Do you like this story?
Pet-food recall: Speak! Speak!
By Gina Spadafori
April 4, 2007
- If you have a sick pet or a question on your pet’s health, call your veterinarian.
- If you’re new to the site, please check out our general information page (includes links to recalled foods).
- If you’d like suggestions on what to feed, click here.
- If you want to report a sick or deceased pet, click here.
- If you want to know what you can do, please read our call to action
- If you want to read all our recall-related blog posts, click here.
Honestly, I’ve been accused of not being cynical enough (true!), but I think we still can get our way with our elected representatives. Thank Sen. Durbin for his interest in this issue, yes, but don’t stop there.
Contact your own member of Congress and both of your Senators. State-level folks, too. Here’s how to find them. Let them know what you think. Don’t e-mail. Write a real letter. And then call their offices.
They do work for us, last time I checked.
Have you written? Have you called? I have. Every last darn one of them. And I’m going to call again.
Read our call to action … and act!
Bringing this up from Cathy’s comment earlier today, because it really stuck with me:
From a Bill Moyers report on plastics that someone linked to in the previous blog post:
MOYERS: We can’t live in a risk-free society, can we?
HOFFPAUIR: No, we can’t live in a risk-free society. But we can live in an honest society.
Let those who want your vote know we insist on not being kept in the dark when it comes to our pets’ food — and our own.
And … I fixed my mess-up on our home page. The numbers from the PetConnection database are back there, right on top.
Update: If you have something you want to say to ChemNutra, Itchmo has an idea of where you can find them.
Update No. 2: Overdue appreciation for the comments in here of Spocko. Go check out his blog for more.
Go to the latest blog post | Go to the PetConnection home page
Technorati Tags: pet food recall, dogs, cats,veterinarian, veterinary
Share & Enjoy
|
Facebook
|
Twitter
|
Google Buzz
|
Digg
|
|
Technorati
|
StumbleUpon
|
Delicious
|
Email
|
Home
http://taylorandfrancis.metapr.....hpnrjunel/
For what it is worth, but are you or your furry friends eating any rice from China?
Also our results indicate that the consumption of rice grown in paddy soils contaminated with Cd, Cr or Zn may pose a serious risk to human health, because from 24 to 22% of the total metal content in the rice biomass was concentrated in the rice grain.
Sources of metal entering the environmental matrices studied included untreated wastewater, tailings or slurries and dust depositions from metal ore mining, and sewage sludge. Pb, Zn or Cd concentrations declined with the distance from metal smelter in accordance with a good exponential correlation (R 2>0.9), and this shows that metal dust deposition is an important contributor to metal contamination of soils.
Comment by DeeAnn — April 4, 2007 @ 7:07 pm
I called every one of my reps. in D.C. and will follow up with letters too. But I don’t believe victory will be quickly achieved. We have a small window of opportunity here for our voices to be heard. Now is the time. And it’s getting better press so we need these Congressmen to actually introduce bills that will help clean up the pet food industry, if that is at all possible.
But mostly, we just need to stop buying the toxic junk the pet food industry is selling, and that will help more than any law Congress passes or any enforcement the FDA implements. After all, greed is the great motivator and they can’t make a profit if we stop buying.
I do believe we need to demand justice for our dead and dying pets. I’d like Menu’s CEO to cool his heels in a prison cell for many many years - fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress - etc.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 7:12 pm
I bought rice tonight - only California grown and harvested. I bought hamburger - only from California stockyards. And all fresh everything - all gown, produced, here near my home with nothing added at all!
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 7:15 pm
Here is another interesting find.
ROGER MAHR, DVM the person quoted as American Veterinary Medical Association President is also a member of the American Association of Food Hygiene Veterinarians.
http://www.avma.org/aafhv/default.htm
Who are they?
“The American Association of Food Hygiene Veterinarians (AAFHV) is an organization of veterinarians whose professional activities and interests encompass the many contributions of veterinary medicine to a hygienic food supply.”
Okay so they got the plug in there to consult your vet before feeding him from your table. (in their last press release) Good on them. But how about pushing the pet food industry instead of the consumers? It’s great that we consumers make demands, but the vets are the ones they respect since they will recommend or not recommend their foods, and I’ll bet a lot of them are pissed that they went and recommended the exact same foods to people that made them ill in the first place!
They should make a few demands. How about something like this:
(THIS IS JUST MY suggested text. Your thoughts are encouraged and welcomed-Spocko)
So, what do you think? What is it missing?
I’ve tried to address some of the issues I’ve been reading about here.
Comment by spocko — April 4, 2007 @ 7:19 pm
How did ChemNutro know on March 8th and who told them, or how did they find out about the problem with the Gluten? I’m curious as to who owns ChemNutro and if they own any stock in the Menu Food Fund.
Also, I don’t entirely blame ChemNutro unless they had prior knowledge of this problem, seems they wouldn’t want to risk business losses over it if they knew in advance. But on March 8th they too were under a moral duty to inform the public or at least the FDA, one would think.
Why does our government allow so much food products to come from China when it is clearly manufactured and produced under questionable methods?
The individual citizen is expendable I suppose, evidently our pets are.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 7:23 pm
By the way, just in case you think no one’s paying attention to this, think again. Your calls and letters really are making a difference.
I have a Google news alert set up for “xuzhou anying” (the perfect search string!) - and there were literally hundreds of papers around the world carrying the story today and yesterday. There were 650 some articles on whether the gluten has made it into human food (not all are as cavalier as the AP copy yesterday) and more than 70 hits alone on “Home cooking for your pets.”
These aren’t all different articles - many papers are carrying the same wire story - but the point is that people ARE paying attention to this. I’m just so glad that’s true.
Comment by Laura — April 4, 2007 @ 7:26 pm
Listenin to bill moyer wine about living in a safe society is making me puke… we had a safe
country? we grew our own foods. we made our own
clothes , and everything we needed was
made here . who needs
a japanese car? think about it..what do you NEED , really need ? if you want a healty enviorment you have to create it? it ain’t gonna come from china, or corporations that
have alligence to no one?? you can get mad,
you can make laws, it’s only gonna result in
another screw up.. who’s got an intrest in the U.S. I do, you DO , your neighbor DOES.
support american companys. support american
workers. take back America..
Comment by johnypaycut — April 4, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
Good question Linda. I find it very ironic that China imports US wheat for their own consumption, yet we buy their cheap, tainted wheat for our own. China gets the good stuff, we get crap. What is wrong with this picture?
http://www.seedquest.com/News/...../10814.htm
Comment by Jackie — April 4, 2007 @ 7:37 pm
Almost time for CNN program. Many thanks again to all on this website. I can not thank you enough!
Comment by Mary — April 4, 2007 @ 7:38 pm
“There needs to be an investigation into criminal negligence on the part of these manufacturers and the FDA needs to clamp down on imported food stock.”
I am one who agrees with the above words from a fellow contributer here.
Since March 16 the Pet Food Industry has engaged in a bunker mentality, built a wall of silence around them, and left the American People to their own devises to deal with this disaster. Day after day pets are still dying, getting seriously ill, and the industry continues to stonewall the truth and to this minute is treating the American people and those of us working to help people with contempt. Even going so far as to threaten a web site with a lawsuit to shut them up. The United States Congress needs to open an investigation. This is unacceptable and the Pet Food Industry needs to have penalties, regulations, and discipline applied to them since they are not willing to come forward and come clean with the American Public.
Let The Buyer Beware. This isn’t over.
Comment by Steve — April 4, 2007 @ 7:47 pm
Here’s a scary thought
Wal Mart plans to compete with Whole Foods in the “organic produce” department. Wal Mart will offer the average consumer significant savings as compared to Whole Foods.
