Truth in labeling, or, a picture is worth a thousand words
By Gina Spadafori
November 17, 2009
Considering all the crap and the crap within crap the FDA is perfectly happy to sanction for human consumption, you can consider that it’ll be a cold day in hell when my pets eat the remains of salvaged livestock carcasses from boxes marked “Unfit for Human Consumption.”
Hat tip to Therese at the PetFoodList for this little find — the picture alone says it all. And also for this one, an incredibly sympathetic article about how Menu Foods is rebounding from the pet-food recall, in large part because they’re still the best at turning out cheap food:
But a strange thing has happened since the days of pooch poisoning and souring sales headlines. Mr. Henderson is quietly rebuilding the business. And while some pet food producers are struggling to sell their higher-priced products in a recession, he’s making money again.
Wow, I’m so happy for him! How very brave to continue on after that little “pooch poisoning” problem cut so deeply into the bottom line. (Alliteration aside, more cats were killed than dogs … but hey, who’s counting? Still not the FDA!)
But wait … isn’t cheap food how Menu got into trouble in the first place?
Kudos to Mars and P&G/Iams for giving Menu the boot for good. And shame on the Financial Post for such a softball piece. Yes, technically I suppose thousands killed and tens of thousands sickened qualifies as “at least a dozen dead,” but seriously … this piece couldn’t have been a bigger Valentine if company flacks had written it themselves.
The divide between the ‘It was only a DOG/CAT, get over it!’ and people like us seems to get bigger every day. The complete difference in perspective is so blatant in that article — who cares about some easily replaceable animals when a SERIOUS BUSINESS is at stake? =P
Comment by Pai — November 17, 2009 @ 2:24 am
I guess I don’t see the issue with feeding dead cattle to dogs - as a raw feeder, that’s what I do every day (along with chicken, turkey, pork…).
I see the difference between getting beef straight from the source, and getting it wrapped in cellophane from the grocery store. Yes, some of those cattle may be diseased, but many downed cattle are actually “fit for human consumption”, but legal and/or economic aspects make them into dog food instead. For example, a cow breaks it’s leg, and is killed on the farm. That cow cannot be sold as human-grade meat, as it wasn’t slaughtered “correctly”. But the meat is still safe to eat.
As for Menu foods - bah. They are part or the reason I feed raw.
Comment by K.B. — November 17, 2009 @ 3:49 am
Sorry, that should be “I don’t see the difference”…
[Note to self: drink your coffee before you post this early!]
Comment by K.B. — November 17, 2009 @ 3:50 am
OK, I am going to stand up for the general manager of Nebraska By-Product. Not because of his product (I have no knowledge), but because I am pretty sure he has been beaten enough in his life. His name is … wait for it … Jason Fagot. Seriously, that’s his name. And he carries that name in Nebraska! Is there not a shred of sympathy and empathy for this poor fellow? His Mother and Father did that to him, and you know he’s been poorly socialized since whelp because of it. I really cannot believe anyone would name their kid Jason in this day and age.
P
Comment by PBurns — November 17, 2009 @ 4:18 am
What is the denaturant they use?
And how would a consumer know what the animal died of or how long it laid there?
I pass.
Comment by kb — November 17, 2009 @ 4:28 am
A veterinarian friend of mine who had a gig at a small-town zoo would routinely get a call from someone who’d hit a deer. The town’s residents knew the zoo’s carnivores were expensive to feed, and the freshly killed deer would help. The vet would go out with the town’s AC officer to get the carcass.
That’s not the case here. You just don’t know what these animals died of, how long the bodies were there, how much crap they’d been pumped full of their entire lives to enhance their production as “machines” on factory farms, etc. No matter what, it all goes in the mix.
Know your sources. Yes, wild dogs are scavengers, but they are not dining on industrial waste — and that’s what this is. On the local raw food lists I’m on, people share news of “deals” on factory-farmed meat at this supermarket or another. “Human grade,” in this case.
Pass. For all the reasons I’ve mentioned here so many times — the antibiotics, the fossil fuel waste, the pollution, the national security, the cruelty. If I’m not buying the “human grade” agri-corp crap, I’m surely not buying the scavengings from their waste stream.
As for Mr. Henderson … we’d still be burying pets if IAMS hadn’t told him that if Menu didn’t pull the food, P&G would trigger the recall. Corporate responsibility and ethics (not to mention compassion) don’t seem to factor in with this guy. Like Michael Vick, the regret is about getting caught and the interest is in getting back into the big bucks. Problem is, unlike Vick the pet-killer, Henderson’s still in the business. That, and the magnitude of scale: Henderson’s failures caused more pets to suffer and die than Vick’s criminal activity did.
