Canada to review need for pet-food regulation

Ontario, Canada - 4/23/07 - The expanding pet-food recall that started with Ontario-based Menu Foods Inc. has prompted the government to consider whether pet foods should be regulated in Canada.

The government asked the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to make a recommendation as to whether a regulatory system should be created, or some other action taken to ensure better control and monitoring of pet-food ingredients, now that the recall has gone global.

Agriculture Minister Chuck Stahl emphasizes that the CFIA review is just that - a review. It doesn't mean Canada should or will impose regulations, he says, adding that regulations didn't keep pets from dying in the United States.

The CFIA can call for regulations, or it might suggest other actions to improve oversight of pet-food ingredients. It also will tell the government whether a recall system is needed to get tainted foods out of stores more quickly.

Canada has no recall system for pet food as it does for human food.

Canada's National Democratic Party (NDP) recently urged the government to change laws governing pet-food production in light of the recall.