Skip to main content

Welcome to The Pet Schooled Press!

Welcome to The Pet Schooled Press. Today, I launch this reporting endeavor as part of my continued effort to bring as much information to the public as possible. After reporting on and researching the pet food industry an estimated seven years, there's still so much to communicate to the public at large. 

In March 2020, I launched the reporting and education platform, Pet Schooled. After years of hard work, I can't tell you how happy and excited I was to finally launch Pet Schooled to the public at large. Then, COVID happened. While it hampered the ability of Pet Schooled in it's first year, COVID also drove the search for truth down a different avenue which is proving to be a large success. 

The avenue here is one of public records. There is a severe lack of transparency and consistent conversation stemming from public agencies who are tasked with "regulating" the pet food industry, to the consumer and citizen. It often feels that "regulatory" officials act more in the interests of the corporations they're suppose to be regulating, cutting citizens out of the "regulatory" process as much as possible. When agencies are unhelpful or refuse to provide information on important matters, that is where public records come into play. Public records can provide us insight into what information exists or doesn't exists. This can allow the public to evaluate and determine if agencies or companies are telling the truth or lying on a given issue. 

Trying to obtain records has been difficult at times. I have been forced to file various lawsuits as a result of several agencies stalling or refusing to provide records on various topics. The lawsuits are proving to be effective. The records agencies have been forced to produce to me will often be a major part of my continued reporting on The Pet Schooled Press. 

While this can be an extremely difficult industry to understand, there are various and extremely serious public health issues are at stake here. Whether it is the obesity epidemic in dogs, high rate of cancer in both dogs and cats, high rate of diabetes, we now know that pet "food" on the market is playing a role in relation to these health epidemics in our animals. What exactly is allowed in most of these foods, and what potential health impacts do those foods then have on animals? 

The astonishing fact that keeps arising in my research is the level of complicity that public health officials have in both allowing for such epidemics to happen in the first place, and in the continued allowance of the epidemic. Public health officials often brag that they protect the "integrity" and "safety" of animal foods, while at the same time making no mention of the epidemics they have helped cause. 

The challenge to improve health and our current food system is great, but not impossible. It all starts with small changes, birthed by information and understanding. I am glad to have you here as part of this important undertaking. 

-Kohl Harrington
Pet Schooled
Director

Comments

  1. 2BJanuary 10, 2021 at 1:32 PM

    Hi Kohl! Is there an e-newsletter feed to your posts that I can sign up for?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dominican Vital RecordsFebruary 18, 2022 at 3:36 AM

    I read this post your post so nice and very informative post thanks for sharing this postdominican republic public records

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How To Submit Comment Re: FDA (FDA-CVM) 2023 budget

FDA-CVM is continuing their refusal to properly address various longstanding, and rectifiable issues. In their " 2023   Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees ", FDA writes glowingly about FDA-CVM regulatory actions. (FDA-CVM related material starts on page 172 https://www.fda.gov/media/157192/download).  FDA-CVM has continuously stated it can't meet its obligations under FOIA law because of "resources". FDA-CVM has also stated it doesn't have the resources to hold regular, public meetings. In its request for " $43 million in additional investments in food safety modernization, including animal food safety oversight ", FOIA is not mentioned. Public meetings are not mentioned. FDA-CVM does not make it known that there is significant interest from the public in these areas. The agency simply ignores the issues.  Part of my argument over the years is that FDA-CVM doesn't want, nor do they care to fix these issues. I believe part ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shocked But Not Shocked By Newest FDA-CVM Admission Re: Salmonella

A recent FOIA request has forced FDA-CVM to admit facts many already suspected. In 2020, records were requested from FDA-CVM for "all records from FDA for cases where dogs or cats are confirmed to have died from salmonella after eating raw dog or raw cat food." The date range for the request for records was January 2017 through December 2019. Three years later in May 2023, FDA responded stating, "The Center For Veterinary Medicine has conducted a search and did not locate any records responsive to your request."  Shocking. FDA-CVM has conducted an outright war against the raw pet food sector over the past five years. There are several issues with FDA-CVM's approach with a "zero tolerance policy." First, FDA-CVM considers even "non pathogenic" salmonella to be an "adulterant" for pet food. This means that even if the salmonella serotype is benign or known to be a serotype that will likely never cause a health issue to humans or pets,...
Post a Comment
Read more

FOIA Request Reveals Severe Lack Of FDA-CVM Records On HPP

Years ago, I had a back and forth with FDA where the media department refused to specific whether "raw" pet food that had been subjected to HPP (high pressure pasteurization) had been subjected to a kill step or not. The FDA stated "HPP can be a kill step when effectively done, however, it must be properly validated to confirm the effectiveness in a pet food product. " I then asked FDA: Please define or provide me documents on "when effectively done" means as per FDA.  What does FDA deem to be properly validated to confirm the effectiveness in a pet food product? Does FDA approve a pet food company's use as HPP as effective or non effective before they implement this in their foods? After FDA-CVM refused to provide me further information, I filed a FOIA request with the agency for records on this matter. I eventually had to sue the agency under FOIA law, and force the agency to comply with my FOIA request. Years later, I finally have what FDA-CVM is st...
Post a Comment
Read more