They both deserved prison terms. Only one of them served.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 17, 2009 @ 6:10 am
My husband said to me..”They don’t care about the cats…it is about the money”..this was on March 17th—early on—-when my evening of March 16th email went unanswered…and my phone calls were meant with busy signals or busy circuit ….I truly believed this was a horrible accident and they would want to know about my two cats (by the way of press release that it was a “few isolated cases of acute renal failure in the US”—-and I had two) But since those early days I have been awakened to a new reality…My husband was right…I still wait for my claim forms to be processed in the midst of a lawsuit I did not want to join…I wait for changes to the system that allowed this to happen for months and go undetected and were vets not seeing this strange increase in renal failure— although I think of how many other pet owners were like me starting in Nov or Dec of 2007—Smudge was not ill and I would have stopped feeding her poison with tuna oil over it had I know Menu was worried about “something”..but again I believe now that they wanted to make sure it wasn’t something that would not affect their bottom line…I had been one to think that our food supply was safe, that someone was responsible for it especially after 9-11….But had this disaster not happened to my household…I might just still believe …
Comment by Carol V — November 17, 2009 @ 6:34 am
Sort of peripherally related to this - our (work health plan) insurance has just issued a new rule that REQUIRES us to use the generic equivalent of any prescribed drug first for something like 3 months before they’ll consider covering a non-generic. No more “dispense as written”. Now if you don’t want to take the chance on some possibly Chinese-made generic, you’re responsible for the ENTIRE cost of the drug.
But hey - no problem, right? After all, the FDA (insert sound of blowing trumpets here!) is overseeing all those copy-cat drugs and making sure they’re just as good as the originals! And we all trust the FDA (insert sound of blowing trumpets here!) implicitly to look out for our welfare, right?
I’m scared to death of the next time I’m gonna need a prescription for something . . . . . . . . . .
Comment by The OTHER Pat — November 17, 2009 @ 6:45 am
Dr. Becker and I have an article coming up in Parade about pet meds. In the researching and interviewing, I sure learned a lot about “bio-equivalency.” Generics are likely fine in the majority of cases — and offer savings, which is why your plan insists on them.
But again … I would like to know where these products were made, and my trust level for the quality-control off-shore isn’t very high.
Then again, I’m not altogether sure that the “brand name” Rx is always made in a developed country, are you? Remember that Menu Foods was a “work-for-hire” pet food company: Brand name labels went out on a lot of that product with toxic ingredients.
It is a shame that taking the FDA down to foundations and rebuilding on its original mission has taken a back seat to the economy, wars, etc. I suppose “something” is going to have to happen that kills a lot of us before the agency’s problems move off the back burner.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 17, 2009 @ 6:57 am
“but seriously … this piece couldn’t have been a bigger Valentine if company flacks had written it themselves.”
They probably did. We’ve got corporate shills writing speeches for congresscritters to deliver on the floor… so why not.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/.....ealth-bill!
Comment by schnauzer — November 17, 2009 @ 7:29 am
‘Twasn’t the meat that poisoned the pets that ate the food that Menu sold.
I’ve got some concerns about the “denaturant,” but I basically feed my dogs what has been either diverted or salvaged from the rendering bin at the local slaughterhouse.
Among us budget-raw feeders, the offer of a cow, horse, pig, sheep, goat that has to be shot or dies in an accident or of something that isn’t a zoonotic concern is the powerball lotto.
And yes, if the deer just got hit, and I can stop and get it — that’s 80 pounds or so of top-quality meat for the dogs. They do not care that one side is bruised and reads “DROF.”
Mushers have fed this way since forever, and are a lot more cognizant of what’s going into their dogs than are pet owners.
Comment by H. Houlahan — November 17, 2009 @ 9:38 am
I absolutely agree with you, Heather. I have hunter pals who give me bits of elk and whatnot, and I take it for the carnivores, gratefully. And diverted or salvaged cattle, etc., is fine … if you know where it was diverted or salvaged FROM.
THAT’s the problem here. A point I’ve now made at least twice.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 17, 2009 @ 9:44 am
My only real concern would be “How long did it rot?”
If I trusted the supplier to keep truly unwholesome putrid flesh out of the grinder, no problem.
I don’t really trust the USDA, Hormel, etc. to make sure that happens for MY meat.
But I could see trusting a company like this if they were transparent enough and had good references.
Remember, red meat is not bad for you. Blue-grey furry meat is bad for you.
My dogs happily eat meat that is a little “past it” for my consumption. They are designed to eat it. Key here is “a little.”
