What I see here, is that the FDA is "warning" Hills that the way they've presented their food is as if it is a "drug" for "treatment".
The FDA is telling Hill's that they have crossed the line between a "food that benefits healthy animals" and "a treatment for animals with problems".
As such, the FDA will begin to treat Hill's food as a "drug", which will mean more rigorous testing, licensing and fines, UNLESS Hill's changes their presentation to fit the "food" description.
If Hills wants to argue that their food IS a "drug", they will have to present arguments that Glucosamine and Omegas are "drugs"... which would stir up one hell of a shit storm involving the supplement industry.
The path of least resistance for Hills is to simply bring their presentation into compliance with the FDA's "food" description.
Whereas, if they fight for the "drug" classification, it will be more expensive all around (for them initially, and the consumers in the long run).
And CC, you are right. Hill's looses nothing by changing their presentation/description, because they already have Vets in their pockets.
However, if they go forward with the fight, the cost of the product will go up and, in this economy, they are more likely to lose customers.
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