Pet-food recall: Another congressional hearing set
By Gina Spadafori
April 20, 2007
- If you have a sick pet or a question on your pet’s health, call your veterinarian.
- If you want your say on food-safety reform, Sen. Durbin’s office wants to hear from you.
- 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.
Itchmo has the goods on a House hearing Tuesday, at which the ChemNutra CEO is to appear. The title of the hearing? “Diminished Capacity: Can the FDA Assure the Safety and Security of the Nation’s Food Supply?”
The title seems to suggest that they’re doing it now, which seems rather questionable at this stage.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will be asking the questions this time. If you’d like to help them, contact the members.
Maybe by Tuesday we will know at least the names of the other companies that accepted the rice protein powder. You know, the ones the FDA can’t share with us?
Those of us who have been following this from the first — five weeks ago – figure more company news will drop late tonight, to judge from past experience.
That’s OK. The blogosphere never sleeps.
Update: Our Dr. Marty Becker will be on CNN Headline News in a few minutes (a little after 6 p.m. ET). He’ll also be on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America, Weekend,” tomorrow morning. He just called from the CNN studios, where he’ll be talking about the pet-food recall.
Another Update: Video on CBS News with Katie Couric and Nancy Cordes, looking at recent developments on the recall. Not brilliant, but it’s really just a preview for tonight’s report.
Reminder on comments: We’ve allowed pretty much everything through from the first, with the exception of ad spam and profanity. In recent days, we’ve also deleted comments for hate speech and death threats (very, very few of either, thankfully). Keep your comments clean, civil and on point, or they will be deleted. Calling anyone a “skank,” in case you were wondering, isn’t clean, civil or on point.
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Warm up the seat for Mr. Miller. We’re eager to hear what he has to say about this fiasco he helped create.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 3:09 pm
You can bet I’ll be watching/listening!
Let’s see how hot the seat will get!! Hmmm, maybe they’ll question him about all the recent changes to their website just for the heck of it ;)
Comment by straybaby — April 20, 2007 @ 3:14 pm
Put him under oath, hook him up to a polygraph, ask if he shredded any documents, and have the papers ready to seize all assets, make him surrender his passport until this is sorted out and get Sally up there beside him.
If he can hire a security guard and publicity flacks to protect him, he can be paying some bills for folks with poisoned pets too!
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 20, 2007 @ 3:17 pm
I can’t believe it has only been 5 weeks. Seems like this has been going on forever!
Comment by Boopadaboo — April 20, 2007 @ 3:19 pm
Bunch of lying thugs - ChemNutra will just lie like all of them.
Are there penalties for lying to Congress - are theys sworn in like a court of law?????
We are on our own. The government can no longer protect us or our pets - this is so obvious - and what would happen during a bio terrorist attack? This is a taste of the future folks - we cannot count on our government for protection during anything, not flood, not famine, not war, not terror, not bio hazzards, and certainly no germ warfare.
Our pets are dead and dying, poison is out there, and they’ve circled the wagons and we, my friends, are now the enemy.
God have mercy on our souls.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
OK - let’s take bets….the other two companies with the contaminated Rice Protein Content will be made public:
1) 6:00 PM EST
2) 2:10 AM on Saturday
3) After Durbin smacks the FDA with a big stick
4) When hell freezes over
5) When contaminated pigs fly
Comment by Andrea 2CatMom — April 20, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
34 Days and I’m starting to go blind staring at this monitor waiting for these sneering, well-groomed men in suits to utter ONE word of truth.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 3:37 pm
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
I’[m not asking for mercy. I want justice.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 3:39 pm
Andrea - I’ve given up. They can all burn in the bottomless pit.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 3:39 pm
Steve,
I say God have mercy on us because as it stands today, there appears to be no justice.
