FYI for pet lovers; Deadly Pet Food
baraka
Posts: 1,268
A FYI for all pet lovers................
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html
Story Highlights• Recall of wet pet food made by Menu Foods for Wal-Mart, Kroger, PetsMart, others
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.
An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.
"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer. However, the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, since dropped for another source, spokeswoman Sarah Tuite said. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.
'Cuts and gravy' food sold in cans, pouches recalled
The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between December 3 and March 6 throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.
Menu Foods said it makes pet foods for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble Co.
Proctor & Gamble announced Friday the recall of specific 3 oz., 5.5 oz., 6 oz. and 13.2 oz. canned and 3 oz. and 5.3 oz. foil pouch cat and dog wet food products made by Menu Foods but sold under the Iams and Eukanuba brands. The recalled products bear the code dates of 6339 through 7073 followed by the plant code 4197, P&G said.
Menu Foods' three U.S. and one Canadian factory produce more than 1 billion containers of wet pet food a year. The recall covers pet food made at company plants in Emporia, Kansas, and Pennsauken, New Jersey, Henderson said.
Henderson said the company received an undisclosed number of owner complaints of vomiting and kidney failure in dogs and cats after they had been fed its products. It has tested its products but not found a cause for the sickness.
"To date, the tests have not indicated any problems with the product," Henderson said.
FDA also working to target brands
The company alerted the Food and Drug Administration, which already has inspectors in one of the two plants, Henderson said. The FDA was working to nail down brand names covered by the recall, agency spokesman Mike Herndon said.
Menu Foods is majority-owned by the Menu Foods Income Fund, based in Ontario, Canada.
Henderson said the recall would cost the company the Canadian equivalent of $26 million to $34 million.
Below are lists of specific brands recalled by Menu Foods, in addition to Proctor & Gamble's recall of certain Iams and Eukanuba products. Menu Brands lists the brands on its Web site, http://www.menufoods.com, and advises consumers to call 1-866-895-2708 for more information.
Recalled cat foods
Americas Choice; Preferred Pets; Authority; Best Choice; Companion; Compliments; Demoulas Market Basket; Fine Feline Cat, Shep Dog; Food Lion; Foodtown; Giant Companion; Good n Meaty; Hannaford; Hill Country Fare; Hy-Vee; Key Food; Laura Lynn; Li'l Red; Loving Meals; Main Choice; Nutriplan; Nutro Max Gourmet Classics; Nutro Natural Choice; Paws; Presidents Choice; Price Chopper; Priority; Save-A-Lot; Schnucks; Sophistacat; Special Kitty; Springfield Pride; Sprout; Total Pet; My True Friend; Wegmans; Western Family; White Rose; and Winn Dixie.
Recalled dog foods
America's Choice; Preferred Pets; Authority; Award; Best Choice; Big Bet; Big Red; Bloom; Bruiser; Cadillac; Companion; Demoulas Market Basket; Fine Feline Cat; Shep Dog; Food Lion; Giant Companion; Great Choice; Hannaford; Hill Country Fare; Hy-Vee; Key Food; Laura Lynn; Loving Meals; Main Choice; Mixables; Nutriplan; Nutro Max; Nutro Natural Choice; Nutro; Ol'Roy; Paws; Pet Essentials; Pet Pride; President's Choice; Price Chopper; Priority; Publix; Roche Bros; Save-A-Lot; Schnucks; Springsfield Pride; Sprout; Stater Bros; Total Pet; My True Friend; Western Family; White Rose; Winn Dixie and Your Pet.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/17/petfood.recall.ap/index.html
Story Highlights• Recall of wet pet food made by Menu Foods for Wal-Mart, Kroger, PetsMart, others
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.
An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.
"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer. However, the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, since dropped for another source, spokeswoman Sarah Tuite said. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.
'Cuts and gravy' food sold in cans, pouches recalled
The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between December 3 and March 6 throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Co., Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.
Menu Foods said it makes pet foods for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble Co.
Proctor & Gamble announced Friday the recall of specific 3 oz., 5.5 oz., 6 oz. and 13.2 oz. canned and 3 oz. and 5.3 oz. foil pouch cat and dog wet food products made by Menu Foods but sold under the Iams and Eukanuba brands. The recalled products bear the code dates of 6339 through 7073 followed by the plant code 4197, P&G said.
Menu Foods' three U.S. and one Canadian factory produce more than 1 billion containers of wet pet food a year. The recall covers pet food made at company plants in Emporia, Kansas, and Pennsauken, New Jersey, Henderson said.
Henderson said the company received an undisclosed number of owner complaints of vomiting and kidney failure in dogs and cats after they had been fed its products. It has tested its products but not found a cause for the sickness.
"To date, the tests have not indicated any problems with the product," Henderson said.
FDA also working to target brands
The company alerted the Food and Drug Administration, which already has inspectors in one of the two plants, Henderson said. The FDA was working to nail down brand names covered by the recall, agency spokesman Mike Herndon said.
Menu Foods is majority-owned by the Menu Foods Income Fund, based in Ontario, Canada.
Henderson said the recall would cost the company the Canadian equivalent of $26 million to $34 million.
Below are lists of specific brands recalled by Menu Foods, in addition to Proctor & Gamble's recall of certain Iams and Eukanuba products. Menu Brands lists the brands on its Web site, http://www.menufoods.com, and advises consumers to call 1-866-895-2708 for more information.
