Food Allergy Friendly Pet Food: Yay or nay?

photo courtesy of cthumane.org

My recent post about dog biscuits possibly containing or being cross-contaminated with peanut butter raised two issues: 

1. Lack of regulation of allergen labeling on non-food items and food not intended for human consumption, such as pet food. This is one of my soapbox issues. Just buying shampoo can be tricky!
2. Consumer interest in allergen-free pet food. Is it time for dedicated facilities for pet food?

I've discussed the allergen labeling issue previously, so let's talk a little bit about consumer interest in allergen-free pet food. Pet foods are known to contain fish, milk, peanuts, wheat, and probably other food allergens. We have a cat and I do check the ingredients every time I purchase cat food. I do not have information about the manufacturing facility. Where do people stand on the issue of food allergens and pet food? Below are a bunch of questions on that subject; I would love your reaction to some or all of them. Please share your two cents!

• Has your pet had an allergic reaction to food?
• Have you or any family or friends had an allergic reaction to your pet's food?
• Do you check the ingredients on your pet's food? 
• How concerned are you about your allergens-to-avoid being present in your pet's food? 
• Have you ever purchased allergen-free pet food? (A cursory Google search produced results for allergen-free cat and dog food.)
• Would you like to see pet food with clearer food allergen labeling--similar to FDA's allergen labeling regulations for the big 8 on food for human consumption?
• Are you comfortable purchasing pet food manufactured in a facility where there may be cross-contamination with your allergens-to-avoid?
• If you could purchase pet food from a facility completely free of your allergens-to avoid, would you purchase that over other non-allergen-free pet foods? 

What do you think?