We (the pet owners, the consumers) have become the enemy, the enemy of big business and the enemy of the FDA and the enemy of our own government who now is siding with evil.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 3:41 pm
I hope the hearing looks at the fact that this situation matches one that a Homeland Security planning document describes as “critical,” yet apparently nothing has been done to prevent it.
The doc discusses bioterrorism and says, “Large batch sizes and secondary ingredients that will be mixed with large amounts of product stand out as critical.” That certainly describes wheat gluten and the other ingredients. Yet the FDA still inspects just 1.3% of imported food.
Original security document (PDF): http://tinyurl.com/24rfuu
I’ve got a summary of this and related food safety issues:
http://208.112.48.167/foodsafety/
Comment by Cathy Moore — April 20, 2007 @ 3:42 pm
I just wish the FDA had enforcement power to knock down their doors and seize everything before they had a chance to get rid of it. A weak spot in the laws.
Comment by Gary — April 20, 2007 @ 3:44 pm
For all who believes, each of their actions, and even thoughts have been recorded and there is another judgement.
Comment by Gary — April 20, 2007 @ 3:46 pm
Comment by Gary — April 20, 2007 @ 3:44 pm
Don’t you though. These guys could care less who dies. As long as it isn’t them.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 3:47 pm
I don’t think granting the FDA the *power* to act more stringently would have changed one thing. They have shown little inclination to use the powers they do have such as releasing the names of the companies and the list of products that are potentially contaminated with tainted rice protein in a timely fashion.
Comment by Kat — April 20, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
Andrea - thanks for the biggest laugh I’ve had in days! (“When contaminated pigs fly”)
Comment by Kim — April 20, 2007 @ 3:51 pm
I send daily updates to about 30 people - and at least once during each phase of this disaster, I’ve had a pet guardian write back with an “oh my G-d” because their pets were eating (and in some cases had been switched) to a named food.
I personally know two people who have lost cats due to this terrible situation. If I didn’t laugh, I would be crying constantly.
I just sent an email to Senator Durbin - it reads:
I understand that there are to be more hearings into the on-going contaminated ingredients pet food scandal.
Perhaps you could ask the FDA the following:
1. Why will they not announce the names of companies that are dragging their feed with recalls? In the latest round, 2 companies have not come forward and announced a recall of the contaminated rice protein concentrate even though the importer has recalled all of this batch. Does the FDA not have the power to make this public if the companies won’t? What if it were human food? Would they let it sit out on store shelves for the public to buy and consume?
2. Why hasn’t the FDA issued an embargo on all Chinese imported food additives? Its obvious that the melamine did not get into three different additives made by three different Chinese companies by chance. Given that these companies are not only committing fraud, but harming our pets (and maybe humans as well), and the Chinese Government has been uncooperative, why are we allowing anything that goes into food to continue to be imported from China? Who does the FDA see as their prime customer - the American people, China, big business, or the pet cremation business?
Comment by Andrea 2CatMom — April 20, 2007 @ 3:57 pm
A heads-up for readers who have food co-ops, Whole Foods, and similar stores in their community: You might check to see if the store sells Sensible Choice. My local co-op does, and they weren’t aware of the recall.
Comment by Cathy Moore — April 20, 2007 @ 3:58 pm
Comment by Kat — April 20, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
Either we have a full fledge disaster on our hands they are trying to manage and hide or someones protecting their contributers and donors and cronys from the wrath of the public.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 4:00 pm
Steve,
they, all of them, simply do not care about us or our pets. It is so obvious. It is making me sick too!
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 4:03 pm
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 4:03 pm
Of course they don’t. Their heading to the villa for the weekend for some r+r.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 4:05 pm
Kat:
I meant a whole new FDA something on the order of the police tac squad. But I know, the cries of a police state.
Comment by Gary — April 20, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
Comment by Gary — April 20, 2007 @ 4:06 pm
Hey these guys are looking out for number one, and they could care less if they leave a living hell to future generations in their wake.
