Pet-food recall: Mystery article is back
By Gina Spadafori
April 29, 2007
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The NY Times-International Herald Tribune piece about melamine in Chinese food products is back online:
For years, producers of animal feed all over China have secretly supplemented their feed with the substance, called melamine, a cheap additive that looks like protein in tests, even though it does not provide any nutritional benefits, according to melamine scrap traders and agricultural workers here.
“Many companies buy melamine scrap to make animal feed, such as fish feed,” said Ji Denghui, general manager of the Fujian Sanming Dinghui Chemical Company, which sells melamine. “I don’t know if there’s a regulation on it. Probably not. No law or regulation says ‘don’t do it,’ so everyone’s doing it. The laws in China are like that, aren’t they? If there’s no accident, there won’t be any regulation.”
Melamine is at the center of a recall of 60 million packages of pet food, after the chemical was found in wheat gluten linked this month to the deaths of at least 16 pets in the United States.
No one knows exactly how melamine (which is not believed to be particularly toxic) became so fatal in pet food, but its presence in any form of American food is illegal.
Here’s the rest, and I assume it’s not going to disappear again. Not sure if anything changed between postings, but I’m guessing you eagle eyes will compare versions.
Thanks for your kind thoughts about Heather. Won’t know until tests come back, but I’m optimistic it’s nothing serious. She is 10.5 years old in a very cancer-prone breed, but the veterinarian today found nothing amiss, even on the ultrasound. Our regular veterinarian will take another good look when he’s back Tuesday. Heather is a wonderful dog, one of the best I’ve ever known. I want all the time I can have with her! I know you all understand.
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Here’s hoping for a quick recovery for Heather. Loved your picture of her! Please let us know tomorrow how she is doing.
Comment by Marilyn — April 29, 2007 @ 9:24 pm
I’m too tired to read both articles right now but did compare the first two paragraphs. I can say that subject matter looks the same but wording is definitely different.
Bedtime.
Comment by Barb — April 29, 2007 @ 9:38 pm
The article has definitely been rewritten. Some wording has been changed, and there is some additional information not in the first article. However, I think that all the important points are still there.
Comment by Linda P. — April 29, 2007 @ 9:56 pm
The big difference, I think, is in how the versions portray the scale of the problem. The original talks about thousands of dead pets and concerns about the human food chain. The revision goes back to the FDA’s official (and frustrating) death toll of 16, and mutes the human food connection.
Let’s not scare anyone here, right? Shame on the Grey Lady. Who’s picking up her tab, anyway?
Re Heather - sending positive thoughts to you both. Just because her breed tends to be cancer-prone doesn’t mean she is, right? :)
Crossing fingers and paws….
Comment by Laura — April 29, 2007 @ 10:13 pm
There are a lot of changes to this article, some of which I posted on another thread.
The easiest way to compare the two is to use the Merge and Compare feature in MS Word. Once you have merged them, you can click on each comment box and it will open a window at the bottom of your doc to show you what was deleted as well as what, if anything, was inserted its place.
It will also show all font type and size changes as well so you will see a lot of changes.
Comment by Carole — April 29, 2007 @ 10:32 pm
We had a scare with Simon back in Feb. He had what I thought was a cyst on his back. We live in an area with LOTS of scorpions & when I first noticed it I thought he’d been stung. But, as time went on it stayed about the same.
In Feb., I took the 2 dogs in for shots & for Simon to be checked out for the “cyst” (which I thought was encapsulated remaining venom).
The doc said “this is a tumor”, ran & grabbed the syringe to aspirate it. Then, ran back to check the cells & they were round cell. I felt like someone had sucker-punched me! He said “this needs to be removed.” I said “I agree.”
So, the next week his tumor was removed & sent to TAMU for a histopath.
Lab results came back positive for malignant trichoepithelioma. It is a rare variant of a benign tumor. It is often found in hounds.
The borders of the excision were clean & no chemo or radiation needed.
The wound healed poorly tho. It split open on the 2nd day & they didn’t want to restitch it. That would leave bacteria in an enclosed wound. I ended up taking him to the vet 3 times in 7 days. Tryptozyme is great stuff for healing & debriding wounds.
It was a nightmare with a great ending!
