Pet-food recall: Is the FDA really so clueless?
By Gina Spadafori
April 26, 2007
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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.
I think all the bloggers who’ve been involved in this from the first do feel accomplished when we’re able to tell you before anyone else does which products are recalled. But I have to admit it’s starting to give me a really bad feeling in the pit of my stomach when we do it TWICE during FDA media briefings.
It’s nice to get singled out for your work by a U.S. Senator, but honestly … I’d really rather have my government be honest with me. Why is it that bloggers can find out with very little effort what the FDA won’t tell us?
So do they really not know, as the FDA spokesman claimed in a e-mail message after today’s media conference? Or are they completely dedicated to the idea that the consumer has no right to know promptly about these “voluntary” recalls?
We were waiting to ask the FDA about the Costco recall, but we were never called on. Instead, the FDA reponded to another reporter’s question that they knew of no more recalls.
And guess what? Here are even more recalls (thanks Itchmo):
Diamond Pet Foods has announced it is withdrawing a limited number of canned products manufactured by American Nutrition. This action is limited to three specific canned products: Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Kitten Formula 5.5 oz. cans, and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Puppy Formula 13 oz. cans, and Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula for Dogs 13 oz. cans.
Diamond Pet Foods has not received any indication of quality or safety issues, including pet illness, with the three withdrawn products. However, because American Nutrition informed the company that these three specific products may include rice protein concentrate, Diamond Pet Foods felt this action was necessary for the protection of its customers and their pets.
Customers with these products should stop feeding them immediately and return them to their retailer for a full refund.
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul dry pet food and dog treats ARE NOT part of any pet food or treat recall.
Update: And STILL MORE, from Natural Balance:
Our canned manufacturer, American Nutrition, from Ogden Utah just informed us that they are recalling all canned products made in their plant that contain rice protein concentrate. American Nutrition continued by telling us that they added this ingredient to four of our canned products without informing us. The four products involved are:
Chicken Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz
Lamb Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz
Beef Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz
Ocean Fish Formula Canned Cat Food 3 oz & 6 ozTo make sure that this does not happen in the future, we are demanding from each of our co-packers daily production record of all of our formulas before they are shipped to us. We have reviewed all of our other products and determined that they are free of rice protein concentrate and that all of our other product labels are accurate.
There have been no illnesses reported related to feeding these formulas, however, to comply with the American Nutrition recall of the four products, we will pull all dates and batches of these four formulas. We also ask that our customers return unused product for a full credit to their store.
So which do you think is the creepier scenario: That the FDA didn’t know, or refused to admit they knew about these recalls?
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Hmm, has anyone ever asked the folks at the FDA what they feed their pets, or if they even have any pets?
So far the PFI doing this makes the FDA look like Igits.
The good thing is that it does make the FDA look like Igits and gives Congress all the more incentive to give the FDA the ability to ORDER the recalls and FINE the PFI - hope it makes the PFIs one upmanship timing blowup in their face.
And, it looks IMO like that’s the PFI implication - that they(PFI) ARE in control and the FDA is not.
Or, they(PFI) are afraid that the FDA will sandbag them in these media conferences and are beating them to the punch.
Who knows, but either scenario works against the PFI and *for* pet owners. At least the info comes out.
Ann
Comment by Ann — April 26, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
PFI is in bed with the FDA. The consumer is the surprised wife.
Comment by Nadine Long — April 26, 2007 @ 5:38 pm
It seems to me that in one way or another, all of the pet food is made from this toxic waste. I say recall it all. “Just do it.”
Comment by Nadine Long — April 26, 2007 @ 5:40 pm
It ALL looks pretty creepy to me.
And it sure does not look like the FDA is worried about not getting paid, does it?
Maybe they are getting funds from…elsewhere.
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 26, 2007 @ 5:43 pm
OK - all these in one day!
Lick Your Chops
Costco
Chicken Soup
Diamond
Natural Balance
Our poor pets!
Comment by Jenny — April 26, 2007 @ 5:44 pm
I think the FDA and others involved are very meticulously being prepared by the attorneys on what to answer and how to answer it.
However, it is frightening for both my dogs and me. I no longer trust the system that is supposed to oversee my food sources.
ChemNutra’s website lists imports of wheat gluten, rice protein, amino acids including taurine and minerals/preservatives. With the current issues regarding imported glutens and proteins, has anyone even thought about the quality standards of these other products? I know taurine is in most premium dog foods now. How do you trust the quality of any products at this point?
Comment by Donna — April 26, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
CLUELESS??? THAT IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT!!!!
We all know what you wanted to say, but are too nice!
The FDA has allowed something to spiral COMPLETELY out of control!
If they had acted aggressively in March to curb the imports from China, or at least ~start~! testing, the problem would not have gotten as bad as it has.
They lie! They mislead! They fail to uphold the food security to which they have been appointed.
If they lacked funds then the Director should have gone begging before Congress for additional funding & manpower.
This country has a serious issue — and, it is being sorely neglected by total incompetance!
You can delete this post for being hostile & hateful, if you want.
Comment by Kat — April 26, 2007 @ 6:01 pm
In fact, I think I’m going to send that last stmt to George….