Were getting the first taste of what that hell is going to be like.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 4:09 pm
Thank God for websites like this. I have never been to frustrated in my life. Where is the media on this?? I went to a feed store (Agway) in the NY area today and I can’t believe these people don’t have the lastest on this whole thing. I gave them several site to look at but I can’t believe all the food on the shelves the have the potential to do damage. Now the news is all about another shooter in NASA Johnson space ctr. Figures, I saw MSNBC finally talk about it, for a few seconds this after noon before another shooter. I agree with Steves post “God have mercy” We need the media to stop the cover-up and start talking before the weekend and all the shopper are out. God help us and our pets!
Comment by Deb G. — April 20, 2007 @ 4:10 pm
I can’t think about this anymore. It’s making me sick and all the sad stories are so pitiful and my stomach hurts.
Until another day folks. Fight the good fight. I’m not being jaded here: But boys and girls we and our pets are on our own!
Linda MS.
(PS. Happy Birthday Vivi wherever you are. You were loved by many.)
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 4:10 pm
I hear you, Gary. I think this kind of corporate behavior is criminal and should be treated as such. But, it never is. The problem seems to run deep.
Comment by Kat — April 20, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
I have lost total faith in this system. I think FDA needs to admit that they have lost control over this situation, not they ever had control in the first place. They ought to be banning imports from China until they comply with the inspection request. They ought to be slapping big fines on these pet food companies who come forward at such at a late date to all of sudden announce, oh gee whiz, I guess we were using some of the bad stuff afterall and in the meantime we are so sorry that 3000 more pets died. It is the pet food companies and their cronies who are controlling FDA. Come on FDA, you are looking mighty wimpy right now, you need to take some aggression classes. I’d say the score is:
pet food companies/cronies 8
FDA 0
Comment by Sandi K — April 20, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
Comment by Sandi K — April 20, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
I don’t think there are any Hero’s in the FDA.
They don’t want to end up on skid row with their families.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 4:29 pm
READ THIS:
Shock + Carver Method For Food Sector Vulnerability Assessments
QUESTION: What SCORE Does the Tainted Pet Food and Tainted Human Pork Rate on This Scale? A 1 ot 2?
http://www.productsurety.org/d.....Primer.pdf
Comment by petlover — April 20, 2007 @ 4:36 pm
GLOBAL FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY CONFERENCE
AUG. 1, 2007
http://www.am-fe.ift.org/cms/?pid=1000404
********QUOTED FROM THE CONFERENCE AGENDA******
FDA is providing for the implementation of an offensive vulnerability assessment tool to further refine vulnerability assessments for the food sector. CARVER + Shock is designed to identify “critical nodes” likely for terrorist attacks in order to design “shields” that reduce risk. These assessments evaluate the public health consequences of product-agent scenarios associated with potential tampering, criminal, malicious, or terrorist activity.
This tool incorporates economic and pathway analysis with risk assessment and focuses on the food sector as a system of industrial pathways (i.e., farm- to-table food industries, food packaging and transportation systems). It is expected to be used within the food industry to increase awareness of factors influencing food security, to encourage the conduct of threat assessments, and to assist in developing methods to enhance security of food production facilities and processes.
*****************************************
I think the conference should be moved up three and a half months.
Comment by petlover — April 20, 2007 @ 4:41 pm
Serious deficiencies in FDA and all global security operations:
HUMAN & ANIMAL PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEMS: A MULTI-STATE PILOT STUDY, 9-23-05
Laura H. Kahn,MD, MPH, MPP
Program on Science & Global Security
Princeton University
http://tinyurl.com/3bl2at
Comment by Nadine Long — April 20, 2007 @ 4:43 pm
Here’s a little tidbit…
In March of this year, the FDA recorded refusal actions for almost 200 products shipped to the US from China.