He remembers all the special care I was giving his back during that time. And, after the stitches/staples were removed he’d come & sit next to me with his back to me so I could take care of it. So, I’d put Vit E on the scar & massage it in gently.
He’s a very sweet dog & very protective. We are very thankful for the outcome.
Comment by Kat — April 29, 2007 @ 11:08 pm
Plus, that was when Beneful wasn’t agreeing with either dog so I took them off of it. Simon has had no seizures since being off.
Comment by Kat — April 29, 2007 @ 11:10 pm
Comment by Carole — April 29, 2007 @ 10:32 pm
That’s pretty neat feature on MS Word. I have an old version on an old computer & OpenOffice on this one. I’ll have to see if that program has that.
There are plenty of changes to that article. I sent them an email & posted it here, but it didn’t show up.
Comment by Kat — April 29, 2007 @ 11:12 pm
Kat, send it to me, christiekeith@gmail.com. I’d really like to see the changes laid out side by side. THANKS!
Comment by Christie Keith — April 29, 2007 @ 11:40 pm
The article was rewritten and mainstream media also glossed over the fact China initially refused visa access for food inspectors. This polluted, unregulated country referred to as a trading ‘partner’ closes itself up like the communist clam it is and it’s business as usual. Where have all the commie haters gone? I guess they’re all busy making billions off Islamaphobia these days…
Comment by Frank — April 30, 2007 @ 4:46 am
Paranoia begone! What a great surprise when I picked up my newspaper outside my door this morning. Yesterday’s Int. Herald Tribune article is THE page one headline story in the print version of the NY Times!
Headline: “In China, Additive to Animals’ Food Is an Open Secret”. Subhead: “Use of Chemical is Noted as Americans Arrive for Inspections”
This is very good news. The NYT front page drives much of the news on TV and radio across the country. We’ll see how this plays out and if coverage becomes more widespread. It should also help the push for political response in terms of FDA funding and therefore inspections and labeling.
Comment by Maureen — April 30, 2007 @ 5:14 am
This from the Independent Online in South Africa:
By Niu Shuping and Lucy Hornby
Beijing - Melamine is so popular as a protein lookalike feed additive that at least one Chinese manufacturer is believed to have torn down buildings to get to leftover scraps, industry officials said on Monday.
The remainder of the article has much the same info as the IHT/NYT stories.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 5:14 am
OK, I realize the opening paragraph is misleading. Here’s the explanation for tearing down the building:
“The chemical plant next to us used the melamine scrap as waste for landfill and built houses on it. Then they tore down the buildings to get the scrap once the price rose,” said a manager with Tai’an Yongfeng Feedmill in the coastal province of Shandong.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 5:20 am
And this from the Guardian Unlimited:
Monday April 30, 2007 12:31 PM
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Associated Press Writer
BEIJING (AP) - The mildly toxic chemical melamine is commonly added to animal feed in China, a manager of a feed company and one of the chemical’s producers said Monday, a process that boosts the feed’s sales value but risks introducing the chemical into meat eaten by humans.
Customers either don’t know or aren’t concerned about the practice, said Wang Jianhui, manager of the Kaiyuan Protein Feed company in the northern city of Shijiazhuang.
“We’ve been running the melamine feed business for about 15 years and receiving positive responses from our customers,” Wang told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
“Using the proper quantity of melamine will not harm the animals. Our products are very safe, for sure,” Wang said.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 5:24 am
Demand Port Security: 100% Inspection
http://americansunitedforchang.....urity_plan
Comment by Tammy — April 30, 2007 @ 5:38 am
Maureen, which version of the story is it? Is it the version that was originally pulled from the web yesterday, or is it the revised one that reappeared later in the day?
Comment by CatLady — April 30, 2007 @ 5:40 am
Nutro site’s back down again. WTF!!!
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 5:40 am
The IHT/NYT story has been picked up by dozens of newspapers—Googled it.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 5:44 am
Gina, Heather is a DOLL! I just LOVE Flatcoats, and her coloring is lovely.
Continuing to send strong thoughts for her recovery!
As for the story - I already forwarded the “original version” to my Congressional representatives!