Wal Mart’s “organic produce” will come from China…..eeewww
I can’t wait……..
Comment by Peg — April 4, 2007 @ 7:49 pm
Comment by Linda: Also, I don’t entirely blame ChemNutro unless they had prior knowledge of this problem
ChemNutro is in the business of selling low priced raw materials for food production imported from one of the world’s most polluted countries. China is also a country with little or no regulations and standards, have a look at the CNN video! Unless ChemNutro comes forward with independent test results on this toxic wheat gluten taken prior to when they started selling the stuff, they, and only they, are responsible for having supplied the tainted product to these food manufactures.
Comment by Sandro — April 4, 2007 @ 7:53 pm
I don’t agree that they share total responbility - after all we couldn’t find the toxic ourselves using our best efforts. But our government certainly has a responsibility to its citizens to not allow crops/ingredients etc. into our country that is grown under questionable circumstances.
And it’s our fault for buying up the cheap goods without really researching what we are buying. We rely too much on others to do what we should be doing ourselves.
On the Senator’s news conference: Please try to pinpoint him to specific tasks and deadlines. Politicians like to be vague. I’d like a laundry list of bullets points that he will oversee and follow through on.
These Chinese importers are only taking advantage of a system that we allowed to begin with - they are used to these methods, we aren’t, or at least we shouldn’t be.
I’d like the U.S. to inspect plants in China and approve of their farming etc. before any item that is edible could be shipped into this country.
And China wants to ship of chickens. Now that is food for thought…..
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 8:11 pm
wow!!! A Senate Hearing next week?
Comment by Pat — April 4, 2007 @ 8:13 pm
Sorry, China wants to ship us chickens.
Don’t get me wrong - I do not buy China for many reason. But China can’t solve our problems. But we sure can.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 8:14 pm
ChemNutro probably knew full well the far substandard companies they were buying from. How could they not know?
In the CNN video some guy covering the grain with a plastic tarp? ridiculous! they couldn’t even have a hopper like a reputable company would? it’s so obvious they took extreme cost cutting shortcut measures everywhere possible. Shortcuts that is endangering our health. It takes no rocket scientist to figure out.
Comment by Gary — April 4, 2007 @ 8:16 pm
I’m sorry but I blame them all. There is absolutely no excuse why this happened in this day and age of modern technology. It’s all about the mighty buck now days.
Comment by Adrienne — April 4, 2007 @ 8:18 pm
I just have to say this point blank, we have some extreme dumbness in our own country here starting from that big White Building on down.
Comment by Gary — April 4, 2007 @ 8:18 pm
Haven’t seen this one yet:
April 3, 2007: Damning News From Menu Foods; FDA May Be Wrong About Cause of Pet Deaths
Yesterday, the dean of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine confirmed that Menu Foods had contacted the college in early March, when cats in Menu labs stopped eating their food. Almost a full week later, the company sent tissue and urine samples from sick animals to Cornell, acknowledging that the food was toxic. Nearly two more weeks passed before Menu issued a recall.
http://www.infoshop.org:80/ine.....4144504811
Comment by mal — April 4, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
It’s interesting ChemNutra has one person who doesn’t even reveal her academic credentials for some reason making purchasing decisions in China for the U.S. Pet Food Industry. Sally Qing Miller, President.
http://www.chemnutra.com/pricipals.htm
Comment by Steve — April 4, 2007 @ 8:25 pm
I think it has been mentioned before that the melamine may not be the toxic agent - which makes this even worse - why can’t they find out?
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 8:27 pm
Comment by mal
I fail to see what the “Damning News” is. PETA is simply asking that they test for other sources of contamimants which everyone, including the FDA, said they were doing.
Comment by Sandro — April 4, 2007 @ 8:28 pm
Those companies ChemNutro is dealing with is like in the back alleys of large cities Chinatown’s where they kill chickens right outside the door. Sorry, I’ve seen it.
Comment by Gary — April 4, 2007 @ 8:28 pm
China is a third world country - clubbing pets to death in the street, eating dogs, really? They use human waste for fertilizer - now how are they to blame for a dirty warehouse?
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 8:29 pm
Chinese have made the statement many times “That Americans will buy anything!” All I’ve got to say is the US Manufacturers best be prepared for more sales when all is said and done. And this time more will be done then said!
Thank you so much for warning about the contents videos linked from this blog. I am a very tender heart and you folks have probably saved me some sleepless nights.
Comment by Sunshine — April 4, 2007 @ 8:39 pm
I sure hope so Sunshine. I hope we all buy America even if we need to pay more or have less.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 8:42 pm
Sunshine, are you sure it isn’t “Americans will buy anying!” :)
Comment by Sandro — April 4, 2007 @ 8:42 pm
” Sally has over 12 years of experience in China as QA Manager and Purchasing Manager, working for various multinational companies. She was responsible for purchasing large quantities of nutritional and food ingredients in China for export worldwide.”
To say Sally didn’t know what she was buying, and what quality, would be ridiculous. Her, and I assume her husband decided to capitalize on selling inferior Chinese food additives in the US.
I agree, source inspections should be mandatory for all new sources, regardless of location. Someone has to step up and be accountable.
Comment by Jackie — April 4, 2007 @ 8:50 pm
Gary,on 360 tonite did u see the gas mask on the dude holding up that sheet? guess the smell of rat poison was too much for him, 360 will repeat at 1 am est.
Comment by Mary Ann — April 4, 2007 @ 8:51 pm
“It’s interesting ChemNutra has one person who doesn’t even reveal her academic credentials for some reason making purchasing decisions in China for the U.S. Pet Food Industry. Sally Qing Miller, President.”
She earned an MBA from City University in Seattle, as well as Engineering degree in Food Chemical Engineering at Hanzhou Institute of Commerce in Hanzhou, China.
Comment by Carole — April 4, 2007 @ 8:56 pm
Mary Ann, Yes, that mask caught my eye. I thought it’s funny the guy is wearing a $60 mask in a surrounding that looks so primitive it could well be the 1930’s. I could be wrong but that type of mask is generally for vapors like pesticides and paint oversprays. Although it could be used for dust but an expensive way to go when they have N95 fine particulate masks for $3.
Just speculating
Comment by Gary — April 4, 2007 @ 8:58 pm
Interesting Post
“The management of Menu Foods (it is a publicly traded company, so there is no one “owner”) is not in a position to guarantee that owners of affected pets will be fully reimbursed for veterinary expenses. They can’t manufacture money out of thin air, and if this incident pushes the company into bankruptcy (which it certainly could), a bankruptcy court — not executives or owners of the company — will determine who gets compensation and how much.
Menu Foods had 2006 net income of CAD 6.4 million, and 2005 net LOSS of CAD 55 million. The matter of determining which pets were sickened or died due to this food vs. other costs is very expensive and uncertain, and could result in expensive litigation. And there will no doubt be many pet owners trying to get compensation for vet visits and tests done as a precaution, even though no illness was found. It would be totally irresponsible of the company’s management to make blanket promises of reimbursement which they may not be able to deliver on, and which might induce pet owners to incur huge veterinary bills that they are unable to afford themselves, believing that it will be paid for by the company.”
Comment by Steve — April 4, 2007 @ 9:00 pm
Another thought about the CNN video. With grains in a huge pile like that on the ground, wouldn’t there be THOUSANDS of rats coming, especially at night?….how do they get rid of all those rats?
Comment by Gary — April 4, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
For some of the folks that had dogs become ill way prior to the recall period, as well as during this period and yet they were not eating foods on the recalled list or any wheat products. Were you giving Pet-Tabs Complete Daily Vitamin-Mineral Supplement for Dogs?
