Pet-food recall: A ‘dirty bag’ to blame in latest recall? House to hold hearing, and ASPCA sounds another warning
By Gina Spadafori
April 18, 2007
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Andrew Bridges of the Associated Press recaps and expands on yesterday’s revelation of a contaminants found in a second ingredient:
The chemical, melamine, is believed to have contaminated rice protein concentrate used to make a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
Previously, the chemical was found to contaminate wheat gluten used by at least six other pet food and treat manufacturers.
Both ingredients were imported from China, though by different companies and from different manufacturers.
A lawmaker said Wednesday the Chinese have refused to grant visas to FDA inspectors seeking to visit the plants where the ingredients were made. An FDA spokesman later said the visas were not refused but that the agency had not received the necessary invitation letter to get visas.
“It troubles me greatly the Chinese are making it more difficult to understand what led to this pet food crisis,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told The Associated Press after meeting with the FDA commissioner, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach.
[...]
A San Francisco company, Wilbur-Ellis Co., began importing the ingredient in July from a Chinese company, Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., according to Wilbur-Ellis president and chief executive John Thacher.
It resold the ingredient to five pet food manufacturers, including Diamond Pet Foods Inc. of Meta, Mo. Diamond manufactured the dry dog and cat foods recalled by Natural Balance, Diamond Pet Foods spokesman Jim Fallon said.
Thacher declined to identify his company’s other four customers, except to say two tested the ingredient and found no melamine. Wilbur-Ellis has not heard from the other two, both of whom received limited amounts of the ingredient, Thacher said.
The source of the melamine remains unclear. It may have contaminated the rice protein through the reuse of dirty bags used to ship the products.
[...]
Menu Foods continues to add more varieties to its recall list. Menu Foods spokesman Sam Bornstein did not know if the Streetsville, Ontario-based company also used rice protein concentrate as an ingredient in its pet foods, sold under more than 100 different major and store brands.
A House committee is holding a food safety hearing Tuesday and is expected to discuss the pet food recall.
Here’s the entire article.
Update: Just in from the ASPCA:
The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today urgently reminded pet parents that the pet food recall crisis, which started almost five weeks ago, is far from over—and, as such, pet parents need to stay alert to new developments as well as the health of their pets.
“Until the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has conclusively identified all the contaminants in the affected pet food, where they came from, and which products they were used in, we cannot consider this crisis over,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, a board-certified toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), located in its Midwest Office in Urbana, Ill.
“Further, the actual link between the adverse effects of melamine and the illnesses or deaths of so many pets around the country is still not clear and, as a result, what exactly is sickening and killing our pets is still a mystery,” said Dr. Hansen.
Though the FDA has officially confirmed 16 animal deaths as being linked conclusively to the recall, unofficial estimates, including by those in the veterinary community, suggest the number of recall-related deaths may be far higher, perhaps in the hundreds, or even thousands.
Emphasis ours, and thank you.
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The FDA can get a Visa from China if they really want one. They need to ban ALL Chinese food imports until one is granted.
Comment by Jillpw — April 18, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
Too little , too late.
I have just instructed my attorney that my will must be rewritten and that I forbid ANY amount of money or assets to be given to any animal charity , at this time.
I have revoked all trusts and declare that no animal charity may benefit in any way, at this time. Not a dime.
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 18, 2007 @ 3:38 pm
I never thought i would live to see the day when The United States Government (whats left of it) would become so dysfunctional that it can not even master a simple basic human rights fundamental like maintaining and enforcing impeccable safe food standards.
Comment by Steve — April 18, 2007 @ 3:42 pm
This is making me ill!
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 3:45 pm
Comment by E. Hamilton
Good for you. I just may be right behind you.
Is today the day to close the data bank. What has been the number of illnesses and deaths. I haven’t seen a number for several days. Thanks.
Comment by VJ — April 18, 2007 @ 3:46 pm
I’ve seen a lot of negative press on Natural Balance now, and wanted to share information. I don’t use it (I’m looking into it, though), but my uncle recently had to switch to Natural Balance dry for a dog on a specialized diet since the original recall (He refused Science Diet for Kidney problems, found out what her new dietary needs are, and shopped around). Look, I know this is not good about them recalling, but I have to admit Natural Balance seems to be good stuff. My uncle’s 11 year old Labrador Retriever is acting like a puppy again: high energy levels, no signs of arthritis. I’m not a plant: I’ve been a periodic participant on this blog since the recall started. I just think, from watching my uncle’s dog, that this food is really good in general. Also, I have to admit I’m impressed by the quick response they’ve had. Check this out from their website:
Natural Balance Pet Foods,® Inc. Voluntary Nationwide Recall on Specific Venison Dog & Cat Food Products
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I’ve heard the brown rice is the problem, is this true?
NO. The rice and brown rice are not a problem. The problem is rice protein concentrate that is only used in the four products involved in the recall.
I’ve heard the venison is a problem, is this true?
NO. The rice protein concentrate is the problem, and is only used in the the Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food, Venison & Brown Rice Canned Dog Food, the Venison & Brown Rice Formula Dog Treats and the Venison & Green Pea Cat Food. These are the only products involved in the recall.
What products are affected?
Venison and Brown Rice Dry Dog Formula
Venison and Brown Rice Canned Dog Food
Venison & Brown Rice Formula Dog Treats
Venison and Green Pea Dry Cat Formula
What products are NOT AFFECTED?
None of our other products are affected:
(contains list…I’m deleting to save space. Go to their website for the complete list of non-recalled products)
What products have rice protein concentrate?
Venison and Brown Rice Dry Dog Formula
Venison and Brown Rice Canned Dog Food
Venison & Brown Rice Formula Dog Treats
Venison and Green Pea Dry Cat Formula
How did this happen?
From time to time we evaluate our formulas and look for ways to improve them. We recently looked at the Venison dry formulas and thought that adding another protein source would improve the formula. Unfortunately, the rice protein concentrate was contaminated with melamine.
How can we trust your other foods?
We do NOT use rice protein concentrate in any other products in our product line.
We do NOT use wheat gluten in any of our dog or cat foods, except for Crunch-E-Bones, which is being discontinued.
Why don’t you make your own food?
There is virtually no company, large or small in the U.S. that makes 100% of its own food because
There are many expert companies that specialize in contract manufacturing, and we work with two of the best.