Comment by Pat — April 30, 2007 @ 5:54 am
Comment by CatLady — April 30, 2007 @ 5:40 am
I haven’t compared them, but previous posters on this thread appear to have done so. I notice though that the “16 have died” # is back. I don’t remember that in the IHT article yesterday. Nonetheless, if anyone writes the NYT, I don’t think we should put aside that this coverage of the story is a very positive step in legitimizing it. We could point out however what the FDA official said at the press conf. last Friday, that thousands of “consumers” have called the FDA, and when asked about #s, he said that (tallying the #s) isn’t their focus.
Registration for most NYT news articles is free:
http://tinyurl.com/3b7rj9
Comment by Maureen — April 30, 2007 @ 5:59 am
I didn’t realize that the FDA had raided the Las Vegas Offices of ChemNutra. Did anyone see the articles on that?
Comment by Sharon — April 30, 2007 @ 6:04 am
More great news about the NYT escalating the story. When you go to nyt.com (registration free for most news stories less than 1 wk old), note that under the tease for the story there’s a link that says “Time Topics: Pet food recall”. Click on that and lo and behold here’s a whole page of links to articles, AND a link to petconnection.com, howl911.com and others.
This article is already #3 in most e-mailed stories today! This is huge. I suspect you can blog about this on the NYT. Look for that feature and register (don’t know if you have to be a subscriber).
Comment by Maureen — April 30, 2007 @ 6:04 am
The term “pet food recall” is the 10th most searched on the NYT. No wonder this story was given a page one headline slot. I haven’t ck’d “most searched” before, but I bet it’s been consistently among the top topics all along. Now we have to get to work on getting them to drop the “16 died”.
But if you write, don’t forget to rave about the coverage, if you feel grateful. I sure do. I’m sure you all have friends, neighbors, and relatives that think you are making too much out of this. This helps give validity to what has been happening to our pets and how dangerous this situation is to the human food chain as well.
Comment by Maureen — April 30, 2007 @ 6:14 am
One more post and then I’ll stop. Here’s the section of the NYT’s story I wish had gotten more play:
Feed producers who use melamine here say the tainted feed is often shipped to feed mills in the Yangtze River Delta, near Shanghai, or down to Guangdong Province, near Hong Kong. They also said they knew that some melamine-laced feed had been exported to other parts of Asia, including South Korea, North Korea, Indonesia and Thailand.
FDA? Hello? It’s not just Chinese imports which need to be targeted.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 6:19 am
Well seems Menu folded up camp and pack it out over the weekend. Their site is down just a nice blank with their letter head, a row of four cute puppies. Nurto won’t even come up at all. Wonder if it was over loaded by consumers looking into what to feed to purchase their pets over the weekend? Or was it the raid of their offices on friday?
Comment by Maudigan — April 30, 2007 @ 6:19 am
Link for Eva’s article:
http://tinyurl.com/2g2pn8
It really does says this:
“”The chemical plant next to us used the melamine scrap as waste for landfill and built houses on it. Then they tore down the buildings to get the scrap once the price rose,” said a manager with Tai’an Yongfeng Feedmill in the coastal province of Shandong.”
This is an unbelievable outrage!
Comment by Peggy — April 30, 2007 @ 6:23 am
Nothing yet on CNN (or Salon - although THAT’S no big surprise!)
Comment by Pat — April 30, 2007 @ 6:23 am
Peggy, thanks for the link. I feel like a complete idiot, but I don’t know how to do those.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 6:24 am
eva, try this. Just highlight the url shown on the bar at the top of your screen - starts with http: usually. Right click your mouse and choose - copy. When you post a blog entry and want to include a link, just right click the mouse again and choose - paste.
Comment by Sharon — April 30, 2007 @ 6:30 am
MenuFoods site is coming up for me:
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/index.html
Comment by Pat — April 30, 2007 @ 6:30 am
Sharon,
Much thanks. JEEZ, how simple…now I really do feel like an idiot. So, what is the “tinyurl.com” I keep seeing?
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 6:32 am
Gina,Heather is 1 beautifull Dog. Hope she is Feeling better.
Comment by Mary Ann — April 30, 2007 @ 6:35 am
Don’t feel that way - this “internets” thing can be quite confusing.
