The ChemNutra plea: Too little, too late… and still, not enough
By Christie Keith
June 3, 2009
It came pouring in through my Google alerts this morning, and Gina blogged it earlier: Stephen and Sally Miller, the owners of ChemNutra, pled guilty to importing protein concentrates contaminated with melamine from China. The concentrates ended up in pet food that sickened and killed thousands of dogs and cats, and led to the largest consumer recall in U.S. history and other pet food recalls worldwide.
The recalls, which began in March 2007, did more than that; they marked the beginning of a food safety scandal that has spanned the globe and pointed out huge weaknesses in our national security when it comes the importation and inspection of food.
Melamine and other contaminants, some not yet identified, have turned up in foods from China, including dairy products, candy, and infant formula; even non-food items like drywall from China have been found to contain dangerous contaminants.
And we still don’t have country of origin labeling on foods, not even those for humans. There have been no changes made the labeling requirements of pet foods, despite the discovery that at least one of the contaminated pet foods contained a protein concentrate that wasn’t listed on the label. And foods are still not being inspected upon importation.
The only thing that’s changed is that a few pet food companies have stepped up their product testing, and some consumers have either abandoned the commercial pet food market or at least, become highly suspicious of it.
The other day I was in Pet Food Express, a small, high-end chain here in the San Francisco Bay Area, browsing the treat aisle. Kyrie, my Borzoi, is on an allergy elimination diet, so I had to rule out all treats containing poultry or beef. I also didn’t want to touch anything with peanut butter, due to concerns over salmonella contamination, and I didn’t want anything that had any ingredients from China.
The only treat that fit the bill, an oatmeal and apple dog cookie that proudly proclaimed it was made in the United States from ingredients all produced in this country, had been tried and failed to pass the Kyrie Borzoi taste test the month before.
I left without buying anything at all.
Distressing but hardly surprising news.
After living with a dog who, like Kyrie, had multiple food allergies - and whose allergic reactions often triggered seizures, I got to be rather obsessive about ingredients and origins. This quickly led to putting my beasts on a homemade diet - and changing a lot of what husband and I eat ourselves.
It makes me angry to see how little action is taken on food safety issues - especially in light of much of the pointless crud our legislators waste their time on. You’d think they’d be more worried about potentially lethal toxins in food than breed bans or MSN…
Comment by Janeen — June 3, 2009 @ 9:46 am
Try Etsy for carefully made dog treats.
Comment by Cate — June 3, 2009 @ 10:08 am
I lost my beloved cat Mr. Mistoffolees in March 2007 because of the tainted food. My trust in ANY pet food manufacturer is gone. I have been making my own cat food since August 2007, when a sweet rescue kitty walked into my heart. I now have 3 kitties. It can be a pain to make the food sometimes, but I know & trust what goes into it. The ingredients are organic & grown locally (whenever possible). They (and I) are happier & healthier because of it.
Comment by Kathy B — June 3, 2009 @ 11:42 am
Cate, you will not rest until I get the Etsy love, will you? ;)
Comment by Christie Keith — June 3, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
Off topic (not really…this is a supplier problem too isn’t it?) but new article with interviews of those with sick cats that ate the recalled food…hmm…thought there weren’t any.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com.....oia07.html
Comment by Carol V — June 3, 2009 @ 2:56 pm
So sad, thanks for passing along the news though Christie. Hard to hear but something everyone should be aware of. - Justin
Comment by Oneilljk — June 3, 2009 @ 7:28 pm
Try Stella and Chewy’s. They’re awesome.
High-end pet boutiques are often times not picky enough for my taste. I’m tired of seeing chicken and sweet potato treats that are made in China and then recalled without anyone knowing.
I think high end retailers need to research their products and not “green-wash” or “natural-wash” or “healthy-wash.” It shouldn’t be this hard to find products that can be trusted.
Comment by Amy — June 3, 2009 @ 9:24 pm
I am an admitted pet food neurotic (Yes, I admit I have a problem but no, I’m not going to change!) and just today, Christie, was also in the pet food aisle looking for treats. I, too, left without buying any.
I went home and dug out my dog treat cookbook and made some! smile….
Comment by Liz Palika — June 3, 2009 @ 11:06 pm
This morning I sit here typing thru tears..Just read of a little kitty that died this morning after fighting to live for months…she was one of the Australian kitties that ate the irradiated Orijen food…this got me to thinking of my Smudge and Jessica. Both of them ate melamine poisoned food and both are now gone. Jessica succumbed after a brilliant recovery only to go back into renal failure when treatment of new hyperT was discovered Nov 2007..we euthanized her the day after Christmas to relieve her suffering. Smudge however never recovered to near her life prior to March 2007. It was especially hard as she was found to be 100% healthy in early Feb 2007 when I took her in for a check as somebody peed in Harry’s bed…Harry was in the middle of chemo and radiation for his cancer….but that is a whole different post…As I read about little Hali, the cat from Oz, who fought for months to return to her ife, I could not help but remember the months of holding my Smudge…hoping and praying that the good days prior to March 12, 2007 would return..They never did…and yesterday to read the plea agreement and to read the actually poisonings of our beloved pets was a misdemeanor…hit me hard…It was harder to read that the wire fraud was a felony..should be the other way around…Those that are in my shoes need no explanation…Sad few days ahead still I am sure…
Comment by Carol V — June 4, 2009 @ 4:00 am
Homemade dog treats are SUPER easy to make, and if a person needs a recipe - a Google search only yielded - oh - about 319,000 hits!
http://www.google.com/search?c.....p;oe=UTF-8
Comment by The OTHER Pat — June 4, 2009 @ 5:12 am
It doesn’t stop.
The Pet Food Industry will not learn by themselves, they have to be sued and litigated out of existence if they don’t step up and provide *pet food*, without any poisons mixed in to make it cheaper.
Both of our cats survived 2007, barely, but they survived.
It breaks my heart to see them slowly dim away, but I try to give them as good a life as I am able to.
Last week I went to ?PetCo? (I think) to get cat litter, and a Nutro Lady started to talk to me about cat food.
At the beginning, I was quite calm and told her that I don’t buy cat food from companies that were involved in the Pet Food Scandal of 2007.
First she told me that Nutro was never involved, which I opposed, still somewhat calm.
Then she shrugged her shoulders and (in a condescending tone) she told me that this was TWO YEARS AGO (insert rolling eyes).
That’s when I think I lost it a bit.
I told her quite laudible that, yes, it was more than two years ago, but for the past two and a half years MY CATS are weak, sick and suffering; that I spent already a nice little fortune in vet bills and I will have to spend more; and that I wish I could feed her child or grandchild the same stuff that her company mixed into their pet food.
I am 5 ft 8 or 9, and while I was emitting those noises, I must have come quite close to that person - she retreated.
I am so proud of myself: I didn’t beat her. But, by golly, the temptation was there.
…. and now I read about a Nutro recall of 2009.
It never stops.
:(
Comment by MaKo — June 5, 2009 @ 10:50 am