These co-packers make the food under contract to the company’s specifications of proprietary formulas.
We have been working with the same manufacturers for over 10 years.
Why aren’t you using lot codes for the recall?
Ignoring lot numbers and date codes is the fastest way for us to get potentially affected product off the shelves.
Waiting for lot numbers and date codes would have been more precise but would have delayed the process.
The Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food, Venison & Brown Rice Canned Dog Food, the Venison & Brown Rice Formula Dog Treats and the Venison & Green Pea Cat Food contain the rice protein concentrate that is linked to the problem.
How were you able to act so quickly?
We acted so quickly because our Registered Veterinary Technician/ Customer Service Representative received six calls on April 12th (Thursday) and April 13th (Friday) all from dog families who had started using a “new” bag of our Venison & Brown Rice Formula Dry Dog Food.
Because we never see a cluster of six phone calls about one of our products we decided Friday afternoon that there must be a problem with the newest batch of the dog formula even though we did not know what the problem was.
We decided at that time to initiate testing to try to determine the problem, but at the same time, we decided to stop the further distribution of the Venison Dog and Venison Cat dry formulas, as we received one call from a cat family on Friday.
Calls were made to Pet Co and our distributors to stop distribution of the food and to start contacting our retailers to pull the affected foods off the shelves, while we monitored calls over the weekend.
What is melamine?
Melamine is a strong organic base with the chemical formula C3H6N6.
Melamine is used in the production of plastic ware and as a long acting nitrogen source for fertilizer.
Melamine is not used in the production of human or pet food.
Melamine is considered a contaminant in any food production
How did melamine get into your food?
We don’t know. It appears that the rice protein concentrate used was contaminated by an unknown source. This is an ongoing FDA investigation.
When will you have new Venison products available?
Venison & Brown Rice Canned Dog Food:
We expect to be able to have test results clearing our Venison Canned Dog food within a few days. The product will be available after these results are confirmed.
Venison & Brown Rice Formula Dog Treats:
We expect to be able to have test results clearing our Venison & Brown Rice Formula Dog Treats within a few days. The product will be available after these results are confirmed.
Venison & Brown Rice Formula Dry Dog Food:
Two to three weeks.
Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Food:
Four to six weeks.
Are Rice, Rice Flour, Rice Bran and Brown Rice affected by the contaminated rice protein concentrate?
NO.
Rice, rice flour, rice bran and brown rice have no relationship to the rice protein concentrate.
The concentrate is a specially prepared product and is not associated with the rice, rice flour, rice bran and brown rice.
BACK TO TOP
Comment by Krystal — April 18, 2007 @ 3:48 pm
Steve:
From the bible,
1. “we are in a time when good is evil and evil good”.
2. “The love of money is the root of all evil”
Fear of offending, political correctness all play a part.
Comment by Gary — April 18, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
I believe that would do it Jillpw
Comment by Cynthia — April 18, 2007 @ 3:54 pm
cut off all food imports. stop payment. shut off the $ spigot. hland securitee my a22.
And shut down the dang petfood producers as well. This is criminal. They sould be prosecuted.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 18, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
E. Hamilton, I am right behind you. Not a dime of my money is going to any animal charity in this life of mine or after!!
Comment by Peg — April 18, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
I just put through some information from the Natural Balance website: I guess it’s too big, so maybe it’s being looked at first.
Anyway, two things:
1.) Gina and everyone else at Pet Connection: PLEASE don’t close the database. Obviously, this new contamination could lead to new reports. Furthermore, since it’s only products put on the shelf a week ago, it could be really helpful to track if there’s a new group of reports. PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING IT OPEN!!!
2.) Can anyone tell me more about the Beneful problem? Why hasn’t Purina pulled it, especially in light of everything else?
Comment by Krystal — April 18, 2007 @ 3:57 pm
A dirty bag? Forgive me, but that sounds a bit pathetic and red herring-ish to me.
Comment by slt — April 18, 2007 @ 3:58 pm
“Menu Foods spokesman Sam Bornstein did not know if the Streetsville, Ontario-based company also used rice protein concentrate as an ingredient in its pet foods,..”
Oh brother. Please, someone put this man out on the street. To continue to be so clueless at this point is inexplicable. He’s had more than one day to work on this answer. Oh right, they’re out in the dumpster with the scotch tape…..
And I’m glad the ASPCA has finally seen the light…………but I expect it’s more like they’ve seen some more official numbers. Hope soon the rest of the world can see them too.
Tuesday it is - thank you Dick Durbin for keeping the fire lit…..a dirty bag my foot.
Comment by CathyA — April 18, 2007 @ 4:00 pm
I am very very close to being completely done with all cheap crap produced in a certain country. I am tired of it’s destructive influence on my life, the life of my pets and the well being of the american dream and my country. Sorry - you have bought it this time.
I’m mad as heck and I’m not gonna take anymore cheap crap I don’t care how cheap it is. And if I get a chance to speak in person to any of the industrial criminals in the petfood industry they better be wearing flameproof suits!
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 18, 2007 @ 4:00 pm
Comment by Krystal — April 18, 2007 @ 3:57 pm
Krystal, yes it went through, but couldn’t you have just posted a link instead of pages and pages of stuff?
Comment by CathyA — April 18, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
Anyone know what “House committee” it is that will be holding this hearing on Tuesday? (So we can figure out the members/chairman in advance and perhaps contact them with our concerns and questions.)
Comment by JM Leong — April 18, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
Linda. It’s making a lot of us ill. The pet food aisles at the store make me ill. Driving past the pet supply stores makes me ill. I am really feeling depressed about this mess and about all the food safety issues and that no one seems to be doing their jobs. I think you have only dogs… and to my understanding, they do perfectly well on an omnivore diet. Just take them off commercial for a while because it seems like you’re switching their food so often that it can’t be good for them either.
