By Michelle Fay Cortez, Bloomberg

Pet and animal foods would for the first time have to meet uniform manufacturing, processing and packaging standards under rules proposed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

While the FDA typically gets involved in investigating contaminated pet food that is already on the market, the new regulations are designed to prevent disease-causing bacteria and dangerous chemicals before the poisoning occurs. The rules are part of implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, the biggest change to food oversight since 1938.

The safety of pet food has been in the spotlight in part because of imported jerky treats imported from China that have sickened 3,600 dogs and 10 cats, and killed 580, in the U.S. since 2007. The FDA has been unable to pinpoint the cause of the illness. The new rule, added to two others related to humans proposed this year, would ensure that foods brought into the U.S. from abroad meet FDA safety standards.

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