These include everything from food, makeup, electronic, etc. Reasons recorded include:
Filthy
Unsanitary
Poisonous
Unsafe Additive
Unsafe Color
Holes
Pesticided
Salmonella
Unapproved
Aflotoxin
Vetdrugres
Improper labeling
False labeling
Lacks Firm
I don’t know how they stack up to other countries, BUT at least the FDA is catching some of this crap.
Comment by Carole — April 20, 2007 @ 4:45 pm
Oh yeah, the above doesn’t include Taiwan, it’s only for mainland China. Taiwan has their own record.
Comment by Carole — April 20, 2007 @ 4:46 pm
By comparison, it appears they took refusal action against approx 40 items from Canada in February - most of these had to do with labeling of product.
Comment by Carole — April 20, 2007 @ 4:49 pm
http://WWW.CBSNEWS.COM ON CBS NEWS THEY JUST DID A STORY ON THE PETS DRYING FROM THE FOOD AND A GOLDEN RET. THAT’S WAS ON A COUPLE WEEK’S AGO DIED SAT. WHEN YOU GO THE WEB PAGE IT’S ONDER FIRST LOOK WHERE THERE IS A PICTURE OF COURIC
Comment by MARRY ANN — April 20, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
I’ll tell you what is making me sick:
1. There are so many wonderful lovely ladies who might be elderly and they do not undersand this situation and lovely ladies like Peggy who don’t understand what to avoid.
2. There are so many pet owners who value and love their animals that would die for their pets and can’t read the labels and don’t understand that so much needs to be avoided right now.
3. We are doing such an injustice to our pets and to these wonderful people who have loved our country their entire lives and now we fail them
So I read the blog, and try to help those that are confused and I know I can’t offer a brand to any of them, but I just hope to clear up what needs to be avoided, and I know that there are thousands out there struggling that just are confused and buy what is on the shelf because they think it is safe.
This is breaking my heart. And we are alone. Yes, we have a congressional hearing, but today we are alone. Our pets are ill and dying, my Mercy has liver disease, my Snoopy sees the vet tomorrow. I can’t bear to think of losing them.
And yes, God have mercy on our souls. We simply cannot trust that any pet food is safe.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 4:53 pm
ALERT!
My boyfriend works for Wawa, a 7-eleven type chain, for those of you who don’t know. They only sell a few cans of food…but PAWS is the major thing. He had me print out the list for him, and the store called their corporate office to check into it.. No update from my boyfriend yet, but it got me thinking.. A lot of convenience stores, pharmacies (RIte Aid, Eckerd), etc only sell a few pet foods…Please check that they’ve pulled items, because they may be completely unaware!
Comment by Krystal — April 20, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
Perhaps the FDA is simply not the right government agency to handle this.
Shipping poison labeled as food, pet or human grade, seems to be a problem for Homeland Security. Since Superman has left the building.
Since Homeland Security can do pretty much anything, without a warrant and has such a record of abus..er..politically motiv…er..being really effective, yeah THAT is the phrase, why not turn those bad boys loose on the PFI and cronies?
They could search, seize, break down doors, walk right THROUGH security guards and who knows, they REALLY might save the country from this threat. It would look very good for Homeland Security when the budget gets looked at and certainly would be more effective than the FDA.
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 20, 2007 @ 5:02 pm
You can bet in all of this, the terrorists are taking extensive notes on all the weaknesses and the inabilities of the agencies like the FDA and CDC. Is Michael Chertoff and the glorious DHS team of FEMA fame will be able to handle a concerted terror attack? a LOL is need here. Do you think they have even have the sense to think about the possible next phase involving human foods?
Comment by Gary — April 20, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
There is no such thing as justice. It is a nice concept but I do not believe we will ever have justice for our pets. Not now or in the future.
We as their caretakes need to educate ourselves, make wise choices, and not look to anyone but ourselves to solve this horrible situation.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
Comment by Andrea 2CatMom — April 20, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
Well Number 1 is out. I hope we don’t make it to Number 5.