Comment by Kat — April 26, 2007 @ 6:02 pm
Here’s another link about the Chinese baby deaths. The other link was too mild + it was about the fraudsters getting caught.
http://www.forbes.com/home/new.....42060.html
Comment by Kat — April 26, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
I just read the new recall at the Natural Balance website. If I believe them then American Nutrition put ingredients in the food that Were NOT supposed to be there, without there permission. What does this mean???
If the retailer can’t trust the manufacturer and the manufacturer can’t trust the importer and the importer can’t trust China then we can’t trust any of them.
This sort of goes along with what I suspected all the time. They run batches of dog food, changing a few ingredients here and there, never clean the machines between runs. So if the first run has wheat gluten and rice concentrate and they don’t clean the machines then every successive run will have the same ingredients. I wonder if there is any real difference between any of the foods anymore.
Are they all the same formula? with different labels and prices??
One thing is obvious, until this whole thing is sorted out and all the bad product has been identified and removed from the shelves, all imports from China must be stopped. To protect our pets and us too.
The fact that the FDA refuses to do this indicates to me that there is something creepy going on here. General Panic, loss of revenue to big business, what I don’t know but this is just the beginning.
Sam
Comment by Sam — April 26, 2007 @ 6:14 pm
I would add to your question about the FDA:
Which is worse: Pet food companies reassuring consumers that their foods do NOT contain ingredient X and then turning around and recalling it with an “oops, we didn’t know our foods contained ingredient X”
OR
the only alternative I can think of: outright lies.
Comment by slt — April 26, 2007 @ 6:29 pm
I can’t believe this!!! I just switched to Chicken Soup from a recalled Science Diet food!!! AND Rice Protein is not in the ingrediant list AND I have been checking the Chicken Soup Website daily and at 3PM today it still said “None of our products contain Wheat Gluten, Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal or Rice Protein Concentrate”!!!!
Comment by Jill — April 26, 2007 @ 6:32 pm
well here it is 6000 hogs are quartined who were fed the feed containing melamine, distributed by Wilber-Ellis. The Hogs, pork and pork products, will be destroyed and the usda will compensate the farmers for expenses plus disposal. States affected are California,North Carolina, New York,South Carolina,Kansas,Oklahoma and Utah. hmm guess I’ll skip Bacon for a while.Oh yeah the UsDA is still determining if the meat has entered commerce. uhhh anybody think about maybe mentioning this to the drug companies?? after all they derive insulin that is injected for diabetis from the pancrease of pigs?? anybody up there in our goverment care about the human’s who have diabetis?? Naaa they don’t care what goes into pets why should they care about what goes into humans. Betcha if one of the fda people were a pet owner and a insulin dependent diabetic human we would get more action pronto!
Comment by Jan — April 26, 2007 @ 6:38 pm
It’s the wonder of a retraction. The oops and perhaps they thought they could dodge the bullet - no one would find out.
Still there is one supplier to go - and many more recalls to be announced.
Comment by Issy — April 26, 2007 @ 6:39 pm
We now know who the Wilbur Ellis rice protein manufacturers are. These last 2 mfg.are really scaring me, WHY did it take them so long to issue these recalls???? How many more recalls are yet to come? These last 2 could be making food for many more of the ‘smaller’ pet food companies.
Then there’s the 2nd shipment supplier, whoever that is. There’s not going to be anything left to feed by the time it’s done!
1. CJ Foods (Blue Buff Dry Kitten)
2. Royal Canin
3. Diamond (NB Dry)
4. Chenango Valley (Smart Pak, Dr Foster/Smith, Lick Your Chops)
5. American Nutrition (Costco Kirkland Signature, NB canned, Chicken Soup canned, Diamond canned)
Comment by catlover — April 26, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
I see there’s another Jan on here….just to make it more confusing….ha!
Maybe two weeks ago I said I thought they were putting melamine in those glutens all along but because animals were getting sick or dying in smaller numbers, nobody was reporting it or even figuring it had to do with the food (I mean, really, who would think that a “wholesome” pet food would kill our pets?) And because they were raking in the dough due to the spike in protein, they decided to ramp it up a notch & really throw caution to the wind. More melamine, higher protein, more money. That brings us to today & the horrendous mess we are in right now.
Every time I start my dog on a new food, I wonder if this is the next to be recalled. I’m giving her a tiny bit of dry & the rest is my home cooking. Until this is over, I’m not sure I can trust any food that’s out there.
The FDA is a joke, an absolute sad excuse for an agency supposedly looking out for us & our pets. That’s the scariest thought of all.
If the pet food companies are being honest & their manufacturer is not following their formula & adding ingredients they aren’t supposed to add, I would think those would be grounds for a lawsuit. IF they are being honest & didn’t know AN was adding rpc.
Comment by JanC — April 26, 2007 @ 6:53 pm
Wow—It is now on record that glutens are interchanged regardless of what is on the label. American Nutrition switched glutens on today’s recalled Natural Balance and Chicken Soup pet foods.
Whether these companies knew at the time of the switch by American Nutrition or not, it is a big warning to us that regardless of which gluten is listed, a different gluten may have been used. Add that to a higher risk category than that of cross-contamination in these plants.
Comment by Gracie — April 26, 2007 @ 6:57 pm
The food choices SUCK
Iams-has not tested finished product for melamine- too many recalls
Purina-I hate thier ingredients-too many ties to China-recalls, suspect ingredients. Have not tested finished product for melamine.
