The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has sent warning letters to 27 Utah companies asking them to stop selling pet food containing hemp, according to a KSL TV report. The letters asked the producers for “voluntary compliance in recalling previously distributed products and refraining from future sales of hemp and hemp products in the State of Utah.”
According to an Agriculture Department press release, officials in Texas, Colorado, and Washington have sent similar letters.
Robert Hougaard, Plant Industry and Conservation director, told KSL it’s an issue the agency has “been monitoring for a while” adding that they have been “concerned about it.”
“There are many unanswered questions about how the ingredients in hemp could interact with large and small animals,” Hougaard said in a statement. “Until sufficient peer reviewed science is presented and the [Food and Drug Administration] and [Association of American Feed Control Officials] have accepted them as an approved animal feed ingredient, the UDAF will continue to prohibit the manufacturing and distribution of the adulterated products,” he added.
Officials said that AAFCO guidelines adopted by the FDA do not recognize hemp-containing products as approved feed and are considered to be adulterated – a violation of the Utah Commercial Feed Act and the Utah Wholesome Food Act.
According to the letter, outlined by KSL, the agency does threaten regulatory action if the companies do not provide a plan of corrective action within 15 days.