Comment by slt — April 20, 2007 @ 5:15 pm
I find it interesting that the media in reporting this story uses the headline “tainted pet food” as opposed to “poisened pet food”. They seem to ramp up the language and hype on other stories why not this one?
Comment by Jillpw — April 20, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
Gary - I hate to say that I think that you’re right…
it’s only by the grace of God that we haven’t all been wiped out before this…as we are so vulnerable in this area.
Comment by Marcy — April 20, 2007 @ 5:30 pm
Gary - just read what you wrote above…
I also believe that they will reap what they have sown.
I’ve have seen this truth happen over and over.
Comment by Marcy — April 20, 2007 @ 5:49 pm
My local TV tation - an ABC - just did a very short note on the recall.
They were saying that the recalled food was ‘contaminated with industuial chemicals’. There was NO
real concern in the report. Why are they not stressing that this POISON PET
FOOD can take the life of you pet! I just can’t believe how ‘small’ they
are treating this major disaster!
Comment by Mary Smith — April 20, 2007 @ 5:58 pm
And of course there’s a few obligatory rumors floating around the net about reports, one by the DoJ and the other by the CDC indicating that the “probable suspects” are Mexican illegals who work at the restaurants where poisonings broke out and certainly in the American pet food factories. That Militant Latino groups are furious because of raids like “operation return to sender” and the Republicans want to physically deport all illegals and are further outraged at the slave wages and poor working conditions the American businessmen force them to work under.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 6:16 pm
That sounds a bit over the top.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
Here is a little tidbit that I found searching the net.
Dr. Richard Martorano, a big Melamine & Selenium researcher
with lots of melamine/selenium/gluten based resin/feed/coating technology patents,
has the position of Regional Technical Sales Manager at Singapore-based Connell Brothers, Inc
which is a division of Wilbur Ellis Co.
Dr. Martorano moved to Singapore in 1990, converted to Islam and now has the name Muhammad Ali Amin.
Dr. Richard Martorano (a.k.a. Muhammad Ali Amin) - Asia Pacific Regional Technical Sales Manager
Holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chemistry from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA and both a Masters Degree and PHD in Chemistry from Hamilton University in USA.
Dr. Martorano has been assigned numerous patents on application and composition of matter in surface coatings area.
Currently he is the Asia Pacific Regional Technical Sales Manager for Connell Bros. Co. a Division of Wilbur Ellis Co. and is based in Singapore. He previously worked for Rohm and Haas Company for 41 years.
Twenty eight (28) of those years were spent in Rohm and Haas central Research Division in Spring House, Pennsylvania in areas of decorative and protective coatings and polymers.
His background includes research, polymer development, applications, sales, marketing and technical service; all of which are highly customer focused.
He has worked on a variety of coatings based on both solvent-borne and water-borne polymers including acrylics, styrene/acrylics, alkyds, epoxy, vinyl, silicone, fluorocarbons, polyesters, urethane, melamine and urea formaldehyde resins.
He has worked in the Asia Pacific Region since 1990.
An Italian American raised Roman Catholic, he and his first wife raised four sons.
Over fifteen years ago he moved to Singapore, converted to Islam and remarried.
He and his second wife reside in Singapore where he continues his long career in
the chemical field.
This guy has all the right qualifications to be a player in this drama.
One of his specialties and interests is guess what? MELAMINE……
Comment by Lil Bear's Moma — April 20, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
Yeah I know everyones speculating out there and everything from aliens to the planets beginning to die off is peculating out there on the fringes of the net.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
There was a senator or congress person I think who retired back about 2004?
Anyway he said that he’s amazed the terrorists haven’t hit the food supply yet. I agreed with him fully.
Comment by Gary — April 20, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
I’ve read so much that I’m forgetting what thread has what on it. Did someone post that Purina had changed their website and now list rice protein as an ingredient?