Diamond-recalls
Natural Balance-recalls
Nutro-too many recalls. suspect ingredients
Most other brands you would find at petco are low quality or have too many recalls.
I have to travel to get my babies thier food, and if anything happens to it, i give up and cook it at home, which at this point I may very well do.
Comment by KatieKat — April 26, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
Say what you want about pet food companies but this situation with Natural Balance should be the final straw for the FDA. Were I Natural Balance I would be finding myself another manufacturer and I would sue American Nutrition for costs incurred as well as business lost.
Finding out that food contains an adulterated ingredient that was never even supposed to be in there is about as bad as it gets. It takes away just about all consumer power to control what they feed their pets.
Comment by Carole — April 26, 2007 @ 7:06 pm
What do I find the creepiest? This quote from Natural Balance:
“American Nutrition continued by telling us that they added this ingredient to four of our canned products without informing us.”
How long has American Nutrition been “adding” ingredients that no one knows about? Why did they “add” extra ingredients? Who gave them permission? If no one gave them permission what is Natural Balance going to do about it? Will they continue to use American Nutrition? Does this go on in other plants? What other products has American Nutrition bastardized?
They’ve been caught with their pants down because of the rice protein, but what else are they adding? (that no one knows about). It makes me sick.
I just don’t know what to feed my guys anymore.
Comment by Meaghan — April 26, 2007 @ 7:08 pm
How pathetic to think the reporters attending a news conference know more than the mouth pieces putting on the event. By not calling on reporters who they suspect might know more, whose welfare are they watching out for? And to think this agency is also in charge of supervising human food and making sure drugs are safe for us. To me it is just one more on the growing list of totally incompetent government agencies that need a complete and total overhaul. In the meantime, our beloved pets are suffering needlessly.
Comment by GS — April 26, 2007 @ 7:09 pm
This article has a very sobering thought:
While the USDA’s actions impact only a tiny fraction of the 100 million hogs slaughtered annually, the 6,000 affected hogs represent only those traced to a single batch of salvaged pet food made from contaminated rice protein concentrate imported by Wilbur-Ellis during the week of April 2, 2007. During a conference call with reporters this afternoon, FDA Office of Enforcement Director, Captain David Elder would not rule out wider adulteration from earlier batches of melamine-tainted, salvaged pet food.
“We are still tracking salvaged pet food from other manufacturers,” Captain Elder told reporters.
Assuming that Menu Foods, Purina and Del Monte also sold salvaged food as livestock feed, the number of affected swine and chickens could increase exponentially. Menu Foods alone manufactures hundreds of different recipes at its three facilities, and has recalled over 60 million cans and pouches manufactured from November 8, 2006 through March 6, 2007. Menu Foods would not make itself available for comment, but if it follows practices standard at other manufacturers, salvage from its multiple production runs could have contaminated feed fed to hundreds of thousands of animals over a four-month period. Much of the resulting adulterated pork and chicken would have already made it to supermarket shelves before news of the first round of pet food recalls broke on March 16.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....46972.html
If this strong possibility has happened then the whole food system is in a major turmoil…pets, children and adults alike.
Comment by mal — April 26, 2007 @ 7:09 pm
I stopped by a small local pet store last night and they are really in a bad way. They carry a lot of boutique brands, but some you also find in larger chain pet stores. They don’t know what to tell their customers.
They’ve been treated the worst by Nutro. They pulled all the wet Nutro - but their Nutro rep says they will not be reimbursed for these items. They also said that Nutro did no notifications to the store - they kept having to call and check their websites.
Natural Balance has been very forthcoming with them - at least up until tonights info (which they really may not have known about). Unfortunately,I bought two cans of the ocean fish last night - so there’s another product I’ll be returning to them.
They also carry Wellness, Innova, Merrick which have been largely unaffected.
In order to have product to sell, they’ve added Fancy Feast of all things (hey nothing of their’s has been recalled).
They also had a new brand of wet cat food - Weruva. There are no grains in most of the flavors some whole grains in a few - at least on the label - but how can you really know?
The biggest problem for them is cash flow - while they wait for refunds from the companies decent enough to not hassle them about returns - they have to buy replacement product so they have something to sell to their customers.
They are really nice people - very customer service oriented, always helpful and knowledgeable. I just hope they don’t lose their business due to the actions of ignorant companies, incompetent manufacturers, unscrupulous importers and malicious foreign companies.
Comment by Andrea 2CatMom — April 26, 2007 @ 7:16 pm
Another comment. This morning I fed my baby:
Ocean Fish Formula Canned Cat Food
the one that’s just been recalled. I could just spit!
When I first found out about the recalls on March 16, I took her into the vet on Monday March 19th to have her bloodwork done and a urine test. Thankfully she was okay. I have been juggling her foods since then. I thought Natural Balance was okay. She’s also been on Evangers (which she doesn’t like), Merrick, Evo-Innova and Serengeti dry food (made by Timberwolf).
Guess it will be a sleepless night tonight keeping an eye on her to make sure she’s okay.
Comment by Meaghan — April 26, 2007 @ 7:17 pm
Comment by JanC — April 26, 2007 @ 6:53 pm
I’m with you. I just found out today my baby cat has heartworms. We’re planning to try to treat her, but her odds aren’t great.
Anyway, she’s lost a little weight over the past few weeks, so we’re trying to stimulate her appetite a little.