When url’s are really long, they throw the blog out of whack spacing wise. So if you type tinyurl into the url bar are the top of your screen, it will take you to a page that converts the really long url to a short one. So you want to make sure you have copied the long url before you go there, then past it in the space that says “Enter a long URL to make tiny” click the button and it creates a small url. It begins with the words tiny url. Anyway, copy this bolded “tiny url” and viola! There it is, ready to post in the blog :)
Comment by Sharon — April 30, 2007 @ 6:36 am
Eva, it’s ok, you’re welcome! It’s tricky when you are new to it.
Great article, too! thanks for posting it.
I am thinking of having a bowl of kibbles instead of cereal this morning.
Their foods are probably safer now than our own, at least their’s are checked for Melamine.
Comment by Peggy — April 30, 2007 @ 6:36 am
Oh and Gina, Heather is absolutely gorgeous! Praying she’s okay!
Comment by Sharon — April 30, 2007 @ 6:37 am
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 6:19 am
Eva pulled out a quote from the NYT that says that the melamine is shipped down the Yangtze River. I recalled seeing the following AP article widely circulated a couple of weeks ago.
I include this because if China’s exports are hit hard with what this pet food story is beginning to uncover, that could offer a strange moment of hope for them to clean up their food practices and their environment. Without economic pressure, they wouldn’t do it, IMO. (Not that we don’t have plenty of work to do in this regard as well.)
Yangtze River Irreversibly Polluted?
AP
April 16, 2007 — China’s massive Yangtze river, a lifeline for tens of millions of people, is seriously polluted and the damage is almost irreversible, a state-run newspaper said Monday.
More than 370 miles of the river are in critical condition and almost 30 percent of its major tributaries are seriously polluted, the China Daily said, citing a report by the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The pollution, along with damming and heavy use of boats, has caused a sharp decline in aquatic life along the Yangtze.
It also showed that the huge reservoir created by the Three Gorges Dam, the world’s biggest hydropower project, was seriously polluted by pesticides, fertilizers and sewage from passenger boats.
The Yangtze is about 3,860 miles long and runs from the Tibetan plateau to the sea near Shanghai, passing through some of China’s major cities, such as Chongqing and Nanjing.
The report said the annual harvest of aquatic products from the river has dropped from 427,000 tons in the 1950s to about 100,000 tons in the 1990s.
“The impact of human activities on the Yangtze water ecology is largely irreversible,” Yang Guishan, a researcher at the institute, was quoted as saying.
China’s communist government faces a challenge in much of the country to deal with worsening pollution caused by rapid economic growth and the failure of factories, sewage systems and other sources to follow environmental regulations.
The Yangtze accounts for 35 percent of China’s total fresh water resources, the report said.
Comment by Maureen — April 30, 2007 @ 6:38 am
Trust Us! It’s Safe!
Comment by Steve — April 30, 2007 @ 6:43 am
Sharon,
Cool! It’ll keep me from posting whole articles, which is all I knew how to do in the past. Can’t guarantee I’ll get it on the first try. I really am something of a troglodyte when it comes to using computer technology.
Peggy,
“Kibble for breakfast” is too damned funny. Had the same thought myself about our two dogs eating safer than we do now.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 6:44 am
Chinese businesses say animal feed commonly laced with mildly toxic melamine
http://tinyurl.com/2clgxp
canada.com
Christopher Bodeen, Canadian Press
Published: Monday, April 30, 2007
“The mildly toxic chemical melamine is commonly added to animal feed in China, a manager of a feed company and one of the chemical’s producers said Monday, a process that boosts the feed’s sales value but risks introducing the chemical into meat eaten by humans.
“Customers either don’t know or aren’t concerned about the practice, said Wang Jianhui, manager of the Kaiyuan Protein Feed company in the northern city of Shijiazhuang. “
…don’t know or don’t care…
Comment by Peggy — April 30, 2007 @ 6:47 am
I’m sorry but I want my foods checked and marked:
“Melamine Free!!!”
Comment by Peggy — April 30, 2007 @ 6:48 am
also from the above article:
“We’ve been running the melamine feed business for about 15 years and receiving positive responses from our customers,” Wang said in a telephone interview.
“Using the proper quantity of melamine will not harm the animals. Our products are very safe, for sure,” Wang said.