It has been discovered that Pet-Tabs has high amounts of lead in them. It has also been found that a human multivitamin also contains high amounts of lead. Here’s the link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16655168/
Lead accumulates in the system until it becomes toxic. Some of the symptoms are kidney and abdominable problems. For more on lead poisoning go here:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medline.....002473.htm
To my knowledge Pet-Tabs is quite a popular vitamin supplement. I would suggest those of you that were giving your dog this product, stop immediately and alert your vet, especially if your dog has been ill and yet was not on any of the recalled foods or foods that contained wheat gluten.
I’m not a vet, however I would imagine that this information may help your vet to determine if additional tests are warrented to arrive at a conclusive diagnosis and a plan of treatment. Perhaps this will help unravel some of the contradictory reports during this crisis which still has so many unanswered questions.
Hope this helps.
Comment by Diane K-M — April 4, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
“Another thought about the CNN video. With grains in a huge pile like that on the ground, wouldn’t there be THOUSANDS of rats coming, especially at night?….how do they get rid of all those rats?”
A few bare handed sprinkles on every bag?
CNN says they hurried to cover up their stock, what exactly were they covering up? Rejected (unfit for industry) melamine they got a bargain on?
Comment by Sandro — April 4, 2007 @ 9:07 pm
Well, if Sally knew what she was buying, then Menu knew and so did Del Monte and Science Diet etc. And so did the FDA and still they let it in the country.
I suggest that all of it is toxic junk and they just get used to it because there is no superior quality food product to speak of, and they ship and sell and are indifferent to filth. We must want it - we buy it - our Congressmen visit China, our businessmen tour over there don’t they?
I still don’t blame China for shipping it. And I don’t blame a third world country for not meeting our standards. I blame the U.S. for allowing it in the country. I blame us for buying it - even me. I blame me for not caring too much before now.
I’d like to see the shipping docs where it came through customs and find out if it was inspected at all by the FDA. Probably not!
I’m sure there’s rats and rat droppings and rat urine and along with dead rats and decaying rats and everything else gross we might imagine.
I stopped buying China a few weeks ago and from now on I will never buy China again. Stop killing your pets and eating dogs!
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:10 pm
For that matter how much confidence in quality can you count on from a company like Menu operating on a net 48.5 million dollar loss?
Comment by Steve — April 4, 2007 @ 9:12 pm
Fellow activist alert…..Today’s Wall Street Journal print edition had an article about bi-partisan support in Congress for pending new free trade pacts with countries in Asia and South America. Title of article: “Pelosi Places Big Bet on Trade”. While you have pen in hand or are leaving a voicemail message for your Congressperson with respect to the pet food scandal you may want to address this closely related issue as well. What ARE they thinking?
Comment by elizabeth R — April 4, 2007 @ 9:12 pm
The vitamin D controversy is rapidly gaining ground as another possible contaminant. It would explain the big spike in dry food pet deaths. Read and note when Menu contacted Cornell. THAT is the damning news for Menu if this is correct!
Article Mal refers to above(newest PETA release):
FDA and Food Manufacturers Fail at Every Level
– April 3, 2007: Damning News From Menu Foods; FDA May Be Wrong About Cause of Pet Deaths
Yesterday, the dean of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine confirmed that Menu Foods had contacted the college in early March, when cats in Menu labs stopped eating their food. Almost a full week later, the company sent tissue and urine samples from sick animals to Cornell, acknowledging that the food was toxic. Nearly two more weeks passed before Menu issued a recall.
Although the FDA continues to blame tainted wheat gluten for recent cat and dog illnesses and deaths, a mounting number of complaints about sick and dying animals who ate only dry food that did not contain wheat gluten strongly suggests that there is another source of contamination. Evidence from reputable laboratories indicates that an excessive amount of vitamin D in pet food may be to blame. Vitamin D overdoses produce symptoms similar to those seen in animals who recently got sick or died after consuming only dry foods. PETA is demanding that the FDA refocus its investigation to include other likely causes instead of pandering to the pet food industry and focusing on an ingredient that is found in only a moderate number of foods.
Comment by Laurie — April 4, 2007 @ 9:14 pm
China wants to ship us chicken in sauces as a food product - for our dining delight. Wonder what they are doing with all the dogs they kill over there?
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:15 pm
Nice Menu may be making promises it can’t keep. Didn’t they say they were going to go after the supplier? Gee, probably lots of money there to be had.
Carol, I couldn’t find anything on Sally Qing Miller on Google, do you know more about that company? I’m trying to find number of employees, yearly sales, etc.
Comment by Jackie — April 4, 2007 @ 9:17 pm
Laurie, I think two things are happening. One problem with wet and one problem with dry and the wet problem may not be just the melamine thing!
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
Linda. . .Ewwwwwww!
Comment by Jackie — April 4, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
Comment by Linda
They are breeding dogs in their “dogfarms” and hoping they can sell us that leftover dog meat…in sauce, of course. Gross.
Comment by Laurie — April 4, 2007 @ 9:18 pm
Linda, I agree, many of those poor people working in primitive China are very hard working and not much into all the technicals of factories and such. It is the dumbness and greedies over here that are mainly to blame.
The damnest thing is, again, this administration is all for globalization. Remember just a couple weeks ago, Bush said he wants a world without borders?
And he means it to the point where he will conspire to twart and arrest our own border agents.
Comment by Gary — April 4, 2007 @ 9:20 pm
Well, I didn’t say that. I meant that one can’t trust labels coming from China.
They are taking beloved dogs away from homes and they club the dogs to death in the street. It is really awful.
We simply can’t trust what is coming from China in any form and the chicken import issue is equally disturbing.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:20 pm
Don’t get me started on Bush please. I can’t stand it.
Our only hope is to not buy China or foreign and to pay more, simply put it will cost us.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:23 pm
Animal rights and human rights are abominable in China… I don’t think there is any disputing that. And yes, this globalization crap has done nothing to make us healthier, safer, or wiser.
I mean no offense to those poor Chinese workers. But trying to keep my kids and pets safe and healthy doesn’t mean that we have to have the same food risks that the Chinese government takes.
Comment by Laurie — April 4, 2007 @ 9:29 pm
Ditto Laurie. I don’t want the U.S. allowing it in this country, but that’s me. Our Gov. knows better. So I must buy better - only U.S.
I’m having 25 pounds of pure flour grown in from Indiana, and it is more expensive than the junk at the supermarket, but it has no additives and no extra wheat gluten etc. And I spoke to the nice lady and confirmed everything on the phone.
I tell my friends, don’t eat that junk. They think I’m nuts.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:32 pm
I will *never* apologize for strongly opposing the domestic animal cruelty that the Chinese government allows and encourages. They may say it is cultural, but I do believe it does influence the quality of the food imports, especially those for animal feed. It is **horrible** what domestic animals legally endure there.
Comment by Laurie — April 4, 2007 @ 9:34 pm
I’m not too up on the chickens processed in China thing. But if we ship chickens to China for processing, won’t the natural thing be for them to take our good chickens for themselves and ship the sick, dead, diseased, and dying ones here?
AGAIN, absolute dumbness!
Comment by Gary — April 4, 2007 @ 9:35 pm
I do believe they are raising chickens and want to import them and put all the nice wheat gluten filled sauces on them for our dining delight.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
That buchery they did with thousands of pet dogs in China a few weeks ago, what happened to those dogs?
Comment by Gary — April 4, 2007 @ 9:37 pm
They probably took the fur and put in on coats to ship over to J.C. Pennys and Ross to sell. Or if the hair was too short, used the hide to make gloves and put I.D. it as lamb or whatever - your guess is as good as mine. They are very resourceful people and they don’t understand our aversion to mistreating dogs.