Comment by Cynthia — April 18, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
On a positive note, I wrote to Canidae regarding the so called 6 month labeling laws, wanting to be reassured Canidae would never add ingredients without it’s label reflecting so. Here’s my email from Canidae, received moments ago:
Hi Barb,
Our formula is a fixed formula and does not change. If it were to change, yes we would notify you and would have absolutely no reason to wait 6 months, we use only the best ingredients and are proud of that. :-)
Best Regards,
Team Canidae
Comment by Barb — April 18, 2007 @ 4:21 pm
I emailed Canidae/Felidae last night asking whether they used any rice protein or glutens that may not be listed as an ingredient, and here is their reply:
Safety is purchasing commodities from a supplier you trust. We do not purchase any ingredients from China or any other foreign country. All ingredient are from the US. Unfortunately, It appears as though the most recent recall was from Rice Gluten that was imported from China as well. To reiterate, we do not import any ingredients nor do we use any glutens.
Sincerely,
Team Canidae
Comment by catlover — April 18, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
It was a good sight! went to the local large pet food store today and was delighted to see untouched stacks of SD, Nutro, Iams and many other offenders. Seems many people are getting it.
Comment by Gary — April 18, 2007 @ 4:25 pm
Does anyone know anything about Solid Gold?
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 4:25 pm
Krystal,
I saw the same thing with my cats!
My cats went on the Venison & Pea dry food back in January and I noticed a HUGE change in how they felt and acted. My oldest boy (17) has IBD and was down to about 6-7lbs, sleeping a lot and just acting like he was at deaths door. After about a month and a half of being on the NB, he went up to 10-11 lbs, was playing, running around like a kitten, acting like a younger version of himself. It was WONDERFUL!!
He’s been about the same ever since and the others have been acting pretty darn good as well!
Only odd thing I noticed was my oldest boy last week.. he was vomiting up food mixed with wheat grass a few times a day for a couple of days. I bought some hairball goo and gave him about an inch of it on.. Thursday last week? No vomiting since then. Otherwise acting normal, eating a lot, drinking as usual (that I’ve noticed anyway.. he’s always been a big water drinker), going to the bathroom normal and seems happy, though sleepy. (He is pretty old)
So I’m not sure what to make of all of this. I switched them to Wellness yesterday along with Merrick canned food. I’m not sure if that was the best choice, but our vet won’t be in until tomorrow, so it was my only choice. I’m a bit low on options for them right now. I’m kind of nervous about the NB, even though it seemed to really help them. :/
Comment by Sarah K. — April 18, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
http://purina.com/
Purina puts out a statement.
Comment by Carole — April 18, 2007 @ 4:28 pm
Although dated April 17, it was not there this morning. Took them a while to get it posted.
Comment by Carole — April 18, 2007 @ 4:29 pm
Cynthia - I feel sorry for the pets of the good people that are too busy to research and are switching thinking they are doing the best for their pets, and then the other shoes drops!
It’s confusing and how many people can call every pet food company and wait for them to call back, which maybe never, or sit on hold and then maybe get the run around.
Wellness at least told me the truth, so did the man from Natural Balance.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
Comment by Linda MS 4:25
Where have you been girl? I’ve written several statements about Solid Gold this afternoon. What would you like to know. If I can help, will be glad to do so.
Comment by VJ — April 18, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
Sorry - I’m at work. Is it a good food for dogs?
I don’t think it is certified organic..
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 4:37 pm
I spoke to a friend that uses it - the company uses no rice proteins or glutens (as per their web site) and my friend said it’s the best.
I was thinking about the TimberWolf until I spoke with my friend about the Solid Gold.
And now Wellness seems to be out of the choices, and Purina is just a big unknown -
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 4:43 pm
Linda MS,
What did Wellness tell you?
Comment by Sarah K. — April 18, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
Sorry Cathy and everyone else about my long post! I noticed other people do it sometimes, and I felt the information was really worthwhile. Like I said, I’m not trying to push NB, I just think they’re a better quality than others from what I’m seeing and think everyone should be fair to them for their quick response (after all, they don’t use wheat gluten, so they probably thought they were safe). I guess what I’m saying is, they seem to be worlds away from Menu Foods, with its “maybe it’ll all just go away” attitude. I’ll link posts from now on, though.
Comment by Krystal — April 18, 2007 @ 4:47 pm
Gary, I also Notice Nutro,SD,IAMS and Eukanuba DRY No One Is Buying Now AND The Stores Are Empty.
Comment by Marry Ann — April 18, 2007 @ 4:47 pm
They use the rice protein in their Simple Solutions line - allergy formula. The Yogurt one and the other one that is Fish and something but the rice protein is listed as ingredients on their web site also.
She assured me it was not the same company as NB used and has recalled. So I asked her what company and she didn’t know. She said the President is looking into it -
She really didn’t know I believe. But it worries me as two of my dogs have allergies. I just want a company that does not believe in glutens or rice proteins.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
re Purina Statement:
“Wheat gluten is a rich natural protein extracted from wheat or wheat flour. Purina has been using wheat gluten in its products for nearly twenty years without incident. In fact, the same quality wheat gluten that is used in pet food products is also used in human foods”
mmmmk! I feel *so* much better now . . . lol!~
Comment by straybaby — April 18, 2007 @ 4:48 pm
No it’s not organic. But I spoke at length to a gentleman this afternoon. They have received notification from Diamond that their products do not contain gluten. He said they do not use corn gluten either. Of note to you perhaps, he stated his boss has told everyone to be open and honest in everything they say. When secretitiveness prevails (in another lifetime past) to hide trade secrets, etc, now is not the time. So be honest and tell people what they want to know. (I had added a comment of my own in the previous posting…sometimes they may not know the answer but I would hope Solid Gold employees will attempt to find out and get back to the inquirer). I have 2 Amer Eskimos. My female will be 10 in July. She has a history of pancreatitis and the vet keeps worrying about her liver (I don’t think the liver is a problem but I’m cautious). After much research and yes trepidation about Diamond being the manufacturer, I decided to go back to them for the time being anyway and am using Holistic Blendz. The dogs love it. But then I mix chicken or beef and lots of veggies with the dry. Had tried Wysong but the kibbles don’t seem to agree with them. The Blendz is a nugget. Works better for me too. I can judge better how much they are getting. Hope this helps out for you, Linda MS
Comment by VJ — April 18, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
I have four big bags of the Potato and Duck of NB dry dog food I am returning on Saturday so there will be lots for people to buy I am sure of it, but not me.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
Remember that the pet food industry has vehemently opposed ANY regulation of the industry while making the FALSE claim that they are strictly regulated.
They have bought protection for themselves through their use of political influence. They know that their liability is very limited and that the chances of any criminal charges being brought against them are non-existent.
