Yet More Pet Food Recalls!

[Casey1230]

http://www.itchmo.com/read/another-recall-ol-roy-del-monte_20070331

I mentioned Pounce treats the other day... some of that product is now on the recall list.. not what I give my kitty tho...

[HealthyinMN]

Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy was also added to the list

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=2998366&page=1

[ADM]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/31/AR2007033101106.html?referrer=email

[tyroleancutie]

I am so glad that we only feed Solid Gold and Innova to our Furry Kids. This whole pet food recall is so scary.

[DmOrtega]

This looks like the article originally posted.

Pet Food Recall Widens After Toxin Found (http://health.msn.com/healthnews/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100159792&GT1=9246)

Del Monte adds some of its moist pet food and snacks to a recall list that now includes dry cat food and Alpo dog food

By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter

SUNDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- The massive pet food recall widened over the weekend to include two major brands of moist dog food, pet snacks, and, for the first time, a brand of dry cat food.

Food giant Del Monte announced late Saturday that it was recalling a number of dog and cat foods from its Pet Products division. These include select product codes from Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels brands. Dog snacks and wet dog food products sold under private label brands have also been recalled, the company said on its Web site, delmonte.com.

Del Monte joined Nestle Purina and Hill's Pet Nutrition in recalling selected pet foods over the weekend for fear they were processed with imported wheat gluten that was tainted.

The recalls followed a report by U.S. health officials Friday that melamine, a toxin used in fertilizer in China and plastic in the United States, had been found in imported wheat gluten used in moist pet food made by Menu Foods. Menu Foods recalled more than 60 million cans and pouches of moist pet food nationwide March 6 after reports of animal illness and death.

Del Monte strongly suggested that people stop feeding their pets the listed products and said purchases would be refunded after consumers contact the company at 800) 949-3799.

Melamine was also found in Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food, made by Hill's Pet Nutrition and sold only through veterinarians, the FDA said Friday night. This was the first time any dry pet food has been involved.

That announcement coincided with a voluntary recall by Nestle Purina PetCare Co. of all sizes and varieties of Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy, which the company said may also contain melamine.

Hill's of Topeka, Kansas, has begun recalling Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food, the FDA said in a prepared statement. The company had, for a two-month period, made the cat food with wheat gluten from the same China company that supplied Ontario-based Menu Foods, the FDA said.

Nestle Purina of St. Louis, Mo., said in its own statement that it was recalling the Alpo cans and pouches because it learned that it also received wheat gluten from the same company.

"The contamination occurred in a limited production quantity at only one of Purina's 17 pet food manufacturing facilities," the Nestle statement added.

The dog food being recalled involves 13.2-ounce and 22-ounce Alpo Prime Cuts cans and 6-, 8-, 12- and 24-can Alpo Prime Cuts Variety Packs with four-digit code dates of 7037 through 7053, followed by the plant code 1159. Those codes follow a "Best Before Feb. 2009" date. This information should be checked on the bottom of the can or the top or side of the multi-pack cartons, the company said.

Consumers should immediately stop feeding their dogs these specific Alpo products and consult with a veterinarian if they have any health concerns with their pet, the company added.

The cat food being recalled is labeled Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food. The products are: 4 lb. bag, U.S. & Canada UPC code 52742 42770; 10 lb. bag, U.S. & Canada UPC code 52742 42790. Consumers may contact Hills Pet Nutrition at 1-800-445-5777 or at www.HillsPet.com.

The FDA warns that any cat owner who has bags of Prescription Diet m/d Feline should stop using them. In addition, they should see their veterinarian if their pet shows any signs of kidney illness, include loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting.

Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said during a Friday news conference that the FDA still hasn't determined how melamine got into the wheat gluten.

The FDA, he said, is currently inspecting all foreign shipments of wheat gluten and tracing those shipments that have already entered the United States.

Last week, New York State official said that the rodent poison aminopterin had been found in samples of the recalled food. However, Sundlof said Friday, further testing by the FDA and others have failed to confirm the presence of the poison in the pet food.

The pet food scare began March 6 with a nationwide recall of more than 60 million cans and packages of moist cat and dog food made by Menu Foods for a number of name-brand companies.

According to published reports, Menu Foods has said that 16 animals died. The Veterinary Information Network said earlier this week that at least 471 cases of pet kidney failure have been reported and more than 100 pets have died.

To date, Sundlof said Friday, the FDA has received 8,800 calls reporting kidney failure in cats and dogs. However, none of these cases has been confirmed, he added.