As far as the meat - I don’t know. Perish the thought that it may end up in some food product shipped around the world and mislabeled.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:40 pm
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:32 pm
Sooner or later, sad to say, they won’t.
How can anyone with a brain think Xuzhou Anying is the only supplier with a QC problem? Or that this “one tainted shipment” intended for human food just *happened* to end up elsewhere?
I’m so sick of hearing American businesses talk about how expensive it is for them to test their own ingredients. Did anyone here see their pet food prices go *down* when these companies started saving money by using Chinese gluten? Of course not.
Someone somewhere is pocketing the difference while we pick up the bill at the vet’s office. And when (if?) the governnment orders more comprehensive testing, you can bet we’ll be picking up the tab for that, too….not the guys in the nice suits.
I guess you could remind your friends of that the next time their kid or their grandma comes down with some kind of “stomach flu” after eating imported food (on the off chance, of course, that you could identify it as imported in the first place).
Comment by Laura — April 4, 2007 @ 9:44 pm
Linda is probably right on all counts… And most of us think our government would never let such a thing happen. And the sorry thing is that they really do believe that they are being resourceful. It sells. Global capitalism.
Comment by Laurie — April 4, 2007 @ 9:46 pm
Just wondering if people stop and think for a moment and ask themselves “Are these and other contaminates in the food we all eat” The answer is yes! They are. But the admission from the FDA etc. would cause mass hysteria. Thats why i feel obligated to express my beliefs.
Comment by Dar — April 4, 2007 @ 9:47 pm
Exactly Laura, exactly.
Plus costs go up, energy rises, Walmart undercuts them etc…. so they cut corners and try to outperform their competition. At some point the consumer needs to not buy so much and only buy quality.
There’s no easy solution or quick fixes.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:48 pm
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:32 pm
Oh, and by the way, let us know how that Indiana grain works out. I went to grad school in IN, so I can say in all fairness that, while there are plenty of things one might call Hoosier farmers, corrupt generally doesn’t make the short list.
Best of luck, seriously.
Comment by Laura — April 4, 2007 @ 9:48 pm
Oh it is very worrisome Dar. Very indeed.
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:48 pm
I will Laura. I bought enough to make bread and biscuits etc. I don’t trust the flour in the stores since learning that 70% of our Flour comes from CHINA!!!!!!!!!
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:51 pm
Good night all. Time to hug a few of my dogs and be thankful for the good things in my life. Keep up the good fight here!
Comment by Linda — April 4, 2007 @ 9:52 pm
Time for Itchmo and Cristie Keith of Pet Connection on the radio:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/itc.....c_20070404
link and login above!
Comment by Laurie — April 4, 2007 @ 10:04 pm
I’m recording to the Goldstein show right now!
Whee!
Comment by spocko — April 4, 2007 @ 10:08 pm
I was just looking at the ChemNutra web site, and it looked like a LOT of the stuff they import is used in our food. I don’t want to even think about how many ingredients in food I eat every day comes from off some warehouse floor.
Comment by carly — April 4, 2007 @ 10:09 pm
Yeah ChemNtura. They don’t even do their own recalls obviously.
The Blaine Group, Inc.
A Total Communications Agency
8665 Wilshire Blvd., Suite #301, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310/360-1499 · 310/360-1498 FAX · E-mail:
devon@blainegroupinc.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 3, 2007
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Devon Blaine/Lisa Baker
The
Blaine
Group
310.360.1499
FAX: 1498
devon@blainegroupinc.com
lbaker@blainegroupinc.com
CHEMNUTRA ANNOUNCES
NATIONWIDE WHEAT GLUTEN RECALL
Las Vegas, NV… April 3, 2007… ChemNutra Inc., of Las Vegas, Nevada, yesterday
recalled all wheat gluten it had imported from one of its three Chinese wheat gluten
suppliers Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd.
The wheat gluten ChemNutra recalled was all shipped from China in 25 kg. paper bags,
and distributed to customers in the same unopened bags. The bags were all labeled
“Wheat Gluten Batch No.: _______ Net Weight: 25 kg Gross Weight: 25.1 kg Made
in China”. The batch numbers included in the recall are 20061006, 20061027, 20061101,
20061108, 20061122, 20061126, 20061201, 20061202, 20061203, 20061204, 20061205,
20061206, 20061208, 20061221, 20070106, 20070111, 20070116, and 20070126. Each
ChemNutra shipment had the certificate of analysis information from the supplier,
including batch number and the supplier’s content analysis and test results. ChemNutra
shipped from its Kansas City warehouse to three pet food manufacturers and one
distributor who supplies wheat gluten only to the pet food industry. ChemNutra’s
shipments commenced November 9, 2006 and ended March 8, 2007. ChemNutra did not
ship to facilities that manufacture food for human consumption, and the distributor
ChemNutra shipped to supplies wheat gluten only to pet food manufacturers. The total
quantity of Xuzhou Anying wheat gluten shipped was 792 metric tons.
ChemNutra learned on March 8 from one pet food manufacturer that the wheat gluten it
had sold them all from the Xuzhou Anying - was among ingredients suspected as a
potential cause of pet food problems. ChemNutra immediately quarantined its entire
wheat gluten inventory and assisted this customer’s investigation.
After that manufacturer issued a pet food recall, the FDA immediately commenced a
thorough investigation of ChemNutra’s wheat gluten, including documentation analysis,
inspection, and laboratory testing. ChemNutra cooperated fully with the FDA and
immediately notified its other three wheat gluten customers about the FDA’s
investigation. Those customers had all purchased smaller amounts of the Xuzhou Anying
wheat gluten commencing in January, 2007.
On Friday, March 30, the FDA announced they had found melamine in samples of the
wheat gluten ChemNutra had imported from Xuzhou Anying. The FDA did not inform
ChemNutra of any other impurities in the Xuzhou Anying wheat gluten, nor of any
impurities in the wheat gluten from ChemNutra’s other two Chinese suppliers.
The toxicity of melamine is not clear. However, since melamine is not approved by the
FDA for pet food, it should absolutely not have been in wheat gluten. ChemNutra is
extremely concerned about the purity of all of its products. The company is particularly
troubled that the certificates of analysis provided by the above-named supplier did not
report the presence of melamine.
ChemNutra wants to ensure its products are safe. Consequently, in addition to its
ongoing cooperation with the FDA, ChemNutra will be conducting its own independent,
analytical tests of wheat gluten from all of its suppliers.
Yesterday ChemNutra sent recall notices to all four of its direct customers. If any other
company received bags of recalled wheat gluten from the lot numbers referenced above,
please call ChemNutra at 702.818.5019.
Consumers who have questions about the pet food they should go to the FDA’s website
at
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/.....01590.html
. This website lists all brands
of petfood involved, with links to the manufacturer who should be contacted with
questions.
#####
Comment by Steve — April 4, 2007 @ 10:18 pm
Ahhh the light bulb moment.
China it seems does not want to eat their own chemical laden food stuff, so it comes here.
I just can not believe how idiotic our food suppliers have been.
Study says new H5N1 strain pervades southern China http://tinyurl.com/ye7nbo
Sewage in lard sparks health scare http://tinyurl.com/344q2d
Second Chinese dog cull planned http://tinyurl.com/2vke2f
Investigations now make it apparent that more than 80 percent of bird flu vaccines injected into chickens in Heishan are fake, which helps to explain the speed of the outbreak. Heishan County, in Liaoning’s Jinzhou city, suffered the worst outbreak, with 15.6 million chickens culled since October in the attempt to stem the spread of the disease http://tinyurl.com/38vtpk
Comment by DeeAnn — April 4, 2007 @ 10:25 pm
Ahhh the light bulb moment.