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 6:38 pm
Cbs news has it now on the web site, about the update on pet food recall,this will break your heart and piss u off when u see the poor dog that died. http://www.cbsnews.com
Comment by MARRY ANN — April 20, 2007 @ 6:38 pm
Let Dr. Michael Fox (vet) ask some questions to the FDA, ChemNutra, Wilbur-Ellis, etc. at the next hearing.
http://tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/id74.html
***********From Dr. Fox’s article*************
While my theory that a melamine-like derivative insecticide like cyromazine could have been produced within the wheat plants as a result of genetic engineering may not hold up, and we are dealing instead with a simple chemical contamination, accidental or deliberate, one fact remains. Two independent laboratories found the chemical aminopterin in samples of the recalled pet food that they identified as a rat poison. And that it is, but
rarely used, and costly. This chemical is used as a genetic/DNA marker, and is included in U S Patent 6130207, filed Nov 5, 1997 (Cell-specific molecule
and method of importing DNA into a nucleus).
***********END OF QUOTE FROM DR. FOX*********
The aminopterin (rat poison) is the question I keep coming back to, also. The New York State Food Laboratory (Albany, NY) is part of FERN (Food Emergency Response Network, established after 9/11) that is specifically set up to test our foods for chemical, biological, or radiological hazards.
Would this lab, a lab set up to test our food supply when there are suspicions of contamination, be wrong about aminopterin (rat poison)? Would rat poison in wheat gluten be too much for the public to handle?
Let’s calculate the score the pet food scenario would be on the CARVER PLUS SHOCK method for evaluating attacks on our food sector. When the evaluation tool mentions the “shock” factor (psychological), the tool fails to mention pets.
I guess this scenario scored a zero (0).
Comment by petlover — April 20, 2007 @ 6:43 pm
Comment by MARRY ANN — April 20, 2007 @ 6:38 pm
CBS needs to devote a week long one hour series of Prime Time Investigative Television on this. “What the hell is happening to our food supplies” would be a good name for the expose.
Comment by Steve — April 20, 2007 @ 6:43 pm
We need to politely write letters, keep up the politcal pressure etc.,
but then look only to ourselves to solve this immediate problem. It is a time to grieve and be cautious and stop feeding the corporate giants that are hurting our pets.
We need to send a clear NO WAY to these giant pet food companies. Return the food - let them go broke.
I am no longer going to support any giant corporation to the detriment of my pets or my family. They own Congress, the FDA, and Washington - they don’t own me.
They can’t tell me how to spend my money - and they can’t make me buy from China.
Linda MS.
Comment by Linda — April 20, 2007 @ 6:50 pm
steve i think if this was no accident,these evil evil evil people were trying it out on the pet food supply first then our food supply. this is so sick. why isn’t D.H.S ON top of this has me baffled.
Comment by MARRY ANN — April 20, 2007 @ 7:00 pm
Hey FDA - It’s now after 8:00pm CDT and STILL we don’t know who the other 2 companies
are that sold POISON PET FOOD are!! Why are you letting them get away with this??!!??
Comment by Mary Smith — April 20, 2007 @ 7:13 pm
Quote;Hey FDA - It’s now after 9:00pm CDT and STILL we don’t know who the other 2 companies
are that sold POISON PET FOOD are!! **** They could or(Big Companies) might be the big one’s as there was over 100 tons as reported sold by Wilbur-Ellis of rice gluten laced with melamine.Seems like every story has a different twist by each reporter. Little news peices a little at a time.
Comment by William Kanitz — April 20, 2007 @ 8:15 pm
Last Sunday, April 15, Wilbur-Ellis notified the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration that a single bag in a recent shipment of rice protein concentrate from its Chinese supplier, Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co.
Ltd., had tested positive for melamine.
Unlike the other white-colored bags in that shipment, the bag in question was pink and had the word “melamine” stenciled upon it.
Wilbur-Ellis separated that bag and quarantined the entire shipment for further testing and since that time, no further deliveries of rice protein concentrate have been made.
Samples from the white bags tested negative for melamine.