My question is, what the heck can I give her that’s safe AND tasty?! So far, she hates “organic” anything and wants nothing to do with home-cooked. I’m afraid to give her the “junk food” she *would* like because I don’t think the recalls are over (today’s list proves that, I think). Hell, they don’t even know what’s IN their foods, let alone if it’s toxic!
Anyone know of a tasty canned food for a sick kitty?
Comment by Laura — April 26, 2007 @ 7:26 pm
You know what? We’re all a bunch of oxymorons if we’re waiting for the FDA to speak up. Like they really know which end is up. And the PFI -well, I won’t go there.
I’m telling you, the ONLY way to blast the FDA and the PFI out of the water is to stop buying ALL commercial food.
As in Nadine Long’s comment today at 5:40 PM:
“…….all of the pet food is made from this toxic waste. I say recall it all. “Just do it.”
So what are you waiting for? Just DO IT. Let it rot on their shelves.
Comment by Lynn — April 26, 2007 @ 7:26 pm
From tomatoes to tuna to food and treats for your pets, many of your favorite foods and your pet foods are part of our brand family. Del Monte!
Comment by Kristi — April 26, 2007 @ 7:29 pm
Does anybody know who else American Nutrition cans for?
Comment by Shawn — April 26, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
I’m going to start my own pet food company. My motto is going to be “what cats and dogs would eat if they did the cooking.” Here’s some initial products:
For cats:
Mouse Mousse: Whole blenderized mouse, with no additives or preservatives
Pigeon Pot Pie: Tasty free-range Chicago pigeons vacuum-packed for extra freshness
Cicada Casserole: Crunchy and Yummy! A treat worth waiting 17 years for.
For Dogs:
Bunny Banquet: Delicious stew made from real bunnies - choose original all natural Grant Park or new organic Lincoln Park (Coyote approved!) flavors
Rodent Ragout: Mixed variety of pesky creatures including mouse, rat, possumm, and skunk. Tastes as good as it smells!
Bon Appetite!
Comment by Andrea 2CatMom — April 26, 2007 @ 7:43 pm
You know the American people can take alot we have broad shoulders, UNTIL you start messing with the wellfare and safety of those we love and care about.
At this point the FDA has shown no more care and concern for their own fellow Americans, than terrorist have. 5,000 people die a year from food & Drug poisonings and now countless animals!
FDA better wake we pay your wages! You may only see the voices on these blogs and such, but you should hear the outrage that is going on throught the communities.
Comment by KatieKat — April 26, 2007 @ 7:47 pm
So what’s with the rye and barley?
Purina Updated FAQs – April 26, 2007
Do you use rye or barley gluten meal?
No.
Do you use whey protein isolate?
No.
Why would someone purposely add melamine to pet food ingredients?
In its press conference on April 19, the FDA said that adding melamine to an ingredient would artificially increase the ingredient’s protein content.
Melamine is a high nitrogen-containing ingredient that could mask itself as a protein.
Do you use rice protein concentrate in any of your products?
No. Nestlé Purina PetCare Company does not use rice protein concentrate in any of its U.S. or Canadian pet food products.
What is rice protein concentrate?
Rice protein concentrate is the concentrated protein portion of rice grain that results from the rice milling process. It is a source of protein and is just one of many types of rice products used in pet food as well as human food.
Is rice the same as rice protein concentrate?
No. Rice is not the same as Rice Protein Concentrate; they are separate and distinct ingredients. Rice is not involved in the pet food recall.
Is rice the same as rice bran/milled rice/rice flour/brewer’s rice?
No. They are separate and distinct ingredients.
Does Purina use rice in its pet foods?
Yes. The rice used in Purina brand pet foods comes from North America, with the vast majority being U.S. grown.
Why is rice used in pet food?
Rice is a highly digestible carbohydrate that is an excellent source of energy.
What ingredients do you source from China?
While the vast majority of our ingredients are sourced from the United States, we do source a limited amount of ingredients from China. These ingredients – primarily important nutritional supplements – are not commonly available from other countries in the quantities we need.
How do you know melamine isn’t in other ingredients from China?
The FDA reported April 19 that it is sampling 100 percent of the wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate received from China, and that they will add other ingredients to the sampling list if necessary. In addition, all products from the two Chinese firms in question are being stopped at the border and prohibited from entry into the United States.
Nestlé S.A. also recently has established an office in China, headquartered in Beijing, to assist Nestlé affiliates, including Nestlé Purina, with sourcing ingredients and other materials from China. The goal of this office is to have Nestlé staff physically inspect and monitor the facilities of Nestlé approved Chinese suppliers and test product samples to ensure compliance with Nestlé Quality Assurance and Compliance safety standards.
Nestlé Purina is evaluating its ingredients sourced from China, and has implemented a new process to test for melamine in every load of wheat gluten. We also are implementing additional technology to further screen our pet food ingredients.
Comment by Carole — April 26, 2007 @ 7:50 pm
To Andrea, re: Mouse Mousse -
Heck, I may consider getting some live mice if this situation continues much longer! When I was a kid our cats went outside, and they ate many a mouse & squirrel (and birds). They would leave just the tails.
Comment by catlover — April 26, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
Comment by Andrea re Mouse Mousse
ooh, I think you’re onto something there. :) Pigeon Pot Pie, too. And what about Sparrow Surprise?
