,300 voluntary recalls of pet foods since the melamine crisis in 2007. Pet food safety issues are quite similar to those affecting the general food supply—microbial contamination and adulteration. Critical in the management of public health is that some outbreaks of infection are associated with contaminated pet foods (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2008).
According to The Humane Society (2009), there are about 77.5 million dogs and 93.6 million cats owned in the U…