15 years!!! And this is the first we’ve heard of it here… How out of touch are we??? How out of touch are the importers?? Do they know or not? Did they do any research into these companies or did they just point and click to import this crap???
Comment by Peggy — April 30, 2007 @ 6:55 am
I’m sure this is a dumb question with an obvious answer but I’ll go ahead anyway…ChemNutra’s Chinese office is within 50 miles of Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd. According to a manager of a Chinese feed company melamine is commonly added to animal feed in China. How could ChemNutra say they didn’t know melamine was in their product…why weren’t they checking!?
Comment by Phyllis — April 30, 2007 @ 6:56 am
Maureen,
A good friend went to China last summer (before this story broke). She was going to see her partner who’d been there learning/studying Chinese for the past year. I had her so worried about eating there, I think she subsisted on peanut butter crackers for two weeks. Which is pretty sad. Forgetting the peanut butter issue, one of the major corporations (Nabisco maybe) has moved all their cracker production TO China. So she probably ate Chinese food anyway.
The environmental devastation in China is heartbreaking and, yes, much appears to be irreversible.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 6:57 am
I was wondering if anyone heard anything on the marches for our pets that happened on Saturday, did big crowds turn out, were they successful, any news at all? And I was wondering if we will know if our postcard blitz had any affect? Maybe we wont know on that til mid-week or so? We mailed our cards on Saturday as instructed. Thank you!
Comment by Sandi K — April 30, 2007 @ 6:59 am
Sandi,
I believe the KOPS site will be posting info on the marches. Turnout, pictures, etc.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 7:01 am
Don’t kid yourself under the radar it’s once again business as usual for the Pet Food Cabal.
I can’t wait for the next “surprise” when tons upon tons upon tons of pet food rolls out of Menu foods (and the others) and hits the stores across the USA.
Comment by Steve — April 30, 2007 @ 7:09 am
Good health to Heather and peace of mind to you. Some dogs just get into our hearts in a special way, even though they are all loved dearly.
Nearly fell out of my chair when my NYTimes came up on the screen this morning. Of course we grit our teeth when we see that tired old figure used again, but slowly the word gets out. BTW, I hope someone will cover the postcard blitz (I hope they have to hire extra mail carriers) I’m hoping for some huge number.
And now, more cupboard cleaning, anyone want a large waste can full of Chinese condiments, noodles, etc? And now, what else? Anyone for stir-fried kibble? (Loved the soy sauce made of hair and the eels full of hormones, just gives you a real appetite doesn’t it?)
Comment by Nancy Nielsen — April 30, 2007 @ 7:11 am
No! You don’t say!
Risky Business: Being prepared for the worst
Ottawa Business Journal, Canada - 3 hours ago
The massive scale of the Menu Foods pet food recall sent a chill up the spines of consumers throughout North America.
http://tinyurl.com/yt97n7
Comment by Steve — April 30, 2007 @ 7:13 am
I searched for organic rice in my neighborhood recently and found long grain brown rice sourced from Sacramento, CA. (I wanted to augment my dog’s food as I switched to homemade. She has a queasy stomach and I felt cooked rice might help.) I felt great at having found this domestic source. Then a friend told me about genetically modified rice from CA:
FREE REGISTRATION TO READ SAC BEE STORIES
http://www.sacbee.com/103/story/149696.html
(Sacramento Bee 4-5-07)(…)In a compromise on an issue that has riled the nation’s rice farmers, a state panel on Wednesday authorized an outdoor test planting of biotech rice but restricted it to a site hundreds of miles from the nearest commercial fields.
An undisclosed biotechnology firm had asked the board for permission to plant its genetically modified rice in Fresno County, but the board ordered that the rice be planted only in Imperial County, and required that the crop be harvested with a dedicated set of farm equipment, among other restrictions.
The case was the first test of a state moratorium on biotech rice called for last month by the 40-member California Rice Commission board, which represents both rice processors and roughly 2,500 rice farming businesses.(…)
The Rice Commission argued that contamination with even a tiny amount of genetically engineered material could devastate sales to prized export markets such as Japan and South Korea. Market surveys have shown very strong opposition to genetically modified rice in those countries.