As things stand now they can do anything they want and get away with it!
Comment by MFEMFEM — April 18, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
Lind MS.
one thing I saw on a China company site was a comment about the gluten/protein concentrate being fine for allergy issues because of what they have done to it. I guess it no longer resembles the allergen? (YUM!)
my thinking is that may be why NB could put it in a food like venison and pea and still assure it’s ok for pets with allergies?
Comment by straybaby — April 18, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
Thank you VJ that is very helpful. I appreciate it much.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 4:52 pm
http://www.omhpet.com/wellness....._core.html Wellness Core Grain Free (FELINE DRY) may be a solution for some folks
Some of their dry formulas contain rice
I avoid Wellness canned = Menu made
If you have some input from Wellness, please post it.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 18, 2007 @ 4:53 pm
Sounds about right to me straybaby.
Linda MA
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 4:53 pm
Thanks Linda…
The Wellness I bought for my cats yesterday was Wellness Dry Salmon, Salmon Meal & De-boned Turkey Recipe. The package says it has Rice, Ground Rice in it. No “Rice Protein” So I assume it’s probably safe for now?
The Merrick canned food I bought seems alright as well, though a couple of cans list “gravy” and of course I get freaked out just by the word gravy. hehe They’re probably alright though.
Comment by Sarah K. — April 18, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
The Simple Solutions line is a Wellness line of food and some, maybe all of this line for allergies, contains rice protein, but from what supplier I do not know.
I spoke with the woman personally - she called me back. Also on the Wellness/Old Mother Hubbard web site, the ingredients to the Simple Solutions line list “Rice Protein” and I wonder about their treats too for allergies.
She mentioned the Yogurt and apple (I believe) and the Fish and something.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
From Candidae’s web page:
In light of the unfortunate current pet food recall by other respectable pet food manufacturers, our phone lines and emails are tied up with concerned customers. We want you, our valued customer, to feel secure with the continued use of our products. CANIDAE® Pet Foods in no way is affected by the recall, nor are any of our products produced in any of the recalled production facilities.
It appears from the latest news within our industry that all recalls are from Glutens imported from China, a protein source that is extracted from Wheat or Rice. The wheat or rice is not the issue, but the glutens extracted, stored, and then imported from China. Again, CANIDAE does not use Glutens in any form, and we do not import any ingredients from China or overseas.
CANIDAE Pet Foods also does not produce cuts and gravies, pouches, and does not contain corn, wheat or soybeans in any of our products or formulations, and all ingredients are of US origin, meaning proudly raised and grown in the USA.
Our heartfelt concerns go out to all those affected by the recall.
(This makes me feel better since I just started feeding this to my cats on Sunday)
Comment by Jenny — April 18, 2007 @ 4:58 pm
Sooo… on the MSN article and the Forbes article which were just posted (the one it seems Gina used to start this blog, which has since been updated), I found this little gem. Makes one wonder: why was a bag of melamine shipped with bags of rice protein concentrate? Check it out:
Thacher said an April 4 delivery from Futian Biology included 146 1-ton bags of rice protein concentrate. All were white except for a single pink bag, which was stenciled “melamine.”
Comment by Krystal — April 18, 2007 @ 4:59 pm
From Solid Gold’s web page:
Re: Natural Balance Product Removal / Menu Foods
We at Solid Gold Health Products for Pets, Inc. (“Solid Gold’) realize that consumers are very concerned with the recent product food recalls. We would like to assure our customers that there are no safety concerns with Solid Gold products. The product recalls and removals have centered around ingredients sourced in China, in particular wheat gluten and now rice protein concentrate. These products are thought to be contaminated with melamine. Neither of these ingredients are used in any Solid Gold food products, nor do we source any ingredients from China, either directly or indirectly. We do not use gluten meal of any kind in any of our foods.
All the ingredients in Solid Gold products are sourced domestically with three exceptions. The lamb meal used in our dry foods is sourced from New Zealand, which produces some of the cleanest meat in the world. The potato protein used in Barking at the Moon is sourced in Europe. Our Blended Tuna canned cat food (grain free) is produced offshore due to the lack of tuna processing plants in the United States.
Sincerely,
Steven J. Wirick
Chief Operating Officer
Solid Gold Health Products for Pets, Inc.
Comment by Jenny — April 18, 2007 @ 5:02 pm
See, I told you Pet Connection blog was being read and closely followed by pet food companies. Good job Pet Connection.
Comment by VJ — April 18, 2007 @ 5:06 pm
And thanks Solid Gold and your employees.
Comment by VJ — April 18, 2007 @ 5:08 pm
Regarding the use of rice protein…
The main reason many companies use it is because it is supposed to be hypo-allergenic, which is why they don’t have any concern with putting it in foods specific to allergies.
It is safer than using other forms of protein.
Comment by Carole — April 18, 2007 @ 5:10 pm
Well thank you Solid Gold.
And Thank you TimberWolf too for their kind responses and information.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 5:12 pm
But we have the right to know it is there. Maybe not legally, but for a company doing honest business. Still yesterday as NB was changing their web page, the cat food ingredient list had changed but the statement ‘no rice’ had not been removed. Many people that use these products are looking for a high level of ANIMAL protein. I want the real thing for my cats.
Comment by Jenny — April 18, 2007 @ 5:12 pm
Any company that tries to lie or coverup while our pets are dying will be the loser too, it just won’t be the consumers.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
Another bottom line is there is a difference between a Natural Food and a Laboratory Engineered Food. “Technology” as they call it. I’m not interested in eating Technology nor feeding it to my pet.
Comment by Steve — April 18, 2007 @ 5:17 pm
I read the Forbes Article, so what? The Melamine was added in the United States? Is this evidence or is this subterfuge?
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
As a pet mommy who’s kitty is now dead because of this absolute horrid mess, I think it would send a very good signal to consumers if each and everyone of these pet food companies that were using ingredients sent from the China manufacturers would cancel their contracts with them immediately. If they dont want to cooperate with our FDA investigation, then they dont deserve the right to continue business with any American company. You cant have it both ways, its either continue to profit from the U.S> and give our FDA guys permission to inspect or lose the priviledge and profit of doing business if you dont want people inspecting.
