Can Humans Eat Animal Food? Safety and Risks of Pet Food Consumption

KOMPAS.com – Some of you definitely give food from the dinner table to your pet.

However, what about the other way around, can humans eat animal food and is it safe?

According to Dana Hunnes, assistant professor at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) pet food can be harmful to humans if contaminated.

As with human food, foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli can also affect pet food.

That’s why it’s important to follow pet food storage guidelines.

Also read: Can Sweet Foods Cause Bloating and Gas?

For example, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends storing dry and canned pet food in a cool, dry place with a temperature not exceeding 26.6 degrees Celsius.

Since we often don’t store pet food as carefully as we do storing our own food, eating pet food can pose a greater risk of contamination.

Pet food is edible but not ideal

Quoted from Live Science, Tuesday (4/7/2023) Hunnes explains that uncontaminated pet food is safe, at least in the short term.

Most pet food is made from leftovers and by-products.

That includes parts such as bone meal, meat waste, and offal from slaughterhouses or soy and grain by-products from processing plants.

Also read: Is Rabbit Food Only Carrots?

So if consumed animal food is actually non-toxic and safe. In an emergency pet food also offers a source of calories and protein.

But keep in mind that pet food is tailored to the unique needs of pets, not humans.

For example, dog food contains vitamin K, and it can be toxic to humans in high amounts.

On the other hand, dog food does not contain vitamin C because they can produce it themselves.

In other words, long-term consumption of animal food carries a risk of malnutrition.

Ultimately, pet foods are non-toxic to humans but not ideal. You may be curious to try it but it’s not a long-term solution from a nutrition or food safety perspective.

Also read: Is It Dangerous to Use Aluminum Foil for Cooking?

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2023-07-05 06:30:00
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