Comment by H. Houlahan — November 17, 2009 @ 10:26 am
Going on memory, I think animals not slaughtered at the slaughterhouse have to be deemed unfit for human consumption and have to be dipped in charcoal so they are easily distinguished from meat for people. *If* the rendering company could pledge to consumers that they don’t take carcasses too long dead, or those who died from dangerous diseases (e.g. mad cow) or use disgusting bits such as tumors and treat the meat at the plant exactly like meat fir for humans (e.g. don’t leave it out to rot in a dumptruck for days) - IF ALL THAT, then I wouldn’t mind buying the product. Unfortunately he makes no such promises.
Comment by YesBiscuit! — November 17, 2009 @ 10:30 am
We lost our beloved cat Whiskers to the petfood recall so I constantly worry about what I am feeding my cats and dog. Things have not improved since 2007 as far as I can see.
Currently feeding Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul and Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and I just realized it is produced by Diamond. I know they have had several recalls do you know if the Chicken Soup is safe?
http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
Comment by Alasandra — November 17, 2009 @ 11:27 am
No sense on just “dogging” the FDA…let’s give equal kudos (sarcasm) to the USDA…
http://www.foodpolitics.com/20.....o-its-job/
(snippet)
“The New York Times reports that the company selling contaminated ground beef responsible for killing two people and making 500 others sick, “stopped testing its ingredients years ago under pressure from beef suppliers.”
Recall that since 1994, the USDA bans E. coli 0157:H7 in ground meat. It encourages, but does not require, meat companies to test for the pathogen. Why don’t they test? Because they don’t have to.”
Comment by Carol V — November 17, 2009 @ 4:19 pm
Thanks for putting that up. I was going to. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 17, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
Here’s to the USDA and FDA’s total inability to monitor food safety in our country. They are just fulfilling their orginial Rethuglican mandate, kill off the little people whose tax dollars fund us since our perks are paid for by lobbyists from big Agra and Pharma. Why should we care if you or your pets die? You only pay our bills. Obama is giving us more of the same. There is no meaningful overhaul of our food industry happening. So much for ‘change’.
I am with PB on this one. His post about Jason Fagot almost caused me to christen my screen with merlot. And I am a post menopausal woman who does dog sports with purebred dogs and occasionally participates in AKC, so that shows you what an unholy alliance it is. Humor is always worth its weight in whatever current commodity fetched the best price on the stock market. Doubtful PB appreciates it. lol
Comment by Anne T — November 17, 2009 @ 7:33 pm
I buy ‘unfit for human consumption’ meat from a couple of local meat processors. Mostly the same ones I send my meat to get processed at. Miscut pieces, organ meats, ears, feet, bones - the beasties adore it. Some probably comes from local feedlots, but I can live with that - heck, even I eat a fast food burger every now and then.
I also give them the bits of fruit and veggies we turn our noses up at. Well, in truth they have to share these with the chickens.
That said, my dogs would have to awfully hungry and I’d have to be awfully broke before I fed them most processed food.
Comment by Janeen — November 17, 2009 @ 8:53 pm
Not trying to stick up for cheap pet food or rendering, but the phrase “Unfit for human consumption” doesn’t always mean the meat is poor quality. I toured the Natura foods plant (awesome tour and a lovely facility), and even their meat had to be labeled “unfit for human consumption” simply because it was sent to a pet food plant rather than a human food plant. The same chicken headed for processing into chicken nuggets or other processed human foods did not have to carry the “unfit for human consumption” label.
Comment by Megan — November 17, 2009 @ 8:56 pm
Marion Nestle has always said “It’s the same food source” so it really doesn’t matter whether it goes to us or our livestock. In the long run, we’re all eating the same things. Our governing bodies in the guise of USDA and FDA are too underfunded and under the thumb of politics via lobbyists for BIG Agra and Pharma to fulfill their tax payer funded mandate of food safety. I personally find that frightening! Be afraid, very afraid.
Comment by Anne T — November 17, 2009 @ 9:13 pm
I am pleased to see that the recall memories have not faded! As an entrepreneur my response to the recalls was to gather a team of experts and start Trust Pet Meals. Talking to people about their pets is a daily joy but often shocking. I am used to the thoughtful pet people on this blog.
I am told- that is all fixed. “They” fixed it.
I buy my brand because the dog in the ad is soo cute.
Don’t know what I buy but it’s $70.00 a bag.
When did you become a food Nazi?
Can’t afford good food. Did I tell you that the knee operation for my(overweight) dog was $4000.00?
It was all China’s fault.
Pet food and my food are completely different systems.
And my favorite- what do you mean my dog needs good nutrition?
Do they learn? Yes but it takes patience. So I am venting here to gather my patience for another day. Thanks for reading.
Hope you have a chance to catch Trust on
Cats 101 on Animal Planet November 21 at 9:00 p.m. est
Comment by Karen Fraser — November 18, 2009 @ 8:19 am
Raw is the best if you know the source.