Comment by Sandi K — April 18, 2007 @ 5:22 pm
Sandi K -
I agree. You are 100% right. Any company that doesn’t step forward now should be just sorry out of luck.
I will get Snoppy tested (hopefully tomorrow )for his kidney functions.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 5:23 pm
Has anybody had any contact with Nutro since the latest recall re rice . . .??
Comment by ashlee — April 18, 2007 @ 5:31 pm
Comment by ashlee — April 18, 2007 @ 5:31 pm
Not first hand info but a friend who feeds Nutro says she called them and they advised their rice is US grown.
Comment by slt — April 18, 2007 @ 5:55 pm
While I realize that just finding a safe food for our pets is almost impossible right now, I urge you all to take the political implications into consideration also. If you choose Innova or Wellness, you are sending a financial message that it’s ok to do business with Menu. My goal continues to be to get as many pet owners as possible to boycott all companies that outsource to Menu. Hopefully the quality companies will not want to be associated with them any longer, and start manufacturing their own food.
Comment by Joyce — April 18, 2007 @ 6:01 pm
Comment by Krystal — April 18, 2007 @ 3:48 pm
Krystal-
I have to agree with you. I switched to Natural Balance Ultra Premium Dry two weeks ago and my 14-yr-old Gordon Setter has definitely been more lively and upbeat…almost like a puppy again. But I am concerned about this recall because NOBODY has pinpointed what is the actual problem. I haven’t opened a second bag of NB, and am wondering what to do next.
Comment by Ken — April 18, 2007 @ 6:01 pm
4lgdfriend: I also spoke with someone at Old Mother Hubbard several times this week about the recall and their food. Their “grain free” canned food is not manufactured at menu, BUT they would not tell me where it was made, nor would they tell me where the dry food is made. They said it is “confidential”. This bothers me a lot, and makes me wonder if it’s made at Diamond or another problem place. Out of simple desperation (cat was previously on Science Diet Savory Cuts, then Natural Balance) of not knowing what to feed my cat, and not knowing what to trust, I am feeding him the grain-free canned Wellness, and I have a bag of dry KumpiKat on the way now that will be here by tomorrow. I am looking for a new canned food but don’t want to switch to. I do think Wellness is a good food, my cat loves it, and I want to believe it is a good food/brand, but I have a real problem with them not disclosing their manufacturer.
Comment by auntie — April 18, 2007 @ 6:12 pm
I, too, would like to say a word in favor of Natural Balance. First, I have three 7 month-old kittens who have been eating all the non-fish NB flavors as half their wet food diet for several weeks and they look and behave INCREDIBLY healthy. All three were made ill by the Nutro Kitten pouches back in mid-Feb and have improved SO much that I am made humbly grateful to NB. That food just may have saved the lives of my furkids Allen, Rachel, and Meghan (although I switched too late for their brother, Oliver - I still miss you, Ollie).
Second, the responses of MF and NB are WORLDS apart. MF waited weeks after their own test animals died to do anything, NB tested ALL their products (per a phonecall w/them) - has anyone else done this? - and pulled tainted products within days in response to a few phone calls! NB definitely still has my respect.
On the other hand, I would like to know why NB decided to put ANY form of rice into a product long advertised for, and purchased as a direct result of, being rice-free.
Comment by A.C. — April 18, 2007 @ 6:15 pm
I get the feeling that people who work for NB might be blogging here….
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
” I urge you all to take the political implications into consideration also. If you choose Innova or Wellness, you are sending a financial message that it’s ok to do business with Menu.”
Comment by Joyce — April 18, 2007 @ 6:01 pm
Natura’s Response to Menu Foods’ Recall: ‘We Will Operate our Own Canning Facility’ - April 2, 2007
See website: Naturapet.com
SAN JOSE, CA, April 2, 2007- Although not implicated in the recent massive Menu Foods canned food recall, Natura Pet Products has pledged to either acquire or build a canning plant so that the company can exercise complete control over its product lines.
They did use menu, but not anymore. The pet food lines they produce are: Innova, Evo, California Natural, Healthwise, MotherNature and Karma.
They are cutting Menu out of the picture completely.
Comment by Rhonda — April 18, 2007 @ 6:30 pm
natura - the innova folks - have said they will be pulling their wet food production from menu foods and either buying or building a facility where they do their own production AND they will have their people on site at all times until that happens . . . at least they are doing something about it! i have five cats, one recovering from ARF, and i need something fairly low in phosphorus and something all five will eat . . . so far that something is california natural
Comment by dottie — April 18, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
Hi Joyce,
“I urge you all to take the political implications into consideration also. If you choose Innova or Wellness, you are sending a financial message that it’s ok to do business with Menu.”
I do agree with you, however, Innova is made by NaturaPet.com and they have cut their relations to Menu Foods and are building/purchasing their own plant to have complete control over their products.
Comment by Rhonda — April 18, 2007 @ 6:34 pm
I at first felt sympathy for NB also, and if you look back at my old blogs, I am definitely not an employee of any pet food company!! But when I went back to the website, and saw that they had removed the original information that was posted in March regarding where their ingredients were made, I was furious! It would be better for them to add to the information or at least make a statement on line about the changes then to just change the ingredients, and remove previous information that is obviously false. That is the kind of crap that Menu did. And the fact that it is supposedly a company that cares, makes it so much worse. I’m not sure there is a company that cares.
Comment by Joyce — April 18, 2007 @ 6:35 pm
My Snoopy was eating green bag Innova Lamb and Rice and this last bag he started drinking lots of water and having very loose stools - he is now on homecooked and he has a vet appointment to be test for kidney problems Saturday.
What more can I say now?
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 6:40 pm
Linda MS
Your comment dishonors Ollie’s memory and makes me wish I’d not said anything at all.
Instead of wasting time with insinuations, check previous posts of those you suspect.
Comment by A.C. — April 18, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
And, for right now, Natura Pet products are still being made at Menu Foods. The same company that is STILL finding paperwork that indicates additional lots and brands are affected.
Comment by Kim — April 18, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
We have people here who have lost pets, people who are caring for very sick pets, people who are looking for help and others who are trying to be helpful.
Could we please be kind (or at least civil) to all?
Several of the people who’ve been jumped on today DO NOT work for pet-food companies. I see their e-mail and IP address. They’re just trying to help.