China it seems does not want to eat their own chemical laden food stuff, so it comes here.
I just can not believe how idiotic our food suppliers have been.
Study says new H5N1 strain pervades southern China http://tinyurl.com/ye7nbo
Sewage in lard sparks health scare http://tinyurl.com/344q2d
Second Chinese dog cull planned http://tinyurl.com/2vke2f
Investigations now make it apparent that more than 80 percent of bird flu vaccines injected into chickens in Heishan are fake, which helps to explain the speed of the outbreak. Heishan County, in Liaoning’s Jinzhou city, suffered the worst outbreak, with 15.6 million chickens culled since October in the attempt to stem the spread of the disease http://tinyurl.com/38vtpk
Hope this does not double post.
Comment by DeeAnn — April 4, 2007 @ 10:26 pm
So what is their U.S. Corporate Headquarters. A Web Site?
Chemnutra imports high-quality nutritional and pharmaceutical chemicals from china to the us. We purchase our inventory from over 200 quality-assured manufacturers in china, with whom we have strong relationships over the past twelve years.
Company Profile
Company Name: Chemnutra Llc(China Office)
Country/Territory: China (Mainland)
Address: Hangzhou, hz, Zhejiang, China (Mainland)
Products/Services We Offer: Amino acids, vitamins preservatives, antioxidants sweeteners, acidulants proteins minerals thickeners, emulsifiers
Business Type: Trading Company
Industry Focus: Food Additives ,
Geographic Markets: South America
No. of Employees: 11 - 50 People
Annual Sales Range (USD): US$50 Million - US$100 Million
Year Established: 0
Comment by Steve — April 4, 2007 @ 10:28 pm
______
As an artist, I am a very visual person….
______
CHINA. 7 p.m. on a Thursday night. The very hard working, underpaid X-AY crew has already gone home. There’s one man left in the small open and dusty storage yard behind the company offices. Being the foreman, he is the one that has the key to the big iron gate out back. As he does every night, he starts the task of closing up.
Placing his cumbersome respiratory mask back over his face, the man of short stature walks over to the bent tin shanty. He grabs a big broom that routinely leans against the ancient stone wall. The man commences to sweep the chalky ground of the dirty, cramped area.
Just another long day spent moving and flinging the confusing mass of big, plain bags of mystery powdered crystals from the inventory side of the yard over to the shipping side. Tomorrow a huge shipment will be heading for the United States.
Many of the bags have cracks and are leaking at the seams. Some bags have burst wide open from the force of the throw. A myriad of pale colors appears like an abstract on the open ground. He continues to walk the broom around. Pushing the broom around wherever convenient, he convinces himself that he’s gotten “most of it.” The man moves all the sweepings into one large pile. He bends down to skillfully coax this pile onto an large, old industrial dustpan. He searches for a label on this one open bag. None there. He shrugs his shoulders and tosses the contents of the dustpan into that open sack.
Finished for the day, the foreman closes and locks the gate behind him. As he heads off for home, he can already taste the wonderful dinner that is waiting for him.
____
Comment by Nadine Long — April 4, 2007 @ 10:36 pm
Well written, Nadine.
Comment by Laurie — April 4, 2007 @ 11:04 pm
Comment by Steve — April 4, 2007 @ 10:18 pm
Notice that it came from Vegas PR firm? Guess maybe they really believed that what went on in Vegas, stayed in Vegas.
Unbelievable…
Comment by Laurie — April 4, 2007 @ 11:09 pm
Info on Xuzhou Anying 2.5 to 5 mil in sales
Under selling leads, they list garlic, camellia seed dregs & then your everyday proteinpowder and ZINC OXIDE. Where’s the wheat?
http://www.alibaba.com/company/10926883.html
Also it says:This member does NOT have a TrustPass Profile. TrustPass® serves to provide transparency regarding the identity and legitimacy of your trading partners on Alibaba.com.
Well that might explain why they dont have a TrustPass Profile …….
Comment by Sandi K — April 4, 2007 @ 11:09 pm
NAWG: Pet Food Issue Shows Need for Domestic Food
Following is a statement from National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) president John Thaemert on the recent recall of pet foods containing wheat gluten and the importance of a healthy, domestic food supply:
“NAWG has been closely monitoring the developments involving wheat gluten and recalled pet food products. We grieve with the pet owners who have suffered a loss and understand the anxiety of people who are wondering how this could have happened and what they should feed their pets. Not only is this a truly unfortunate event, but it also highlights the problems that can result from depending on another country for something as fundamental as food.
“America’s farmers take great pride in their longstanding tradition of producing the safest, most abundant and most affordable food in the world. While every food safety issue cannot be avoided, it is extremely unlikely that a situation like the current problem with Chinese wheat gluten would happen with U.S.-raised wheat. The U.S. farmer is highly regulated and the U.S. food chain goes to great lengths to ensure the safety of your food. In this case, the source is a known toxin that is prohibited from being used in food in the U.S.
“Maintaining and improving a domestic food supply system and the infrastructure that goes with it is essential both for the American economy and for our national security. Wheat growers understand the importance of trade - we export half of what we grow. But we also understand the importance of having a supply of food right here at home, one that we can regulate, track and depend upon.
“Federal farm policy, commonly known as the Farm Bill, is up for renewal this year. As we debate the Farm Bill, we should all remember that the support given to America’s farmers is an investment. Knowing our food is as safe as it can possibly be is worth the 11 cents per meal federal farm policy costs the average household.
“NAWG will continue to fight for the support necessary to maintain our domestic wheat supply for the good of the American people and all, either here or abroad, who look to us for their daily bread.”
Comment by Steve — April 4, 2007 @ 11:13 pm
Check out Alibaba.com Xuzhou Anying is listed as selling garlic, camellia seed dregs, your normal every day protein powder and ZINC OXIDE.
So wheres the wheat? I noticed under their member history it shows logging on just today…maybe they took their wheat off of the site today……
Under TrustPass Profile it says: This member does NOT have a TrustPass Profile. TrustPass® serves to provide transparency regarding the identity and legitimacy of your trading partners on Alibaba.com.
So that would explain why they dont have a TrustPass Profile…..
Comment by Sandi K — April 4, 2007 @ 11:15 pm
Sorry if I posted twice, there is a huge delay, plus it doesnt help that Im in Alaska….(-: Sorry folks
Comment by Sandi K — April 4, 2007 @ 11:16 pm
Another interesting point (I promise I will only post this once (-:) If you type in melamine on Alibaba.com, it brings up a couple of pages of melamine powder compound sellers. All of the sellers with maybe a couple of exceptions are from China…..
Comment by Sandi K — April 4, 2007 @ 11:48 pm
hey sandi, you can still find WG on this link that i got off here when it broke that they were the china connection (unless i’m seeing it from history)
http://www.xzay.com/english/
and don’t forget to look at the *quality* ingredients ChemNutra is importing for China . . . .be sure and check the products link
http://www.chemnutra.com/index.htm
and i think i’ll pass on typing in melamine on Alibaba.com, i’m a tad too disgusted to go there . . .
Comment by straybaby — April 5, 2007 @ 12:06 am
Kroger Pulls More Menu Food Items
April 5th, 2007
“One grocery chain is showing genuine concern for pets’ health. Kroger removed all wet foods made by Menu Foods on March 23, not just those included in the recall out of caution. This is what we would consider a true voluntary recall. The two brands they pulled (Pet Pride and All Natural Life) were not recalled by the manufacturer.”
http://www.itchmo.com/read/kro.....s_20070405
Comment by Laurie — April 5, 2007 @ 1:35 am
This doesn’t really have much to do with anything other than the fact that China seems to be ignoring this whole issue amongst it’s own people. I guess the feel as though if something isn’t mentioned, it never happened.