Seriously, I think if this gets much bigger, or if they get their pants sued off as seems likely, some of these mega-manufacturers may go belly-up. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving group, either, IMO.
But what can we do to ensure that the next bunch who steps up to fill the need isn’t as (or more) crooked than the current honchos?
Comment by Laura — April 26, 2007 @ 10:20 pm
Sigh
I just officially took all the cans of Natural Balance dog and cat food out of the pantry and onto the pet food cemetary. It certainly beats the alternative, though. Once Natural Balance had it’s first recall I never really had any intention of using it, and I guess I was right. Now I have to figure out where to get vitamins for homemade food that aren’t made with glutens, concentrates, or in china..
Comment by joyce — April 26, 2007 @ 11:33 pm
For Immediate Press Release
The entire staff of the FDA has been recalled. This includes all dates of issue and is a purely precautionary measure.
Only a few hundred heads have exploded during media events held by the FDA and it is important to note that less than 1% of the american population is affected by this recall.
Only 16 of the people whose heads exploded are considered “officially” deceased and the total number of those killed by brain explosion may never be known.
Mostly because we are not going to count them.
Amnesty International has provided proof that allowing the FDA to continue making media releases constitutes torture of a nature that violates the rules of the space time continuum and could result in early heat death of the universe.
Tests are ongoing to confirm this but results are not in yet, everyone forced to choose between listening to FDA media releases or hop naked into a barrel of rattlesnakes
has chosen the snakes.
The executives of the FDA will be replaced by the 2007 graduating class of Mrs. Dingleberrys’
School for “Special” Children,most of whom can tie their own shoes and count to almost 12, thus assuring that the high academic standards required of the FDA will be improved by a factor of several hundred percent.
No further recalls are expected at this time.
Experienced FEMA staff is being used during the transition and the situation is going almost as smoothly as the evacuation of New Orleans. The American public can rest assured that the food on store shelves is just as safe as it was before the recall, possibly safer.
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 26, 2007 @ 11:35 pm
These pet food companies really need to can their own products, not have it outsourced. They simply have no control over what actually goes in the can. After all, out of sight out of mind, and somebody in the plant just pops some leftovers from the last batch (made for a different brand) in the vat. Voila! No one is the wiser. The label is now wrong and pet owners lose the ability to make an informed decision.
Seems to me that Natura announced fairly early on that they were acquiring their own canning facility (I hope they are swearing off any ingredients from China while they’re at it). I hope many of the other brands follow suit.
Btw, anyone know makes the wet food for Canidae?
Comment by Melissa — April 26, 2007 @ 11:44 pm
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 26, 2007 @ 11:35 pm
Woke up the cat laughing out loud. Awesome!
Could you send that to the Onion? :)
Comment by Laura — April 27, 2007 @ 12:02 am
E. Hamilton, you have made my night.
Comment by Christie Keith — April 27, 2007 @ 12:06 am
RE Comment by E. Hamilton — April 26, 2007 @ 11:35 pm
What goes around, comes around.
Comment by Lynn — April 27, 2007 @ 12:23 am
We all needed a laugh. Send it anywhere you want.
I think a LOT of people are going to need a few laughs before this is over, if it ever is.
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 27, 2007 @ 12:48 am
GINA:
Now is the time to pull up your death and illness records and make a clone. Delete the names and addresses and any sensitive information; leave in the city, state, etc. Once cleaned up and any duplicate entries deleted, email the new file to all the AP reporters, major broadcast stations, etc.
I believe that once they see documentation they will start thinking bigger numbers.
I’ve volunteering my services in setting up the cloned file and making it ready for mass publication.
You know how to get in touch with me.
Comment by Lynn — April 27, 2007 @ 12:56 am
That is hilarious E.Hamilton! Cute!!
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 1:05 am
******* The FDA wasn’t at all clueless. In fact, the FDA and the USDA, not to mention a few senators who are strangely quiet on this entire issue, were lobbied in Washington to prevent changes in pet food labeling, about the imports/exports of ingredients, and of course the honest reporting of the ingredients. The lobbyists were hired by Purina (remember, they were one of the last to speak-up about their food being contaminated). Look it up for yourself at sopr.senate.gov The lobbyists names are Steve Kopperud and Frankie Trull. Follow the money. The pet food industry has been lobbying for years to get away with what just happened. It’s a matter of public record. This was no accident. People are being paid off in Washington to look the other way. GET MAD and handwrite a letter to your senators…if they haven’t been paid off yet.
Comment by Cheryl Hansen — April 27, 2007 @ 1:19 am
Whoa…Whoa…Whoa…Hold your horses here!!!
On March 16 the pet food industry knew about the recall.
Now I’m assuming all these company CEO’s are college grads.
How is it possible that none of them would think to check their product.
Or check their sources.
Or even ask a question about where their ingredients came from.
Or pick up a QC sheet and see that the recipe is correct.
How can you run a business without knowing what’s going on.
They all shared a common watering hole.
Weren’t they even the least bit concerned that they might be at risk?
I find that really difficult to believe.
Even two weeks into this, they remained aloof.
But, somehow I don’t believe that either.
What I do believe is this.
Sell as much product as you can until someone complains. Assure the customer that everything else is safe. Sell more product and wait for more complaints.
It worked for the auto industry.