More information

For more information on pet food, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

[DmOrtega]

Chinese Wheat Gluten in Deadly Pet Food Banned from U.S. (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,263424,00.html)

Monday, April 02, 2007


WASHINGTON — The U.S. is blocking imports of wheat gluten from a company in China, acting after an investigation implicated the contaminated ingredient in the recent pet-food deaths of cats and dogs.

The Food and Drug Administration took action against wheat gluten from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. in Wangdien, China, after the U.S. recall of nearly 100 brands of pet food made with the chemically contaminated ingredient. The pet food, tainted with the chemical melamine, apparently has resulted in kidney failure in an unknown number of animals across the country.

Click here for a list of foods subject to recall.

Wheat gluten from China has been suspected in the outbreak since the first of multiple recalls was announced in mid-March. Even more pet food could be recalled in the next few days, though there probably has been no contamination of human food, FDA officials said Monday.

The FDA reported last week that it had found melamine in samples of the vegetable protein source used in the recalled wet and dry pet foods and treats, as well as in cats that died after eating contaminated food.

Cats May Be More Sensitive to Poisoning in Pet Food Pet Food Recall

Expanded to New Wet Food Brand Burger King to Switch to Cage-Free Eggs and Pork List of Pet Food Brand Names Subject to Recall "The wheat gluten that is positive for melamine all has come from this manufacturer," Neal Bataller, director of the division of compliance with the FDA's veterinary medicine office, told reporters. Melamine is used in plastics, countertops, glue, fire retardants and other products. Its toxicity to dogs and cats is unknown, but it is not allowed in food in any quantity.

Geng Xiujuan, Xuzhou Anying's sales manager, said the company was aware of the FDA's import alert and was looking into it. However, Geng said the company, based in the eastern province of Jiangsu, had not manufactured the wheat gluten but had instead bought it from companies in neighboring provinces. She said Xuzhou Anying sold it onward to another Jiangsu company, Suzhou Textile Import and Export Co.

"There are many other exporters and I don't see why they would just blame us," said Geng, adding that the company was undertaking an inspection but that it was too early to announce results.

The FDA still doesn't know where all the contaminated imported wheat gluten ended up, though it appears unlikely any made it into human food.

"At this time, we can say that there is no evidence to suggest that any of the imported, suspect wheat gluten formed positive lots that made it into the human food supply," said Michael Rogers, who oversees field investigations for the FDA's office of regulatory affairs.

The imported product was only minimally labeled but apparently went only to pet food producers. The FDA considers the contamination an aberration since wheat gluten generally is not considered a product at risk for contamination.

"This should not be viewed as suddenly our food supply is unsafe, because I don't believe that to be the case. In fact, the opposite is true," agency chief Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach said.

FDA officials said its nationwide investigation could turn up more pet food manufacturers that used the tainted ingredient, prompting even more products to be recalled.

"It is impossible for us to say at this time that there won't be additional recalls. We're continuing to follow the trail," said David Elder, who oversees enforcement in the FDA's office of regulatory affairs. Menu Foods, a major manufacturer of nearly 100 store- and major-brand pet foods, announced the first recall March 16. Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., Del Monte Pet Products and Nestle Purina PetCare Co. all have since recalled some of their products as well.

The FDA's import alert, disclosed Monday but posted on its Web site Friday, notifies its field offices to detain any wheat gluten offered for import from the Chinese company.

The order also recommends inspectors screen all wheat gluten from China as well as from the Netherlands, a country through which transshipping of Chinese products can occur.

The FDA could not immediately say how much wheat gluten was exported to the U.S. by Xuzhou Anying. The FDA also was working to determine whether it shipped any other food products to the U.S., said Ellen Morrison, director of FDA's office of crisis management.

The FDA has received in recent weeks more than 9,400 pet food-related complaints from consumers — nearly twice what the agency receives in a full year for all the products it regulates, von Eschenbach said.

"The sheer volume of this is extraordinary," he added.

The number of confirmed pet deaths remains at roughly 15, though anecdotal reports suggest hundreds of pets may have died. Cats appear to have been especially susceptible to the contamination.

Also Monday, Eight In One Inc., a division of United Pet Group Inc., announced the unrelated recall of all Dingo brand Chick'n Jerky treats for dogs, cats and ferrets. The treats are being recalled because they may be contaminated with salmonella, the company said. They were sold at Target, PetSmart and other stores.