Here is a link to one of their newspapers that is translated in English. The joys of living in a communist country where people are never allowed to hear the other side of many stories.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/
Comment by Stacy — April 5, 2007 @ 4:10 am
forgive me if someone’s already posted this - I didn’t see it - but CNN has this at the top of their latest news list:
“Pet food deaths could rise sharply” - it’s about Oregon’s numbers.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/.....index.html
Finally…
Comment by Laura — April 5, 2007 @ 6:18 am
Nadine - 10:36 pm comment 4/4/07
Oh, that was good.
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 6:39 am
There goes the AP (Associated Press) with another irresponsible, soothing headline "Most wheat gluten sold inside China". Like the ChemNutra article, this information comes Xuzhou Anying’s CEO, not a followed up paper trail.
Comment by Sandro — April 5, 2007 @ 6:39 am
Believable - they eat a lot of gummy stuff!
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 6:41 am
Pardon me if someone else has posted this: on CNN this morning, after doing a short piece on the pet food recall, the newsreader said that the head of the FDA had agreed to be on the program, but cancelled for the second day in a row. She said they hoped to have him on tomorrow/Friday. I’m encouraged about the Durbin press conference scheduled for today. And I’m really encouraged that Kroger took all Menu Foods products off their shelves even though they hadn’t been recalled. That will catch the manufacturers’ attention. It would be a good campaign for pet owners to ask for the same from their grocery stores and chains. Bottom line, until they know what is causing this, no responsible store should sell Menu Foods’ products.
Comment by Maureen — April 5, 2007 @ 6:49 am
Okay, I’m making some major lifestyle changes, but where do I find products, etc made in this country? I’m rather skeptical of what “they” tell me ~ don’t trust much of what I read ~ except on some of these sites ~ so how do I start to BUY AMERICAN? I’m already switching pet foods, but I’m ready to do more!
Comment by dottie — April 5, 2007 @ 6:49 am
DeAnn - thank you for the links last night. I was sick before I read the articles, but now I’m stunned beyond belief. How can we import goods from this country? It is criminal - I blame our government and I hope they all burn for eternity in torment. No civilized country run by SANE officials would allow any edible product to be imported from a country that has such lack standards and use such seemingly “evil” methods. Greed!
Beyond Belief.
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 6:53 am
A lot of products that i buy from stop and shop in boston, including, companion and GV products come from a company named FOODHOLD.
I went on that site and noticed that they have a lot of irregularitys against them. I hope someone out there can look at this site and see if they have any connection with the petfood recall. thanks, ann
Comment by ann gates — April 5, 2007 @ 6:56 am
dottie- Do your research and read labels.
In terms of clothing and such, anything that comes from China has be to labeled “Made In China” This is not to say that places do not remove these labels, but it is highly illegal to do that.
Make good use of small businesses that are family owned ( they are hard to find, but they are out there) and give all your local farm stands your business instead of buying fruit and veggies at the grocery store.
In terms of the other stuff at the grocery store, again, read your labels. If there is something you can make yourself ( i.e- spaghetti sauce) make it with fresh tomatoes instead of buying the overpriced, nasty tasting stuff in a can or jar.
Breads are easy enough to make and make the house smell awesome when they are baking.
If you’re not a cook, take come cooking classes or make use of the internet or book store. There are tons of easy to follow cookbooks out there that have recipes that are easy to make.
Comment by Stacy — April 5, 2007 @ 7:00 am
We need to dump all this toxic junk from China, those items that the FDA won’t allow in the country - filth - on the floor of Congress and maybe the stench will wake them up - and then just perhaps they will do something to protect our food supply, for humans and for pets. We need a new word - one that includes both people and pets - humapets - talk about a wake up call. What are our representataives doing? Jet setting about touring China and shaking hands and taking a nice vacation all the while we eat toxic human waste grown poison.
I’m speecless!
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 7:01 am
Stacey - great ideas. I’m doing it too. Do not buy store bread. Go to a health food co-op or order U.S. grown wheat flour products with no added anything - nothing - China ships cornstarch and much more to be included in our food supply.
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 7:03 am
Ann Gates - if it’s a generic brand pet food, then it’s probabaly from a Menu plant.
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 7:06 am
Why do we import goods from other countries, including foodstuffs? One reason is that investors, shareholders insist on it. Have a mutual fund? You will switch your investments to a fund that has a higher return if yours is lagging. Why do we think there’s hardly any manufacturing or raw goods produced in this country any longer? Would we buy t-shirts, tennis shoes, etc. from an American-only store right next to Walmart if they were twice the cost? Wheat gluten? Only 4 U.S. manufacturers of it, and they only produce 20% of what’s needed for products sold in America. We insist that our pensions give us the highest returns. They’re all invested in companies that use the least expensive goods and services. Labor unions have been telling us for years about the horrific conditions in manufacturing plants, including using children as workers. American wages too high? That’s not to say we can’t demand rigorous import laws and regulations. But when we point the finger to “them”, note it points right back at us also. This pet food fiasco is a teachable moment for us. We must persist to see that the reasons for it are found. And we can use it to open our eyes to the larger picture.
Comment by Maureen — April 5, 2007 @ 7:08 am
If you missed PetConnection’s own Christie Keith and the brilliant blogger Ben Hu of Itchmo on KIRO, 710 am last night here is an edited version of the show I posted on my blog, Spocko’s Brain.
Also if you want the details of the Dick Durbin press conference here is
a link to that info. (thanks Howl911 for the PDF!)
Thursday, April 5, 2007
2:30 PM Central Time
Wicker Park
(north of field house)
1425 N. Damen
Chicago, IL
Senator Durbin (D-IL)* will discuss the Menu Foods recall, the FDA’s regulation of the pet food industry and the impact on pets and their owners across the nation. He will announce plans to work with Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI)* to hold a Congressional hearing on the recall when the Senate reconvenes.
Pet owners are encouraged to attend the news conference with their pets (dogs and cats are welcome).
For more information, please contact
Senator Durbin’s office at 312-353-4952.
*I love that the Democrats from IL and WI are on this. Now if only my beloved GAO (Government Accountability Office) will be brought in we will really see some action!
Comment by spocko — April 5, 2007 @ 7:19 am
If you missed PetConnection’s own Christie Keith and the brilliant blogger Ben Hu of Itchmo on KIRO, 710 am last night here is an edited version of the show I posted on my blog, Spocko’s Brain.
Comment by spocko — April 5, 2007 @ 7:20 am
I wish this were a presidential campaign issue - I wonder what Mrs. Clinton will do for the pets and to insure food safety or are our elected officials placating and kissing up to the corporations and listening to their speakeasy and not to us?
Okay, Mrs. Clinton - how will you protect our pets?
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 7:22 am
Thanks Brian’s brain. Don’t have time to listen right now but will when I get to work! Looks like a nice blog site too!
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 7:25 am
I went on Foodhold.com and it has a lot of connections with tons of companys, like purina, delmonte, hershey, etc. It also has dealings with china for chemicals.
Comment by ann gates — April 5, 2007 @ 7:27 am
Ann, doesn’t sound good to me.