Choosing a good food for your best friend doesn’t always seem easy. The labels on the packages appear designed to confuse, and beyond identifying whether a food is chicken or lamb-based, people often come away feeling they need a science degree to decipher the rest. And while an ingredient may sound good and conjure up images of plump juicy meat parts, you need to be aware that the definition of what constitutes that ingredient (if it even has a definition) can be quite different. Well, we can’t change the labelling laws here – but we can give you an overview of what we think you should be looking for in a good quality dry dog food.
First and foremost, dogs are carnivore/omnivores – a good proportion of their diet needs to be meat protein sources. Plant proteins tend to be more difficult for dogs to digest, are less palatable and offer less nutrition. Grains are lower than vegetables on the digestibility and nutritional adequacy scale.
So, look at the top five or so ingredients - these form the major portion of the food. The ingredients in dog food are required to be listed in order of weight. So that means that the first ingredient on the list is the one with the greatest volume in the food. We want this to be a named meat source – eg. Chicken, beef or lamb. Never unidentified “meat” and never a “by-product”. Note also that since the list runs in order of weight, it is better to see “chicken meal” than “chicken” at the top of the list. “Chicken” includes a high degree of water content, “chicken meal” does not – so with “chicken” it is quite possible that once the water content is removed, it may actually be the fourth or fifth ingredient, not necessarily the first as suggested.
Within the first five ingredients we want to see at least two (preferably more) named meat sources, and as few grains as possible. The first ingredient should certainly be a named meat source. Grains are almost unavoidable but they are not a natural source of food for dogs, are often undigestible (what’s the point of a food if your dog can’t digest it?) and are common allergens. Whole ground grains are far better than grain fragments (floor sweepings?) which typically have little or no nutritional value. Brown rice (a whole grain) is better than white rice, which has been stripped of about 75% of its nutritional value. Whole fruits and vegetables are better nutritional sources than grains.
Looking further down the list, we prefer not to see any corn products in the food (corn, corn meal, corn gluten meal, corn syrup, etc) as corn is very difficult to digest, of little nutritional value, and a very common allergen in some dogs. Same goes for wheat products/fragments and for beet pulp or molasses (sugar). It should go without saying that we would never buy a food with any form of corn or wheat in the top five ingredients.
A good link to check for dog food http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com
jd
Comment by Jim Davari — November 18, 2009 @ 12:34 pm
So, the article on Menu Foods says they’ve paid out millions in legal settlements…really? Last I read the primary lawsuit on behalf of petowners had been challenged and nothing has been paid out and more than likely will be held up for years to come. So I’d like to know who the recipients of those millions in legal settlements are? Their counterparts in the pet food industry?
And as for Mr. Menu Foods, the poor guy, he felt very alone during the 2007 ordeal, I feel so bad for the….jerk. It is all about him afterall…Its a memory he would just as soon put behind him. Im sure the thousand of petowners would have liked to do that too but sadly, they are currently dealing with sick pets from the effects of kidney damage from the food or the memories of their beloved pets who died in 2007 and who are still dying from the effects as each week goes by. He said all they can do is learn and move on…they havent learned a thing.
In the meantime while Mr Menu Foods is putting out his woe-is-me statements, Ive always wondered why no veterinary universities did any sort of follow-up on the surviving pets of the 2007 pet food recalls. How many are still surviving and with what types of symptoms and damage. Pets are suffering the effects to this day from the toxin damage and it would have perhaps been important to see how the 2007 recall is not over for many pets and their families to this day.
Comment by Sandi K — November 19, 2009 @ 9:57 am
Sandi K…I had been in contact with Dr Rumbeiha at MSU who was very interested in following my kitties as they initially survived. He had said he wanted to be able to see the effects longer term as there were no studies..but he said he was unable due to no funding and he would keep in contact in case things changed and he knew I had access to other survivor pet owners…but they never did and my two have since passed on…I truly felt he would if he could…Too bad monies were not mada available for that—-especially when the melamine showed up in Chinese baby formula (and here) I had wondered if our canaries would have helped…
Comment by Carol V — November 19, 2009 @ 12:21 pm
I actually came here now to post this little tidbit…the real story we can’t find Eggos!
snippet..
But ConsumerAffairs.com has confirmed the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) in September found Listeria monocytogenes in a sample of Eggo Buttermilk Waffles made at the Atlanta plant. Health officials took the sample during a routine inspection of the facility
Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com.....z0XKpRZoRZ
Comment by Carol V — November 19, 2009 @ 12:23 pm
oops…wrong story to post that Let Go My Listeria Eggo link..thought I was at safe food story…sorry!
Comment by Carol V — November 19, 2009 @ 12:31 pm