I’m sure they’ve hired some bean-counters to weigh the risks of lawsuits and settlements against the profits. It’s a little risky, but it still works.
Comment by Kathi — April 27, 2007 @ 1:35 am
JAN C: OUTSIDE MANUFACTURERS CHANGING FORMULAS WITHOUT TELLING BRAND NAME COMPANY
EVERY brand name/label should have its own company “productions supervisor” present when its line of food is about to be manufactured at the plant, checking that the machines have been sterilized before the new brand/batch is run, checking that each ingredient goes in that is supposed to go in, watching the food go through the machines, and testing it when it’s finished/packed.
With the supposed illegal formula changes, we will never be sure of what we’re buying. (We certainly can’t trust the labels themselves when companies have 6 months to change them once they change their formulas.)
It’s up to the individual companies to police their formulas and oversee the production process at the plant. Who’s to say that a plant employee too lazy to walk 50 yards to get a particular company’s bag of wheat flour will instead save him/herself the steps and put wheat protein concentrate in because the container is only 20 feet away. I would think these “substitutions” occur quite often. We just don’t hear about them.
Comment by petlover — April 27, 2007 @ 5:45 am
Natural Balance said there have been no illnesses due to the recent recall. That is not true. I have 5 dogs. 3 ate the canned beef and 2 are sick. I didn’t equate their sickness to the food because it was expressly told to me by the company that it was safe. I don’t believe they didn’t know the rice protein was in their food.
Comment by Deb C — April 27, 2007 @ 5:50 am
Laura,
I found that when a cats not eatting it’s
important to keep ‘em hydrated. 1 thing that
will often jump start a cat is tuna , and
if they’l not eat even that? i’ve used a 3cc
syrenge with a liquid , water and tuna .
i was able to jump start mine 4days in a row
until she ate on her own? salmon , and anchovies might be tempting to a cat too?
often they can’t smell the food , and won’t eat.
the foods that have a strong smell may work?
the water based tuna in a can (bumble bee)
has worked well for me..i’l leave a opened can
where the cat can eat as she choses.. i use the
oral feeding only when she has refushed anything
a small kitten would only need 3cc’s a day.
Comment by johnypaycut — April 27, 2007 @ 5:51 am
E. HAMILTON: This is great!
I laughed so much! Your piece should be picked up by every site, emailed to all members, and floated through cyberspace! I’ll bet as hard as Senator Durbin is working on the pet food issue that he needs a good tension breaker about now.
…Made me think back to Katrina and what an embarrassment that was for such a “leading country.”
Comment by E. Hamilton — April 26, 2007 @ 11:35 pm
Comment by petlover — April 27, 2007 @ 6:05 am
BROWNFIELD NETWORK: AG[ricultral]NEWS FOR AMERICA:
“Inside DC with Steve Kupperud”: mentioned by Cheryl Hansen above
http://www.brownfieldnetwork.c.....A7D352D01C
Starting with the 15th paragraph: pet food regulation changes coming… progressing to human food regulation changes
Let’s keep working and writing till there IS a major overhaul!
(Sorry if the URL is too long. I tried Tinyurl once without results.)
Comment by petlover — April 27, 2007 @ 6:17 am
Just took a second to glance at the newspaper. See two reviews on Molly Shannon (SNL) whose movie is opening today called “Year of the Dog”. It’s about her dog dying from toxic poisoning. Does the Universe work in mysterious ways. Perhaps she would be a good spokesperson for what we are experiencing now in real life.
Comment by VJ — April 27, 2007 @ 6:31 am
Making his directing debut is Mike White for “Year of the Dog”. Maybe another possiblity.
Comment by VJ — April 27, 2007 @ 6:33 am
“From tomatoes to tuna to food and treats for your pets, many of your favorite foods and your pet foods are part of our brand family. Del Monte.”
The company’s site reports few recalled items- Jerky Treats etc.
“The adulterated ingredients were used in a limited production quantity over the last three months for those items identified by specific product codes below.”
With the volumes they import, how did they shift the only tainted gluten they received to a few brands of dog treats?
Comment by Kristi — April 27, 2007 @ 6:54 am
Quote by Kathi:
…Sell as much product as you can until someone complains. Assure the customer that everything else is safe. Sell more product and wait for more complaints…
Let me just add this to continue your story:
Wait till the FDA tells you to “voluntarily” recall your products. Stall as long as possible because you only have to do a recall “within a reasonable time frame” according to the FDA (very nebulous phrase), and then pull your products.
THE PFI and FDA need a major overhaul. Let’s work until we get both.
Comment by petlover — April 27, 2007 @ 8:05 am
Comment by johnypaycut — April 27, 2007 @ 5:51 am
Thanks, Johnny. Tuna may be where I have to go…at least we know what’s in THAT, right? I hope?…
Comment by Laura — April 27, 2007 @ 8:19 am
Comment by Kathi — April 27, 2007 @ 1:35 am
What you wrote is something that’s running around my brain, too.
Like those Willbur bozos who *found a container with the words ‘Melamine’, two (2) weeks after the first round of recalls, and send the stuff off to pet food manufacturers?
HolyMoly!
All those Pet Food Manufacturers (ha! that’s a joke! Let us call them what they really are: pet food marketing companies!) who constantly assure everybody that their products are safe, and a couple of days later they point to someone else, sob a bit and tell us that they are victims, too, kind regards, the employees of pet food company xy.