So … let’s quit jumping on people and let them have their say. OK?
Comment by Gina Spadafori — April 18, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
Hey, thanks for the Natura information. I basically wrote them off back in March when I saw that they had products being made by Menu. I will definitely now reconsider. However, who is making their food now? Is Menu still making their canned food until they get their own plant? That could take a long time, and the canned stuff on the shelves now was probably made by Menu
Comment by Joyce — April 18, 2007 @ 6:48 pm
A.C. I meant it as a general statement not to you or anyone who likes NB still. I am sorry for your loss of Ollie.
I have four big bags of NB I am returning and I am disappointed in the company. We did our best and chose the best dog food/cat food we could, I understand this.
I am disappointed becauase of their use of this rice protein concentrate that is tainted with Melamine and also their quick upgrades of their website to now include it as an ingredient. That’s all. So many people, and not you specifically, are saying wonderful things about them - and it seems the company has let us all down and to my way of seeing it, doesn’t deserve loyalty.
After this mishap, if people still love NB, that is none of my business. I don’t want to be lied to anymore by pet food companies. I have several large dogs and I won’t go into all the details again, but losing them would be tragic as I am sure your loss of Ollie is equally tragic.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 6:51 pm
NATURAL BALANCE:
I really have to hand it to them for being smart enough to cut to the chase and not mention lot numbers or dates. While that information may be important to others, but most pet parents couldn’t care less if it was made three months ago or last week. If one’s bad, they’re all bad in my book.
So FDA, if you’re reading this: Give us a list without dates or lot numbers. We don’t care about that.
Comment by Lynn — April 18, 2007 @ 6:55 pm
If people can be pro Nature Balance then I can be against it right? Putting my dogs at risk with lies and also my S&R dog that has taken years to train is not a funny matter.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
Re Question by Krystal — April 18, 2007 @ 4:59 pm
Why was a bag of melamine shipped with bags of rice protein concentrate?
A mistake??? [Yes, SURE it was.] More than likely a promotional sample of new Chinese product would be my guess. Perhaps for labs here in US to test???
Ohhhh - someone please tell me I am so wrong.
Comment by Lynn — April 18, 2007 @ 7:02 pm
I, for one, as a monthly contributor to HSUS as very disgusted with them. They sent out a weekly newsletter (pets for life) on Sundays . I send them a nasty Email when I got one on April 1, that did not even have the Del Monte recall on it. They have millions of members(the largest animal welfare group in the USA) and a large database of email addies. However, they only notify their members on a weekly basis on any additional recalls. If Itchmo can do it for free daily, why cannot the HSUS for their paying members. Time is of the essence here and we really cannot rely on News Media.They do receive contributions from Hill’s pet nutrition as noted on their WEB site.
I just checked their Website and their pet food safety is upto date on the latest recall from NB.
Comment by Serijna — April 18, 2007 @ 7:02 pm
Lynn, I thought it was being mixed into the rice protein here in the U.S. since I believe the article said that the rice protein tested okay by itself.
Again, I reread your post AC and for the life of me I don’t see how my comment in any way dishonored the memory of your Ollie. I really don’t.
If my Moses my scent hound and Treeing Walker Coonhound would have died from eating the NB, which I almost bought the Venison and Rice bag, I’d would be very hot indeed, but that’s me.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 7:06 pm
I too thought Natural Balance was a great company when I switched to their food right at the first recall announcement. But, this editing of the ingredients on the web page is absolutely criminal. The right thing to do would have been to have a seperate statement on their web page. My cat was on the Ultra Premium Dry Natural Balance food, and he loved it, and I did notice a huge improvement in his coat and energy level; but I will never buy it again. We have to be able to trust what they say on the bag is true! And those bags that were recalled due to tainted rice protein concentrate said “rice free” which is why I am sure some bought it, as they were looking for grainless food after the bad wheat gluten. Natural Balance, you need to step up and tell the truth.
Comment by auntie — April 18, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
FORBES: ANDREW BRIDGES’ ARTICLE TODAY
Last paragraph mentions a House hearing next Tuesday. Details anyone? Should we be calling anyone?
Comment by Lynn — April 18, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
I think people are really getting nasty on these comments that are being made. While I respect everyone’s opinions to boycott Menu Food and to not feed or continue to feed Natural Balance I for one am not going to boycott Nature’s Variety because they package the canned food for Nature’s Variety. My dog has been thriving on Nature’s Variety and I will continue to support my dog’s brand and I will continue to support the ASPCA. While I do not agree with what Menu Foods is doing and how they are going about, I will say that it should be a person’s option whether or not to boycott Menu and any association that any dog has to deal with it.
Comment by Eskie Lover — April 18, 2007 @ 7:27 pm
What happens to the recalled food? Is it burned or put in the landfill?…..or sold to more hearty animals..
Comment by Lori Lee — April 18, 2007 @ 7:33 pm
bernie - where are you?
Comment by elliott — April 18, 2007 @ 7:40 pm
What’s wrong with Nature’s Variety - some is on recall right?
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 7:43 pm
I wanted to ask Bernie a question too about the melamine being added in the U.S. - where is Bernie?
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 18, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
re: Comment by dottie — April 18, 2007 @ 6:33 pm
Dottie, I have a CFR kitty (chronic renal failure) and I went out again today to try to find her a safe food that she’ll Eat (they become inappetant anyway, and all this switching foods I’ve had to do makes it worse) with my 3 lists, reading labels and consulting lists, I still made a mistake. They need LOW phosphorus food, as I can tell you know. I got her a can of California Natural chicken and then saw, checking my lists again when I got home, that brand and particular type are extremely high phosphorus, 1.61 percentage based on dry matter analysis. The optimum for phosphorus content is 0.6 to 0.9 - the highest I gave her at all to get her to eat during this debacle was 1.28 (Eagle Pac) and that’s too high. To illustrate, the Hills RX renal diet is 0.34 phosphorus - but it’s also pure junk which I refused to ever feed a CRF cat.
