ChemNutra, others indicted for tainted pet food
By Gina Spadafori
February 6, 2008
The wheels of justice, grinding not-so-horribly slowly … from the Associated Press:
Two Chinese businesses and a U.S. company were indicted Wednesday in the tainted pet food incidents that killed dozens of animals last year and raised worries about products made in China.
Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co., Suzhou Textiles, Silk, Light Industrial Products, Arts and Crafts I/E, and Las Vegas-based Chemnutra were charged in two separate but related indictments. The U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas City said the tainted food led to the death and serious illness of pets in the U.S. last year.
Let’s hope more indictments are coming. Hello, Canada?
Update. The AP has now revised and expanded:
Two Chinese businesses and a U.S. company were indicted Wednesday for their roles in making and importing a pet food ingredient that resulted in animal deaths last year.
Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co., Suzhou Textiles, Silk, Light Industrial Products, Arts and Crafts I/E Co., and Las Vegas-based ChemNutra Inc. were charged in two separate but related indictments. The U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas City said the tainted pet food led to the death and serious illness of countless animals in the U.S. last year.
Here’s the rest. Interesting how “dozens” went to “countless,” isn’t it? Try thousands and possibly tens of thousands, based on good statistical projections by the well-respected Veterinary Information Network and a survery of its member veterinarians. But hey, “countless” is better than dozens.
Dozens of animals?
Let’s get real…how about thousands?
Comment by Marcy — February 6, 2008 @ 2:58 pm
I just read AP release out of Kansas City on MSN.com and it said:
The U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas City said the tainted pet food led to the death and serious illness of countless animals in the U.S. last year.
Comment by ruth ellen — February 6, 2008 @ 3:01 pm
Almost a year since we first heard about this… That fiasco completely and permanently changed the type of consumer I am. It changed the way I buy my food and pet food as well as other household products. It truly changed my life.
Comment by CynthiaW — February 6, 2008 @ 3:32 pm
Well, it’s about time.
So, where do Petconnection’s numbers stand now?
Comment by Pamela J. Betz-Baron — February 6, 2008 @ 4:05 pm
We closed our database to new entries last spring.
I consider VIN’s numbers to be the most probable, and here’s a discussion of that in an earlier blog post.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — February 6, 2008 @ 4:14 pm
Today this inditement brought it all back like a big whack on the head with a ton of bricks.
Last year this time was a dark, harrowing time for many of us as we exhaustively researched day and night, sometimes getting only a few hours of sleep— some nights even none—while digging for clues, logic, answers—anything to shed light upon the mystery of the **THOUSANDS** of dead and sickened dogs and cats. The doom and gloom went on for what seemed to be an eternity. Living through those several months was like being in an abyss. It was all so eerie a time.
For me, I was personally affected as I believed I had lost my beloved dog of 12-1/2 years to the poison food, although the high-quality, brand name, prescription food purchased at the vet was a company that never came forth (despite reported deaths and illnesses.)
In those early weeks I wondered if all our efforts were of any value. I still wonder. Seems that now the onus is on China (good luck finding those two company executives, or China sending them here to court), and on ChemNutra clowns. It would appear that the responsible pet food companies are left out of this? Whatever happened to recalled product? I say more steps are necessary to satisfy the wrongdoing of many:
Step 1: Press for ACTUAL BASED ON COLLECTED NUMBERS of dead and sickened dogs and cats from sources including VIN as well as PetConnection. (What happened to Banfield numbers??)
Step 2: Further investigation and inditement of U.S. and Canadian pet food companies and executives or employees responsible for the deaths and illness.
Step 3: Meanwhile - Push for product and product ingredients source Country of Origin labeling.
Step 4: Trial and **appropriate** consequences for those indited today, as well as pet food companies and executives/employees yet to be indited.
We need the whole truth to be exposed.
Comment by Nadine L. — February 6, 2008 @ 7:02 pm
I N D I C T M E N T
http://tinyurl.com/yo48as
COUNTS ONE thru THIRTEEN
Distribution of Adulterated Food
21 U.S.C. §§ 331(a) and 333(a)(1)
NMT 1 Year Imprisonment
NMT $100,000 Fine ($200,000 for corporation)
NMT 1 Year Supervised Release
$25 Special Assessment ($125 for corporation)
Order of Restitution
Class A Misdemeanor
COUNTS FOURTEEN thru TWENTY-SIX
Distribution of Misbranded Food
21 U.S.C. §§ 331(a) and 333(a)(1)
NMT 1 Year Imprisonment
NMT $100,000 Fine ($200,000 for corporation)
NMT 1 Year Supervised Release
$25 Special Assessment ($125 for corporation)
Order of Restitution
Class A Misdemeanor
COUNT TWENTY-SEVEN
Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
18 U.S.C. § 371
NMT 5 Years Imprisonment
NMT $250,000 Fine ($500,000 for corporation)
NMT 3 Years Supervised Release
$100 Special Assessment ($400 for corporation)
Order of Restitution
Class D felony
Comment by Steve — February 6, 2008 @ 7:38 pm
Millers are facing 30 years in prison.
Comment by Steve — February 6, 2008 @ 7:43 pm
I hope the Millers get 30 years….my cat was sentenced to death.
Comment by Greg — February 6, 2008 @ 8:54 pm
I will be shocked if anyone actually serves prison time over this. I just can not picture that happening.
Comment by slt — February 7, 2008 @ 6:33 am
I just had two Italian Greyhounds die. They were only 3 & 4. They were healthy and had never been sick. The only difference lately is that we bought a new pet food about a week before they died. I first thought my neighbors had poisoned them. Then I wondered if it could be the food. I called the FDA they believe that maybe some from last year was stored away somewhere and over looked. I am awaiting an autopsy to see what killed them. Is there anyone else who has had recent problems?
Comment by Carter — May 1, 2008 @ 11:14 am
Which food were you feeding your greyhounds? And the printed dates on the bags? Have you saved any of the food and the bags?
Comment by Nadine L. — May 1, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
With the economy on a slide, I fear that people will return to feeding their pets inferior food because it is cheap and that is all they can afford. The better quality pet food can be expensive, although I believe you save money in the long run (healthier pets = less vet bills). People whose budgets are stretched by outrageous gas and food prices may not give much thought to what they’re feeding their pets, or worse still, abandon them because they can’t afford them anymore.
Comment by perkysmom — May 1, 2008 @ 1:39 pm