breaking news: wet pet food recalls
Deannie's latest post is supposed to have good info too.
UPDATE 9 p.m.:
smartycat wrote in
breedists_no that the recall is being expanded.
60 million containers of pet food recalled
Eukanuba, Iams and store brands tied to kidney failure, deaths
ETA 3/17/07: This morning Menu Foods posted the list of all the brands that it manufactures that are included in the recall. The list includes 46 brands of dog food and 37 brands of cat food:
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/index.html
And if you don't have Excel and feed one of those brands, I can pull the effected list for you.
FDA Links:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/pg03_07.html
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/menu03_07.html
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01590.html
ETA 2 3/17/07:
Purina and Hill's/Science Diet are also voluntarily recalling some of their products that were manufactured in the Menu Foods facility. For the details:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/hills03_07.html
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/purina03_07.html
----------------------------------------------------
Someone I know who rescues cats and dogs in Baltimore just sent me this. Here is the text of her e-mail--see my comments at the bottom of the full entry as well (i.e. behind the lj cut).
The following cat/dog foods are being recalled due to a correlation between noted kidney failure in cats/dogs and the introduction of a new wheat gluten to these foods (as a protein source). The article relating to this follows the list. Several animals have died.
Recall Information 1-866-895-2708
Cat food recalls:
1. Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
2. Authority
3. Best Choice
4. Companion
Type your cut contents here.
5. Compliments
6. Demoulas Market Basket
7. Fine Feline Cat, Shep Dog
8. Food Lion
9. Foodtown
10. Giant Companion
11. Good n Meaty
12. Hannaford
13. Hill Country Fare
14. Hy-Vee
15. Key Food
16. Laura Lynn
17. Li'l Red
18. Loving Meals
19. Main Choice
20. Nutriplan
21. Nutro Max Gourmet Classics
22. Nutro Natural Choice
23. Paws
24. Presidents Choice
25. Price Chopper
26. Priority
27. Save-A-Lot
28. Schnucks
29. Sophistacat
30. Special Kitty
31. Springfield Pride
32. Sprout
33. Total Pet, My True Friend
34. Wegmans
35. Western Family
36. White Rose
37. Winn Dixie
Dog food recalls:
1. Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
2. Authority
3. Award
4. Best Choice
5. Big Bet
6. Big Red
7. Bloom
8. Bruiser
9. Cadillac
10. Companion
11. Demoulas Market Basket
12. Fine Feline Cat, Shep Dog
13. Food Lion
14. Giant Companion
15. Great Choice
16. Hannaford
17. Hill Country Fare
18. Hy-Vee
19. Key Food
20. Laura Lynn
21. Loving Meals
22. Main Choice
23. Mixables
24. Nutriplan
25. Nutro Max
26. Nutro Natural Choice
27. Nutro
28. Ol'Roy
29. Paws
30. Pet Essentials
31. Pet Pride
32. Presidents Choice
33. Price Chopper
34. Priority
35. Publix
36. Roche Bros
37. Save-A-Lot
38. Schnucks
39. Springsfield Pride
40. Sprout
41. Stater Bros
42. Total Pet, My True Friend
43. Western Family
44. White Rose
45. Winn Dixie
46. Your Pet
Menu Foods Issues Wet Pet Food Recall
POSTED: 8:15 pm EDT March 16, 2007
UPDATED: 10:20 am EDT March 17, 2007
WASHINGTON -- A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.
An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.
"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer.
However, the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, which was since dropped for another source, spokeswoman Sarah Tuite said.
Wheat gluten is a source of protein.
The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6 throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Stores operated by the Kroger Company, Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, sold the pet food, Henderson said.
Menu Foods did not immediately provide a full list of brand names and lot numbers covered by the recall, saying they would be posted on its web site early Saturday. Consumers with questions can call 866-463-6738.
The company said it manufacturers for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top-branded pet food companies.
Its three U.S. and one Canadian factory produce more than 1 billion containers of wet pet food a year.
The recall covers pet food made at company plants in Emporia, Kan., and Pennsauken, N.J., Henderson said.
Henderson said the company received an undisclosed number of owner complaints of vomiting and kidney failure in dogs and cats after they had been fed its products. It has tested its products but not found a cause for the sickness.
"To date, the tests have not indicated any problems with the product," Henderson said.
The company alerted the Food and Drug Administration, which already has inspectors in one of the two plants, Henderson said.
The FDA was working to nail down brand names covered by the recall, agency spokesman Mike Herndon said.
Menu Foods is majority owned by the Menu Foods Income Fund, based in Ontario, Canada.
Henderson said the recall would cost the company the Canadian equivalent of $26 million to $34 million.
Copyright 2007 by nbc4.com.
-------
Some links to the "Menufoods" company:
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_dog.html
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/Press_Recall_03162007.pdf
--very interesting to note that, at the top of this press release, it says "NOT FOR RELEASE OVER US NEWSWIRE SERVICES," even though the recall is about petfood produced in America.
------
update (6 p.m.): The Washington Post has covered this story, too.