As much as 40 percent of California’s $200 million to $400 million annual rice harvest is sent overseas. Nearly all state rice grows in the Sacramento Valley, where it is the most widely planted crop.(…here the article cites recent serious problems and contamination with gm rice…)
Genetically modified crops on the market today have been altered through the insertion of DNA from bacteria, viruses and other organisms to yield plants with one or both of two traits: tolerance to an herbicide and resistance to certain insect pests.
Such crops are opposed by groups in many nations, including the United States, for ecological, moral and other reasons. While biotech companies claim genetically modified crops are safe, some scientists warn genetic modification could introduce new toxins and food allergens. These critics call for more stringent evaluation by U.S. regulators.
Comment by Maureen — April 30, 2007 @ 7:24 am
I think every American should refuse to pay their Health Insurance Providers until this Government gets it act together. Hows that for a statement.
The Health Insurance racket. Thats a whole other story I don’t want to get started on.
Comment by Steve — April 30, 2007 @ 7:31 am
Has anything really changed, besides the PFI’s spin?
Comment by Steve — April 30, 2007 @ 7:40 am
Maureen,
The last topic I was obsessively researching, before the pet food recalls, involved the so-called “terminator seeds”. If you really want to scare yourself, go read about it. There will be no crop diversity in ten years if Monsanto (and their ilk) have their way.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 7:43 am
Maureen,
If you’re still around, here’s a story about GM rice protein concentrate:
http://tinyurl.com/3cnnzt
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 8:11 am
Wow, Eva! Now I don’t have to be narrowly paranoid about pet food, which was already creeping over into paranoia about human food. I can now be an equal opportunity paranoid.
I’d better get some work done today or I won’t be able to continue to afford organic meat for my dogs and cat. But I’ll check back for additional information. Is it true that once planted, (some or all?) gm crops drift to adjacent fields and we won’t be able to turn back the clock if this ‘experiment’ into gm crops goes as horribly wrong as many suspect?
I don’t think this is off topic here, as anything that might have long range impact on the human food chain will affect our pets first, as this recent mess proves.
Comment by Maureen — April 30, 2007 @ 8:25 am
Maureen,
Look at what is being done in Irag—farmers MUST now use terminator seeds—US edict. Centuries old orchards were bulldozed by our troops (under orders). I remember reading a story about a young boy trying to physically stand in front of the dozers and the (not much older) soldier operating the machine who cried the whole time he was destroying the trees.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 9:01 am
Maureen,
In answer to your question, GM crops have “infected” adjacent crops/fields wherever they’ve been planted. Oh, oh, oh, AND the US destroyed a “seed bank” in Iraq. Just another casualty of the war.
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 9:14 am
Eva,
Really want to see something scary. Google Ventria’s Kansas crop rice( a pharma crop). Neat even uses human genes. And safe per this biotech company, tested on children in Peru. Our enemy on food safety for animals and human is within, not China.
Comment by Serijna — April 30, 2007 @ 10:38 am
Hrmmm….re: the Mystery Article
Posted over at MSNBC’s recall boards, an email response to a someone who wrote asking why the article was pulled & then replaced:
“Ms. B, the Web site provides continuous news coverage during the day, so you’ll often see an early version of a story posted on the site that is revised considerably during the day. Headlines change not only to reflect that, but also for more prosaic reasons - space considerations on the home page, for instance, may force a headline to be shortened.
Regards,
Mick Sussman
Home Page Producer, NYTimes.com”
Comment by Ally — April 30, 2007 @ 10:50 am
Serijna,
Typical. I’m sending a link (below) to an article which is now 2 years old, but no less pertinent to our current discussion.
http://tinyurl.com/2ghplr
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 11:17 am
Nutro opened the door today. Took me right to a letter from the pres. of the company.
http://www.nutroproducts.com/mfrecall.asp
“News media confusing customers.”
REEEAAAALLLYYYY!
Gag me.
Comment by Maudigan — April 30, 2007 @ 11:17 am
Eva,
Good article, also suspect that the undisclosed biotech Co in Maureens’ post is Ventria Biotech, located in Sacramento.