I’ve been trying to balance her low phos need with safe food I can find - it’s hard. Anyone whose kitty is recovering from renal failure as a result of poisoned foods must do the same. I don’t know how links are done on here, but the most updated list with the phosphorus percentages reported by the manufacturers is:
http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canned.html
The list of dry foods is linked from that. The older list may also be still linked, which was much much longer due to better cooperation from the companies the first time. There are sections for natural foods, regular foods containing by-products, and specialty foods like baby food. This list has been my bible for years. This is my third battle with CRF. My oldest died of it in 2002 at 19. My second precious girl just did last year, also at 19. My baby is only 15, we have a long way to go and we are going to win for as long as possible.
Do look at the lists; they may help.
Comment by Sharon G — April 18, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
WHICH WAS IT, JOHN THACHER, APRIL OR JULY???
Take a look at his conflicting comments posted here:
BLOG ONE:
“A San Francisco company, Wilbur-Ellis Co., began importing the ingredient in July from a Chinese company, Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., according to Wilbur-Ellis president and chief executive John Thacher.”
“The source of the melamine remains unclear. It may have contaminated the rice protein through the reuse of dirty bags used to ship the products.”
———————————————-BLOG TWO:
(on the MSN article and the Forbes article which were just posted )
“Thacher said an April 4 delivery from Futian Biology included 146 1-ton bags of rice protein concentrate. All were white except for a single pink bag, which was stenciled ‘melamine.’ “
——————————————-
Comment by ~ Martha ~ — April 18, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
I’m so sorry, mistake on the canned food list url - it should be
http://webpages.charter.net/katkarma/canned.htm
Comment by Sharon G — April 18, 2007 @ 8:20 pm
Linda Nature’s Variety is not on recall at all, but they do supply Menu Foods their own ingredients and they do not rely on Menu Food for supplying their ingredients for them.
Comment by Eskie Lover — April 18, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
Thanks, Sharon G, but the California Natural Chicken and Rice DRY is only .79 phosphorus, according to the natura website ingredient list. I know that she should be on canned, but the only thing she will eat is Fancy Feast grilled cans and that’s not an option for her any more. I have fountains for water and she drinks well. I so appreciate your concern and thoughts. CJ is an ARF kidden, from late November, and likely one of the early victims of the food tainting.
Comment by dottie — April 18, 2007 @ 8:34 pm
Although it appears NB reacted quickly I feel they were trying to pull a ‘fast one’ substituting cheap non-animal protein and not updating their information. The cat food specifically said that it did not include rice. I feel they were dishonest.
Does the quick action make up for the dishonesty in labeling? I don’t know for sure.
Comment by Jenny — April 18, 2007 @ 8:40 pm
Sharon G, I have 4 here recovering and I’ve got them on Hi_Tor. My vet gave me Hills and purina kidney special food and I refused to feed them that because of the company that produced it.
The above link isn’t working. Could you post it again???
Comment by Sharon — April 18, 2007 @ 8:40 pm
LINDA MS, i just read the post about Innova making your dog sick. Is this true?? I just switched my cats on california natural after being on the recalled Natural Balance and you have me worried! Can you keep us posted on results?
Comment by Lacy — April 18, 2007 @ 8:42 pm
PLEASE - read Dr Michael
PLEASE READ DR MICHAEL FOX’S LATEST SITE
Comment by elliott — April 18, 2007 @ 8:44 pm
Forget it. I saw your later correction when I updated the page.
I’m looking at the Hi-Tor now. It says phosphorus (min) .10%. Seems to be very low. Protein is 8.00%.
truimph makes it
Comment by Sharon — April 18, 2007 @ 8:45 pm
I’ve switched food three times and I feel just horrible. Maybe I should have just kept feeding them Friskies - I don’t know anymore. Waiting to hear back from Eagle Pack regarding their future involvement with Menu Foods, they did email me a list of where they get all their grain products and they are all USA.
Comment by Chelsea — April 18, 2007 @ 8:45 pm
Couldn’t find a Food Safety meeting listed online for next Tues, but there’s one tomorrow
http://appropriations.house.gov/
04/19/07
Agriculture Subcommittee
Food Safety and Inspection Service – Part II
10:00 AM 2362 A Rayburn House Office Building
Under Secretary Richard Raymond
David Goldman, Acting Administrator, Food Safety and Inspection Service
W. Scott Steele, Budget Officer, Department of Agriculture
Congress gets an F in food safety…………..in 1998
One wants to thank Dick Durbin for taking up the pet food issue, but really perhaps he’s saying about time your people woke up! Not a new topic for this guy.
http://www.cspinet.org/new/safoo_7_9.htm
The Safe Food Act (HR 2801 and S. 1465), sponsored by Representative Vic Fazio (D-CA) and Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Robert Torricelli (D-NJ), would create the Federal Food Safety Administration, to streamline food safety functions of USDA and FDA into a single independent agency. These bills are sitting in the House Agriculture Committee, the House Commerce Committee, and the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.
2004 - they were still at at:
House Committee to Try to Nullify State Food Safety Laws
State Officials, Consumer Groups Oppose So-Called “Uniformity” Bill
http://cspinet.org/new/200409302.html
Hey Gina you get press releases from CSPI?
http://cspinet.org/new/newsjournal.html
Comment by CathyA — April 18, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
Ive seen a couple of posts about people not wanting to contribute to animal charities anymore. I know I am missing something here? You dont mean local shelters do you? I just want to say that we live in a very small town in Alaska and our local animal shelter is not run by the US government at all. They are a totally independent run shelter dependent soley on donations. Im sure folks dont mean they will stop contributing to these types of set-ups? Please tell me Im misunderstanding. Our little animal shelter would go belly-up without contributions and where would that leave the abandoned animals. I just got thru donating some more food as ours in bad shape for food due to the recall (plus we took back all of the tainted food we had donated as we didnt know at the time it was bad.) Thankfully they had not used ANY of it.
As a side note, if there ARE any people that are peeking into this site that work for any pet food companies, if your companies food is affected by the recall, how bout making a cash donation to some of the animal shelters that are in need of food after this recall? If you work for a company whose food isnt affected, how bout donating some well needed food to an animal shelter. Please, you can start making a difference NOW instead of letting this whole recall be a bad thing, lets start seeing some good come out of this somewhere, the sooner the better. Or how bout giving cash donations to the some of the vet clinics for folks who dont have money to get the necessary tests run and treatment done. I just cant believe this whole thing has to end up being negative, lets see some pet food companies step up and offer something positive, it can help a great deal, more than you know. OK thats my speech for the evening. Thanks for bearing with me and sorry for taking up so much space here! (-:
Comment by Sandi K — April 18, 2007 @ 9:31 pm
HI Dottie And JOYCE, after My dogs got sick from nutro, i deceided to put them on california natural, i’ve spoke to the staff at natura and drove them nuts w/all the questions of whereTHEIR dry food was made,do they use USA rice and they were very nice and calm me down.my pets love the food. and it really flying off the shelves. wet food was not in recall and they have a plant in SD.