However, subsequent and potentially more sensitive tests by the FDA came back positive for melamine, leading Wilbur-Ellis to voluntarily issue the recall.
Wilbur-Ellis began importing rice protein concentrate from Binzhou Futian Biology Technology in July 2006.
A total of 14 containers holding 336 metric tons of rice protein concentrate were sent from Futian to Wilbur-Ellis.
Correction ; not 100 tons BUT more as stated below!
Wilbur-Ellis has distributed 155 metric tons to date.
Comment by William Kanitz — April 20, 2007 @ 8:52 pm
Comment by Gary — April 20, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
Gary, what makes you think they haven’t? Remember they did “game” the possibility of planes hitting buildings………I can’t guarantee the intelligence or honesty of political appointees, and I’m sure the mechanism to deal with this situation never got fully put into place, but I will guarantee that scientists are not stupid. Seems they would have learned by now that slowing the information pipeline only freaks people out more.
Comment by CathyA — April 21, 2007 @ 4:40 am
Neither the FDA or Homeland Security are doing their jobs. They have the authority but not the will. The people heading these agencies are cronies of Bush who are not only incompetent but dangerous. They are in bed with industry and infused with power and greed. I hope they rot in hell.
Comment by Sharon — April 21, 2007 @ 4:50 pm
Neither the FDA or Homeland Security are doing their jobs.Sharon Quote.
What really needs to be done is make sure that traceback records of pet food ingredients are keep and that the pet food customer can see country of origin of ingredients.The FDA Bioterrorism law came into effect in Dec. 2005 and June 2006. They have been not keeping records as if they did the info would be avaiable within 24 hours as per the law as the recalls would have been so much faster,less pets would have died.
Comment by William Kanitz — April 21, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
Administrative detention and record keeping are two requirements of the act. That is why I can say they aren’t doing their jobs. If they were the ingredients would have been detained and records seized at the minimun two months ago when the FDA was first notified of a problem.
http://sea.agr.gc.ca/us/bioterrorism_e.htm
Comment by Sharon — April 22, 2007 @ 8:08 am
Your right Sharon,Administrative detention and record keeping in NOT being enforced. Most feed makers just don’t care a lick.No one checks up and the food maker and transporter doesn’t have a clue that the FDA rules say 24HOURS for all known food or feed handlers.The traceup should be to every retail store ,then they wouldn’t keep on selling pet food that HAD been recalled a week to two weeks ago.When the first reports of dead and sick pets came in months ago,The recall should have started THEN.
Comment by William Kanitz — April 22, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
The upcoming hearing? “Diminished Capacity: Can the FDA Assure the Safety and Security of the Nation’s Food Supply?”
Not without mandatory recordkeeping from field to fork rules. Lets take corn and corn gluten here in the US,Diamond dog food used corn a 1 to 1 3/4 years ago that killed and sickened many dogs and they have yet to find the source of shippers of the micro toxin laced corn. Today the feed industry can not tell you which corn or corn gluten is in which bag or truck.They just are not keeping records period from source to finished product.
So my conclusion is NO ,the FDA CANNOT Assure the Safety and Security of the Nation’s Food Supply.
Comment by William Kanitz — April 22, 2007 @ 7:18 pm
We signed on with the class-action suit in Seattle.
Anything that forces the pet food companies to rethink their safety policies is a good thing.
For those of you who don’t know, Adventure Books of Seattle lost our Offcial Office Cats ‘Ginger’ and ‘Sophie’ to tainted ‘Presidents’ Choice’ from Menu Foods. You can see their story, with pictures, at our Newsvine ‘Straight Talk’ page. Just scroll down the list of stories until you see the header ‘Close to Home - Victims of Menu Foods.’
http://www.adventurebooks.newsvine.com
Robert M. Blevins
Managing Editor
Adventure Books of Seattle
Comment by Robert M. Blevins — April 23, 2007 @ 1:24 am