In my eyes, that is the usual tactic of ‘wait and keep quiet - in 10 days or so those stupid consumers have all forgotten what this was about or what was going on’.
Not this time, I don’t think so.
My cats are (still) alive, but very sick, and I know at least another 4.500 consumers here who are not willing to let that scandal die.
Comment by MaKo — April 27, 2007 @ 8:29 am
6,000 HOGS ARE GOING TO BE EUTHANIZED (poor things :( ) — THEN WHAT??
http://www.contracostatimes.co.....source=rss
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 8:36 am
RE: Comment by petlover — April 27, 2007 @ 8:05 am
Don’t forget to mark it down — just days before going public…
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 8:39 am
Quote:
6,000 HOGS ARE GOING TO BE EUTHANIZED (poor things ) — THEN WHAT??
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 8:36 am
———————-End Quote
Then we pay for it, what else?
Remember, the USDA is going to reimburse the farmers.
The USDA is not a company that makes money, it is a governmental agency, paid for by you and me.
They are spreading our money because they don’t want to (or can not) litigate the guilty party - the importer who distributed tainted material without any QC or tests.
Oh, by the way: if I hear *one more time* a pet food company refer to any source as ‘confidential’ I will
a) start to scream, and
b) refuse to ever again buy their stuff.
Their ‘confidentiality towards supplier’ is nothing but a smoke screen, and their ‘secret recipes’ can easily, easily recreated by their competitors who usually have a laboratory with a gas chromatograph.
We, as customers, have not.
Comment by MaKo — April 27, 2007 @ 8:44 am
E. Hamilton……….You ROCK.
I have not laughed so hard in a very long time and I thank you for making it happen.
As the owner of 6 healthy, so far cats, and an outdoor colony that I manage, I needed this.
Bless you.
Comment by Peg — April 27, 2007 @ 8:55 am
I REALLY wish an investigative reporter — Geraldo, Bill, Chris, or any of a few really good ones — would choke up the bucks, go across the country & BUY a couple hundred cans/pouches/bags of national, local brands & check them all out.
With as much $$ that’s thrown around, I don’t know WHY that hasn’t already been done…
I’LL VOLUNTEER — CALL ME!
I’LL GO COLLECT THEM FOR YOU — EMAIL ME!
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 9:03 am
Just got off the phone with the FDA to report my case. She said MORE RECALLS WERE COMING. She said that animals that got subcutaneous fluids when first brought to the vet were typically the ones that survived.
Comment by Kristi — April 27, 2007 @ 9:08 am
I just called Pedigree and their message on the recall stated that no U.S. products are on the recall list, and NO U.S. products use the Rice Protein concentrate etc and their corn gluten is from U.S. sources, and nothing is from China.
I hope they are right - I don’t buy Pedigree but I do hope this company is telling the truth. Anymore I don’t know who to trust. I also called two other companies. I tend to trust the companies with their own manufacturing plants and they produce no other brands but their own - so I do believe we can find a few good dry dog food brands. (I hope I’m right.)
Comment by Linda — April 27, 2007 @ 9:10 am
RE: Comment by Tammy — April 25, 2007 @ 12:02 pm ~ How is it possible that none of them would think to check their product.
They had the head’s up their b-tts! That’s sort of like the ostrich-complex.
They flagrantly CHOSE TO IGNORE.
But, we all already know that…
With a misdemeanor charge for ChemNutra, they’ll probably get a slap on the wrist.
You know — 1st offenders.
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 9:12 am
RE: Comment by Kristi “Just got off the phone with the FDA to report my case. She said MORE RECALLS WERE COMING”
Did she mean that the FDA was going to publish the recalls (5) from yesterday or that there were MORE UNKNOWN recalls to come???
Comment by mal — April 27, 2007 @ 9:16 am
Besides making their own brand & Natural Balance, does anyone know who else ANI makes pet food for.
While searching for ANI — American Nutrition — I found a vitamin company in CO with the same name. Is this the same company? Anyone know?
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 9:17 am
You may have posted this before, but Purina uses Wheat Gluten from China: This is from their website:
Nestlé Purina is evaluating its ingredients sourced from China, and has implemented a new process to test for melamine in every load of wheat gluten. We also are implementing additional technology to further screen our pet food ingredients.
Comment by Linda — April 27, 2007 @ 9:19 am
I just sent American Nutrition, Inc an email:
Greetings!
Just wondering if American Nutrition, Inc is the same company,
or sister company to American Nutrition (pet food)
with website address: http://www.anibrands.com/
Thank you for your time,
Katrinka Lawson
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 9:23 am
Nevada’s business secrecy laws leave room for fraud.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal follow up it’s November 18, 2006 piece on U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations which is reviewing state laws that allow corporations and limited liability companies to keep their owners’ identities secret. Washington sources tell us that the Senate panel intends to press hard for new legislation that could well have an important impact on business in Nevada.
(Nevada allows so-called “nominee” officers and directors to be listed, even though the nominees may be straw men who have no real ownership role and are not officers or directors.)
ChemNutra’s definitely retained Stern and Company.
http://www.chemnutra.com/media.htm
http://www.sdsternpr.com/
Perhaps we should start a postcard blitz to Stern and Company to remind them who they really should be helping out.