Comment by Marry Ann — April 18, 2007 @ 9:37 pm
THE PETS in the shelters they have no home,why would anyone want them to suffer more than they are. it’s not the homeless pets who are to blame for this recall.
Comment by Marry Ann — April 18, 2007 @ 9:55 pm
I agree Marry Ann. When I have my will made up I’ll make sure the ASPCA gets some money from me. I don’t think the animals should suffer just b/c of some screw up.
Comment by Eskie Lover — April 18, 2007 @ 10:15 pm
Comment by Sharon G — April 18, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
“To illustrate, the Hills RX renal diet is 0.34 phosphorus - but it’s also pure junk which I refused to ever feed a CRF cat.”
Sharon, I’m sorry you think so, but I have to disagree. I’m no fan of Hill’s as a corporation, but I’ve had multiple renal failure kitties live an astonishingly long time on it. What’s nice is that, in a house full of free feeders, your other cats (not kittens, tho) can do okay on it, too, especially with extra protein given as treats.
Every pet responds differently to renal diets, and everyone has a right to her/his opinion. But with the unfortunate upswing in numbers of renal cats and dogs, I don’t think we should be trying to scare off their moms and dads from a commonly available food that might actually help.
Unless, of course, it’s contaminated. Personally, I’m waiting for Friday night to find out. :( Par for the course.
Comment by Laura — April 18, 2007 @ 10:34 pm
Laura, We should NOT have to wait for a Friday recall again. According to the company’s website, they’ve urged the other brands to recall any foods with their rice protein. I do hope they contacted them and aren’t counting on them to read the release though . . .
http://webprod.wecon.com/WECOW.....events.htm
For all you with ARF and CRF pets, check the Wysong site. They have RX diets and also have supplements for ph and such. There may be some options there.
Comment by straybaby — April 18, 2007 @ 11:33 pm
Just a quick mention on Wysong. I was all set to buy their urinary health variety for the cats and to my horror one of the ingredients is wheat gluten.
Comment by Maureen (Lilly and Lucy's mom) — April 19, 2007 @ 12:33 am
Sandi K and Eskie Lover: I think that the big, national animal charities have dug themselves a hole by nearly ignoring this tragedy. I’m sure they get money from various pet food companies and figure they don’t want to bite the (big) hand that feeds them, and that’s why they haven’t made a stink about it. HSUS emails me for donations all the time, so they could blast a warning about pet foods to the same email list, but they choose not to. I understand the choice not to donate to them. But I agree that smaller, local animal charities are the ones that probably need extra help after this, since they keep having to put aside food that they have purchased or has been donated for the maintenance of their animals. I personally donate to a local pet rescue organization from which I previously adopted a cat. I know what kind of work they do because I have seen it firsthand, and I know they aren’t on the “take” from the pet food industry.
As for what to feed… After having to give up on New Balance, I’m using Wellness Core Protein for now. No grains, and the cats absolutely love it. I’m not really pleased about patting a company on the back who uses Menu (and they aren’t getting any Wellness wet for that reason), but it seems like the best thing for now with Innova not available in my area. I’m not comfortable with relying on mail order to feed my cats, since I live in Florida, and deliveries to my house often sit on my porch in extreme heat conditions. So Wellness Core it will be for a while, at least.
Comment by CatLady — April 19, 2007 @ 5:01 am
Laura & Sharon: I’m not a Hills SD fan, either, but they put a notice on their website yesterday stating that none of their products contain contaminated rice protein from Wilbur-Ellis,
Comment by Pam — April 19, 2007 @ 5:06 am
Just because they say it doesn’t make it so. We’ve already seen proof of that with other companies.
Comment by Tammy — April 19, 2007 @ 6:07 am
I just read that press release from Wilbur Ellis. First of all, if you had a bunch of white bags & a pink one marked “melamine”, would you pick that bag to add to pet food? Oh, puuulllleeezzz, are we really that stupid to believe that one. Why they chose that story is beyond me….makes no sense at all.
The fact that they lied about when they received that rpc also tells you what kind of a corporation they are. The first story was July….that tells us that the rpc could’ve been used last year which would account for pets dying long before this recall. Then you notice they changed it to April…..so we’ll think they just got it.
Give me a ******* break……
Comment by Jan — April 19, 2007 @ 7:43 am
I did a Google search for Rice Protein Concentrate…and the 4th item down has a url starting with http://www.californianatural.com. The url is a dead link, but interesting, nontheless
Try it yourself.
Comment by Lori Lee — April 19, 2007 @ 8:40 am
Here’s a decent article from The Adirondacks
http://tinyurl.com/2dr49l
Comment by Lori Lee — April 19, 2007 @ 9:20 am
You know, what sickens me is ALL the LIES from these companies! When the 1st recall bagan and I decided to switch to Natural Balance, I called them first. I asked them if ANY of their products used in their foods get imported from China. They assured me that ALL their products were grown in the US only! I said I was very worried about any imported product from China…they said they understand completely and that is why they only use US products and ALL food are human grade…hmmm, so rice gluten with melamine is human grade…and not from China…..PROVEN WRONG and LYING!
I am now using Fromm’s Dry food and weaning my cats to Nature’s Variety Raw food. If anyone has any suggestions about these foods, please let me know. Also, what do you all think about Prowl by The Honest Kitchen?
Comment by Jeanna — April 19, 2007 @ 3:28 pm
Comment by Pam — April 19, 2007 @ 5:06 am
What’s really worrying me about the SD is the corn gluten. There’s a lot of it in Hill’s, both its Prescription and Non-prescription diets. They’ve found melamine in corn gluten in South Africa. Are they checking for it here? I’d feel better if I knew they were. But I have a sinking feeling Hills and the rest of these folks have NO interest in testing their foods unless the FDA is holding a figurative gun to their head.
Comment by Laura — April 19, 2007 @ 10:35 pm