Also, just got this from my brother(internal news release within the EU commission). Another GMO tainted export from the USA(corn) in the harbor of Rotterdam, arrived April 10. Discovered by Greenpeace. Commission decided today(April 30) that it will be returned to the USA. This is the fourth one in two years. Greenpeace calls for ban on all USA agriculture imports. For some reason Greenpeace is pretty powerful in Europe. Those poor poor American farmers. Fighting Chinese cheap imports and having problems exporting their own grown stuff.
Comment by Serijna — April 30, 2007 @ 12:59 pm
I wanted to let everyone know that Purina Pet Foods called me today and got information to send to their claims dept. Gave me the impression that they are going to pay my vet bill for the death of my “little boy”. Kept apologizing over and over for my loss. We’ll see. I’ll keep you informed if anything occurs from this call. Oh yeah it took 3 weeks for the call.
Comment by nancy howell — April 30, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
Gina,
I hope Heather is okay. She’s a beauty, and looks like a real sweetheart. And I’m saying that as a cat person. ;)
Comment by Katherine — April 30, 2007 @ 1:43 pm
Serijna,
I hear you about the farmers. I’m from Upper East Tennessee, grandfather had a farm and nursery (trees). All of the farms there are falling to urban sprawl—or, at least, what counts as urban sprawl in East Tennessee.
In the summer, someone was always bringing over fresh veggies and I can still eat a vine-ripened tomato like an apple—love them. (A friend of ours once said that she hated buying zucchini at the grocery store in late summer because “it’s like admitting you have no friends.”)
Comment by Eva — April 30, 2007 @ 3:01 pm
Your pets were poisoned thanks to unrestricted trade with China and now our human food supply is tainted, too. Who is the biggest promoter of free trade in our government? Senator Patty Murray of Washington State. Check it out on her own website. All that seems to matter to her the the huge amount of money free trade with China brings to the elite of Washington State. (Don’t blame most of us WA state residents: the money does not trickle down!) And don’t blame the average Chinese citizen, either. They are being poisoned, too, and their honest exporters’ websites had warnings about cheap, contaminated grain proteins as far back as 2005. The ethical Chinese business people are being hurt, too, by the criminals that have taken over our foreign trade system.
Here is a link to Senator Murray’s web page about her position on free trade:
http://murray.senate.gov/trade/trade-work.cfm
And here is a link to e-mail her and let her know how trade with China is currently impacting you:
http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm
Let Senator Patty Murray know that we demand safe trade!
Comment by Grace — April 30, 2007 @ 4:12 pm
Trade And Globalization.Fast Track-NAFTA-WTO.Tell your Senators and Representatives that the current U.S. trade policy is broken.Congress should oppose granting the President,any furher Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority(TPA),and defeat any future aggreements based on the failed NAFTA?CAFTA model.This includes the pending agreements with Columbia,Korea,Panama,and Peru.The current grant of TPA terminates on June 30,2007,unless Congress acts to renew it.This Pet Food Recall is Proof that the average American’s food should not have to travel 1500 miles before it reaches our,or our pet’s dishes,Tainted and Toxic.
Comment by joe Romano — April 30, 2007 @ 7:53 pm
Trade And Globalization.Fast Track-NAFTA-WTO.Tell your Senators and Representatives that the current U.S. trade policy is broken.Congress should oppose granting the President,any further Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority(TPA),and defeat any future aggreements based on the failed NAFTA/CAFTA model.This includes the pending agreements with Columbia,Korea,Panama,and Peru.The current grant of TPA terminates on June 30,2007,unless Congress acts to renew it.This Pet Food Recall is Proof that the average American’s food should not have to travel 1500 miles before it reaches our,or our pet’s dishes,Tainted and Toxic.
Comment by joe Romano — April 30, 2007 @ 7:54 pm
I had 5 cats, and one dog. All pets were affected, 2 cats got diabetes and kidney failure, my cat named Baby just died june 1st.2007 They BOTH got diabetes and kidney failure at the same time but this happened earlier than the food recall and at times throughout the year we didn’t know exactly what food must have been to blame. We switched to Innova, but on occassions fed the recalled wet food. I can’t stop crying and i miss “Baby” so much. She was 14 years old. The other diabetic with kidney failure is 19, but she is doing much better.
Comment by Wendysue — June 7, 2007 @ 2:23 am