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 7:46 am
Many good ideas here and site is searchable: http://www.resurgence.org/resu.....rry206.htm Global Problems, Local Solutions (Wendell Berry)
If governments fail to protect their citizens, then those citizens must protect themselves by developing local economies.
http://www.resurgence.org/resu.....nes210.htm Local Food, Global Solutions (Colin Hines)
http://www.resurgence.org/resu.....m_lang.htm The Challenge for Food policy (Lang)
http://www.resurgence.org/resu.....rry198.htm In Distrust of Movements (Berry) “I was not too surprised by the recent attempt of the United States Department of Agriculture to appropriate the “organic” label for food irradiation, genetic engineering, and other desecrations of the corporate food economy. Once we allow our language to mean anything that anybody wants it to mean, it becomes impossible to mean what we say. When “homemade” ceases to mean neither more nor less than “made at home”, then it means anything, which is to say that it means nothing.”
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 5, 2007 @ 8:30 am
Good articles on the local economies issue re food. Site is searchable.
Resurgence issue 206 - GLOBAL PROBLEMS, LOCAL SOLUTIONS - Wendell Berry
current issue subscribe recent issues more articles on-line home Economics : Wendell Berry GLOBAL PROBLEMS, LOCAL SOLUTIONS Illustration: Clifford Harper Illustration: Clifford Harper If governments fail to protect their citizens, then those citizens must protect themselves by developing local economies …
http://www.resurgence.org/resu.....rry206.htm
Resurgence issue 210 - LOCAL FOOD, GLOBAL SOLUTIONS by Colin Hines
current issue subscribe more from this issue recent issues more articles on-line home Conference LOCAL FOOD, GLOBAL SOLUTIONS Colin Hines Moving the anti-globalization movement “from opposition to proposition”. from Resurgence issue 210 back to top I WAS SITTING next to an environmentalist friend …
http://www.resurgence.org/resu.....nes210.htm 08/03/05
http://www.resurgence.org/resu.....rry198.htm In Distrust of Movements (Berry) “I was not too surprised by the recent attempt of the United States Department of Agriculture to appropriate the “organic” label for food irradiation, genetic engineering, and other desecrations of the corporate food economy. Once we allow our language to mean anything that anybody wants it to mean, it becomes impossible to mean what we say. When “homemade” ceases to mean neither more nor less than “made at home”, then it means anything, which is to say that it means nothing.”
Comment by catspajamas — April 5, 2007 @ 8:33 am
Where have you people been? this has been going on since before I was born, and this country has buried it’s collective head in the sand.
Now when it hits you close to home you are screaming. I too have lost my babies to the tainted food (which I do not believe the gluten is the only problem ) But I can no longer take the hypocrisy, you want your goods convenient and cheap and that is what you have been getting. Right now the focus needs to be on what is really wrong with the food, so our animals stop getting sick. Menu foods needs to be held accountable for holding back on recalling the food. One good thing out of this is now people are finally waking up to what has been going on in this capitalistic world for a long time. Greed is truly the root of all evil.
Comment by BW — April 5, 2007 @ 8:48 am
Thank you catspajamas. I saved the link. Looks good!
Comment by Linda — April 5, 2007 @ 9:46 am
Is it Rat poison,? Plastic Poison?/ or VitD? or…? or…? Lets TEST ALL PET FOOD, and the Companies Now?? Our Beloved Deceased Pets needs to know the TRUTH.!!!!. Thanks
Comment by kelly — April 5, 2007 @ 11:51 am
1. Last week was tragic for my family. On monday the first of our two Shar Peis’ passed away. If that wasn’t bad enough the second began exibiting signs and died on Friday. Prior to their deaths we knew nothing of the problem with the food. We boarded them at our local vet on the Friday prior while we went out of town. We had been feeding them Alpo Prime gravy cuts in the morning because it was the only way we could get them to take their medication. We brought the food to the vet with them and he immediatly told us to stop feeding it to them. He told us it wasn’t on the list yet but that he was sure it would end up there. It did…the day after our second died. The large companies that are trying to get all their ducks in a row before admitting anything should have to see firsthand the grief that their procrastination has brought to each and every one who has suffered a loss. I urge everyone to stay involved. Don’t let this issue slip away into obscurity.
Comment by Donald Carr — April 6, 2007 @ 12:43 pm
I am so lived! I pulled this from another thread, but I feel this
needs its own topic!! If I knew about the “market withdrawal” my cat
would still be alive!!
LAWYERS WHO RECOGNIZE MY ROCK SOLID CASE CAN EMAIL ME AT TAINTEDPETFOOD@FASTERMAIL.COM THAT IS TAINTEDPETFOOD @ FASTERMAIL DOT COM ….
This is pivotal for my case against wal-mart! I HAVE RECEIPTS FROM THE
25th! This is what finally killed her! she was better and had been
away from the food for a few days prior to this! My vet record even
says she was doing better on the 24th, and then I re-poisoned her on
the 25th! THAT FOOD SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ON THE SHELF ON THE 25TH!
—- In MenuFoodsClassAction@yahoogroups.com, “nthstarr1”
wrote:
>
> FDA Recall Classifications and ‘Market Withdrawl’ Defintion
>
>
> I finally found the actual defintion I remember reading at one time.
> ‘Market Withdrawl’ not on the same ‘level’ alert as recall, therefore
> perhaps this is WHY all the stores ignored Menu Food’s March 24th
> ***Market Withdrawl*** of all affected recall products REGARDLESS OF
> DATE CODES.*** I am very unhappy with ALL THE STORES for not
> complying with this Market Withdrawl.
>
> —- Background and Definitions—-
>
> Recalls are actions taken by a firm to remove a product from the
> market. Recalls may be conducted on a firm’s own initiative, by FDA
> request, or by FDA order under statutory authority. A Class I recall
> is a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use
> of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse
> health consequences or death. A Class II recall is a situation in
> which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or
> medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the
> probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote. A Class
> III recall is a situation in which use of or exposure to a violative
> product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.
>
> A market withdrawal occurs when a product has a minor violation that
> would not be subject to FDA legal action. The firm removes the product
> from the market or corrects the violation. For example, a product
> removed from the market due to tampering, without evidence of
> manufacturing or distribution problems, would be a market withdrawal.
>
> A medical device safety alert is issued in situations where a medical
> device may present an unreasonable risk of substantial harm. In some
> case, these situations also are considered recalls.
>
>
> —- In MenuFoodsClassAction@yahoogroups.com, “nthstarr1”
> wrote:
> >
> > The stores should have pulled ALL affected products REGARDLESS OF THE
> > DATE CODE as they were requested to by Menu Foods back on MARCH 24th.
> > This press release is on both The FDA website and Menu Foods website
> > as I posted before.
> > &
> >
> >
> > I went and spoke about this with Managers of stores in my area as NOT
> > ONE STORE I went into did this Expanded Recall/ MARKET WITHDRAWL
> > initiated on March 24th 2007. End result was apparently if the store
> > is not told to do so by the corporate office, it just is not going to
> > happen in places like WAL-MART, grocery stores, etc. WHY the command
> > never came down from Corporate Headquarters, I do not understand as
> > the EXPANDED RECALL was entitled ‘Menu Foods Initiates Market
> > Withdrawal of All Varieties of Recalled Wet Pet Food to Ensure
> > Consumer Protection- NOTE ***MARKET WITHDRAWL***, not Voluntary
> > Recall- there is a substantial difference per the FDA defintion if I
> > am correct. I TOLD THE MANAGERS THIS and to also consider that not
> > only was it a good idea to pull all dates codes as requested to avoid
> > human error ( and subsequently contaiminated product for sale) as the
> > ‘offical’ reason given by Menu Foods, but to consider the possibilitiy
> > that MENU FOODS may actually be looking into other date codes and this
> > MARKET WITHDRAWL OF ALL AFFECTED PRODUCT REGARDLESS OF DATE CODES may
> > be a way to cover their rear-end while investigating further into the
> > contamination issue. ( actually it this point, they were still
> > searching for the cause of the contamination and it was hypothesized
> > to be the the aminopterin.)
