Senate calls for safer pet food

Responding to the massive recall of cat and dog food, the Senate voted Wednesday in favor of stricter production and labeling standards so people would have more information about what they are feeding their pets.

The 94-0 vote was on an amendment by Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) to broader legislation related to the Food and Drug Administration.

The amendment also called on the government to create a pet version of the system that now tracks food contamination and outbreaks of illness and death in people. The lack of such a system for pets became apparent in the recent recall of more than 100 brands of dog and cat food apparently made with contaminated Chinese ingredients.

The FDA has confirmed the deaths of 16 pets that ate the tainted food. However, pet owners have reported the deaths of about 1,950 cats and 2,200 dogs, the agency said.

The amendment would require the FDA to establish a registry to collect information on cases of suspected food contamination to improve surveillance and increase public awareness of potential problems with the food supply.

Companies would face fines if they failed to report cases of suspected contamination for the early warning system.