Comment by Steve — April 27, 2007 @ 9:29 am
I got the indication that there were NEW recalls. I mentioned that the food I fed was not on the list, and she said MORE RECALLS ARE COMING
Comment by Kristi — April 27, 2007 @ 9:35 am
I could be wrong - she might have been refering to Blue Bufalo - she was an EXTREMLY kind and knowledgable person.
Comment by Kristi — April 27, 2007 @ 9:36 am
The WHOIS data is different for Admin, Tech contacts. Registrars are different.
But — I THINK with a corporation — both using American Nutrition, Inc, they could be the same. I know within each state you cannot have 2 companies with the same names. But with these 2 — one in UT, the other in CO.
Plus, the CO one has a registered traded mark. Why would a company with a registered trade mark carry its name, even tho the other appears different.
I know this is a bit off the topic. But, it relates to pet food & people vitamins. All of which have imports from China -
I cannot find anything directly linking them.
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 9:39 am
I just wrote that last squib because I didn’t want to get her “in trouble.” I got the distinct impression there were NEW recalls coming
Comment by Kristi — April 27, 2007 @ 9:39 am
RE:Comment by Kristi
Thank you for the heads up.
What food were you reporting that is not on the list. I could not find your earlier comment as to what food you were mentioning. I need to buy something for my little girlie as she is resisting most of my homemade attempts and I do not want her wasting away.
Comment by mal — April 27, 2007 @ 9:47 am
“Finding out that food contains an adulterated ingredient that was never even supposed to be in there is about as bad as it gets. It takes away just about all consumer power to control what they feed their pets.”
Which is why I’m making my own from now on . . . . .
Comment by Pat — April 27, 2007 @ 9:54 am
Mal - My pup was on Nature’s Recipe Lamb & Rice Adult & BilJac Liver treats. Now on Hills allergy (potato/chicken) Loves it - great poops. When she was so sick Jan/Feb my vet said, “lets just get rid of everything and switch to hypoallergenic food.” I threw everything out. We couldn’t figure out what was wrong - just that it was the food.
LESSON TODAY - new recalls ahead and pets who got subcutanious fluids ASAP were the survivors
Comment by Kristi — April 27, 2007 @ 10:15 am
I just switched pet foods and called the company I’m using and they don’t outsource anything that is “dry” - make it all themselves in their own plant. I guess the wet is a different matter. For certain I would stay away from all wet foods and, of course, any of the suspect or quasi suspect ingredients.
Comment by Izzy — April 27, 2007 @ 10:19 am
NEW!!! HARMONY FARMS RECALL:
The recall covers the following products:
All Harmony Farms canned dog foods
All Harmony Farms canned cat foods
All Harmony Farms Health Bar biscuits
http://www.itchmo.com/
Comment by mal — April 27, 2007 @ 10:28 am
MORE HOGS HAVE ENTERED THE FOOD SUPPLY!
http://www.charlotte.com/217/story/100992.html
…”But in Kansas, meat from 195 hogs from a single producer may have entered the food supply via a Nebraska slaughterhouse.
In Utah, 40 to 50 carcasses at a slaughterhouse were on hold. Meat from no more than 100 other hogs, all processed by the same plant, may have entered the food supply there, Andrews said.
“…
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 10:33 am
Comment by Laura — April 27, 2007 @ 8:19 am
You will need to check your specific tuna cans; I buy Safeway Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water. The ingredients list does show the use of a vegetable broth which contains soy as the third ingredient by quantity present. In this specific case, the can is listed as being a product of Thailand.
I understand from other forums and blog comments that this is also true of other brands but I do not know the brands referenced in those posts and comments.
Just a heads-up if you haven’t seen this elsewhere yet. While my cat loves the water from the cans of tuna, obviously she no longer gets it as I can’t trust any grain product sourcing from Asia at this time but YMMV.
Comment by Kay Hammil — April 27, 2007 @ 10:40 am
re: Comment by MaKo — April 27, 2007 @ 8:44 am
What I was insinuating was the rendering plants.
Comment by Kat — April 27, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
Somewhere in this site is an email from Merrick stating that a relative with the Merrick name owns the rendering plant, and it has nothing to do with the actual pet food plant. My concern with Merrick is that I am really turned off by their website. It’s too cutesy. I don’t want to buy my animals food that’s called “Grandma’s Pot Pie”. I just want plain names, with the ingredients.
Comment by Joyce — April 27, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
E. Hamilton - that was priceless! Thanks - I needed a laugh.
Comment by siameezer — April 27, 2007 @ 7:04 pm
Comment by Kay Hammil — April 27, 2007 @ 10:40 am
You are F’ing KIDDING, right? Okay, you’re not. I’m just blown away by the idea you can’t even trust tuna to be grain-free fish!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ll check the label very carefully!
Comment by Laura — April 27, 2007 @ 8:15 pm
I’d like to know if anyone has had problems feeding their cat and dog Weruva canned food. My dog had severe diarrhea and my cat vomited. My vet recommended I not feed it to them again.
Comment by Mary — March 4, 2008 @ 5:15 am
Mary, my cats don’t like much (so I won’t be getting any more) but it hasn’t caused any problems. The Itchmo forums don’t show any problems reported for the cat food, and there have been no comments about the dog food.
Comment by CarolPW — March 4, 2008 @ 10:21 am