> >
> > MORAL OF THE STORY- CORPORATE AMERICA has some Major issues and so
> > does our Media for ignoring this issue. I’d really like to see the
> > Media do comething right and take this story and blow it wide open.
> > HOW SAFE ARE YOU FROM YOUR LOCAL GROCERY STORES AND WAL_MART LEAVING
> > ***MARKET WITHDRAWED*** CONTAMINATED FOOD PRODUCTS ON THE SHELF!!!
> >
Comment by SJK — April 6, 2007 @ 1:23 pm
My cat Tigger got sick the beginning of March. I kept changing flavors of Max Cat, thinking he was bored with the old flavors. On March 13th I went to the vet and he has kidney failure. With a new diet and hydration twice a day and medications, he is improving although I know it’s terminal. Although Tigger is old, he was spry and healthy. The change was sudden. Max Cat gourmet classics was his food before he got sick. Did I save my receipts, of course not. Did I save all the empty cans, of course not. Where would I store them all. My sick cat is all I have. How about all of you with sick pets? How many empty cans have you saved? Jeanne
Comment by Jeanne — April 6, 2007 @ 8:52 pm
Comment by Jeanne
I know what you mean, my cats started refusing the Friskies canned in late February, I too thought they were just tired of the flavor, I changed flavors, they still didn’t want to eat it(but being hungry they did eat some) one died, and my other is hanging on. I have none of the food or cans left to prove anything. They knew it was bad but I will never be able to prove it. I tried contacting Purina but have not had a response.
Comment by Brenda — April 6, 2007 @ 11:25 pm
I am “starting” to think they don’t really know and are only testing products if they get enough calls of people with dead/dying pets.
This whole industry has been reactive, and slow to do so at that.
Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 7, 2007 @ 12:01 am
Also anytime anyone goes to the grocery store please take the time to “stroll” down the pet food isle to check for recalled foods. Bring a list of recalled foods with you and ask them to hang it up for other shoppers. Many people don’t have interent access or cable. Several of the local news channels are not covering this very well. Not eveyone watches the News either.
Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 7, 2007 @ 12:04 am
YOUTUBE DOT COM TO TELL *YOUR* PET’S STORY??
I don’t pretend to know how to use YOUTUBE DOT COM, but I just visited the site and saw “Aeroslin’s” video story (first to come up in the search when you type in “pet food recall”) of how his 9 yr. old cat died from acute kidney failure after eating Iams canned cat food.
I know this would be very hard to do, but maybe your pet will not have died in vain, if some people who have the technology needed could create video stories of their experiences with their ill and dead pets. The combination of the audio and video may make the stories even more powerful than words alone.
Although I can’t prove it (yet) that my dog died of renal failure, the video I could make about his last 2 - 3 days would yank the heartstrings of anyone seeing it. Even the most callous person on earth would be reaching for a tissue. The images of him ill and dying are engraved in my mind forever!
So far, when I typed in “pet food recall” in the site’s search box, only 67 videos came up related to the issue.
Doesn’t CNN (Is it Wolf Blitzer?) do some kind of a run down on what’s popular on you tube dot com or other self-submitted video sites? Didn’t a politician go on you tube dot com to make a release of some sort?
Moderator: I hope I succeeded in not having anything turn into a hot link.
Comment by petlover — April 7, 2007 @ 11:25 am
MonkeyKitty: I do that each & every time I go to the store. And, I challenge them if I find something I think had been recalled. But, with such long lists & new product coming in, it’s hard.
Today, I am taking the time to go to each website & print off ALLLLLL the long lists.
But, just remember — what’s SAFE TODAY is NOT necessarily SAFE TOMORROW! I am VERY skeptical.
Since all these companies are holding back & not coming forth that they made pet food from ingredients, purchased by ChemNutra (China link), they are waiting to be told by the FDA, weeks later…ie: Purina for one.
Just wondering HOW the FDA equates over 100 brands to only 1% of the pet food??
Comment by Kat — April 7, 2007 @ 11:38 am
Here’s another link to Natural Life Pet Products. I had been wondering about them for a week now & had time between allll the TAX STUFF to look ‘em up.
http://www.nlpp.com/
PR Newswire: http://tinyurl.com/2c479z
Comment by Kat — April 7, 2007 @ 12:02 pm
*****NOTE TO MODERATOR BELOW
LET’S DO IT AGAIN!
MOST EFFECTIVE LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN IN U.S. HISTORY ABOUT A NON-WAR ISSUE: THE WILD FREE-ROAMING HORSE AND BURRO ACT, 1971
Across the nation, school children and their mothers wrote to Congress to preserve/protect the wild horses in the western states that were being used as fowl and pet food, and according to a few accounts, were even chased to exhaustion by vehicles to make it easier for rendering trucks to pick them up.
(According to the magazine, AMERICAN COWBOY, May-June, 2007)
Can we prompt a new law/act/inspection standards to achieve safer pet food?
Does anyone belong to any teacher discussion boards? I see an excellent topic for persuasive essays and for students to witness the “power of the pen” to effect change. Many states have end-of-year tests that require a persuasive essay that is written to a real audience for a real purpose. This is a timely topic affecting over 60% U.S. households (pet owners), and it’s good writing practice.
*****
MODERATOR: Although I’ve seen a couple of letters of action in their entirety on this blog, with the writers giving their permission for people to copy them and send them in to government officials or other agencies, the letters are difficult to find in the blog format, at least for me. Many people are very busy or may not feel comfortable with their writing skills to attempt a letter themselves. Pre-written letters, at least available for people to select a paragraph or two to “paste in,” would greatly help.
Is it possible to have a framed section on the left side of the home page and/or blog page that stores the letters of people who agree to let others use them with each letter’s title made into an active link? Ex. Letter to Congress person, Letter to FDA, Letter to Pet Food Institure, Letter to Sen. Durbin, Letter to Pet Food Company, Letter to News Agency to Cover Story, Letter to Stock/Securities Commission Seeking an Investigation, etc.
And, I admit, this is the first time I’ve written on a blog and realize the format is far different from a discussion board with more evident themes and a chronological response format, but I’m having great difficulty trying to find previous comments that I’m looking for. I absolutely love Petconnection and click to it first, but due to the inherent nature of a blog’s format, a topic such as “Pet Food Recall: Speak! Speak!” gets pushed back to page 4 or 5 when scrolling through blog topics. Maybe I’m just slow, but for the first couple of days being here, I didn’t know that I could access previous blog topics that had dropped off the list of active topics in the upper right side of the blog page. Again, I’m not complaining about Petconnection at all because I absolutely love this site, just seeing if we can add a feature because this site has gained a lot in popularity/more users, and we need letters, emails, calls, and ACTION in any form to be prominent, IMHO. I feel as if we were more active last week on letter writing/emailing than we are this week (last post on this topic was 04/07/07, not that this is the only topic under which people discussed letters they wrote). I could easily be wrong. The pet food companies are probably hoping that as the shock and grief lessen and there is less press coverage, that we will go away, adopt another pet to ease the pain, and forget about a call for change since we will be somewhat pacified once again.
I’m not singling out anyone, because I know I have done this as well many times, but when someone is adhering to a particular blog title, another person will post about an unrelated issue — maybe due to the time factor in going back to look for the appropriate blog title, (ie. Is this pet food safe? Raw vs. cooked? I know we’re all concerned about a variety of issues. I am as well.) — but can we try for a separate section for pre-written letters?
Thank you for listening and especially for your tireless work on this site to provide a forum for us to discuss the issues, share our stories, and learn about how to keep our pets safe. I recommend this site to everyone I talk with.
Comment by petlover — April 12, 2007 @ 8:17 am