Recalled cat foods
Americas Choice; Preferred Pets; Authority; Best Choice; Companion; Compliments; Demoulas Market Basket; Fine Feline Cat, Shep Dog; Food Lion; Foodtown; Giant Companion; Good n Meaty; Hannaford; Hill Country Fare; Hy-Vee; Key Food; Laura Lynn; Li'l Red; Loving Meals; Main Choice; Nutriplan; Nutro Max Gourmet Classics; Nutro Natural Choice; Paws; Presidents Choice; Price Chopper; Priority; Save-A-Lot; Schnucks; Sophistacat; Special Kitty; Springfield Pride; Sprout; Total Pet; My True Friend; Wegmans; Western Family; White Rose; and Winn Dixie.
Recalled dog foods
America's Choice; Preferred Pets; Authority; Award; Best Choice; Big Bet; Big Red; Bloom; Bruiser; Cadillac; Companion; Demoulas Market Basket; Fine Feline Cat; Shep Dog; Food Lion; Giant Companion; Great Choice; Hannaford; Hill Country Fare; Hy-Vee; Key Food; Laura Lynn; Loving Meals; Main Choice; Mixables; Nutriplan; Nutro Max; Nutro Natural Choice; Nutro; Ol'Roy; Paws; Pet Essentials; Pet Pride; President's Choice; Price Chopper; Priority; Publix; Roche Bros; Save-A-Lot; Schnucks; Springsfield Pride; Sprout; Stater Bros; Total Pet; My True Friend; Western Family; White Rose; Winn Dixie and Your Pet.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance,
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
Recalled dog foods
America's Choice; Preferred Pets; Authority; Award; Best Choice; Big Bet; Big Red; Bloom; Bruiser; Cadillac; Companion; Demoulas Market Basket; Fine Feline Cat; Shep Dog; Food Lion; Giant Companion; Great Choice; Hannaford; Hill Country Fare; Hy-Vee; Key Food; Laura Lynn; Loving Meals; Main Choice; Mixables; Nutriplan; Nutro Max; Nutro Natural Choice; Nutro; Ol'Roy; Paws; Pet Essentials; Pet Pride; President's Choice; Price Chopper; Priority; Publix; Roche Bros; Save-A-Lot; Schnucks; Springsfield Pride; Sprout; Stater Bros; Total Pet; My True Friend; Western Family; White Rose; Winn Dixie and Your Pet.
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
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( o.O)
(")_(")
i heard it's up to 90 or so now (42 cat foods, 51 dog foods) :eek:
http://www.menufoods.com/
thank god friskies isn't on there!
he had a voice that was strong and loud and
i swallowed his facade cos i'm so
eager to identify with
someone above the crowd
someone who seemed to feel the same
someone prepared to lead the way
Yeah, I don't visit the other forums much either (AET every now & then). I didn't know Kat had a sticky.
There ARE a lot of foods listed! Even some 'premium' foods were not spared.
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
:eek:
I usually give folks the benefit of the doubt, so I never suspected that this was anything other than a terrible mistake & overlook. This is disappointing and sad to say the least.
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
I wanna go home and give Duncan a hug.
By Mark Johnson, Associated Press Writer | March 23, 2007
ALBANY, N.Y. --Rat poison has been found in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs, a spokeswoman for the State Department of Agriculture and Markets said Friday.
Spokeswoman Jessica Chittenden would not identify the chemical or its source beyond saying it was a rodent poison.
The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation was focusing on wheat gluten in the food. Wheat gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but the common ingredient could have been contaminated by heavy metals or mold toxins, the FDA said.
State agriculture officials scheduled a news conference Friday afternoon to release laboratory findings from tests on the pet food conducted this week.
The deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of pet food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names. There have been several reports of kidney failure in pets that ate the recalled brands, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and one dog.
Menu Foods last week recalled "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food. The recall sparked concern among pet owners across North America. It includes food sold under store brands carried by Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and other large retailers, as well as private labels such as Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba.
Menu Foods is majority owned by Menu Foods Income Fund of Streetsville. The company also makes foods for zoo cats, but those products are unaffected by the recall.
The company's chief executive and president said Menu Foods delayed announcing the recall until it could confirm that the animals had eaten its product before dying. Two earlier complaints from consumers whose cats had died involved animals that lived outside or had access to a garage, which left open the possibility they had been poisoned by something other than contaminated food, he said.
A spokesman for New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said he was not aware of any criminal investigation involving the tainted food.
A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was posted online by Menu Foods and is available at http://tinyurl.com/2pn6mm. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information: (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708.
On the Net:
FDA pet food recall information: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html
Menu Foods: http://tinyurl.com/2pn6mm
that is the sad reality, and the perfect reason to have certain regulations to hold corporations accountable
i didn't even want to finish reading the article kat posted, this is so sick and disgusting that ppl would do this on account of pretty much greed :(
he had a voice that was strong and loud and
i swallowed his facade cos i'm so
eager to identify with
someone above the crowd
someone who seemed to feel the same
someone prepared to lead the way
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
Right...because we all know that once we have "certain regulations", we no longer have any problems with food.
Anyway, why is that "sad reality" the "perfect reason" for these regulations? People are too stupid, so we need regulations? How does that make any sense?
Yep...and you'll throw that "greed" label at the executives of this company and, tragically, those at companies who had nothing to do with this. You'll pass regulations in the name of that "greed". And it'll never even occur to you to consider "greed" whilst thinking about the person who bought "Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels".
Better regulations = less pet deaths.
because it's the pet owner's responsibility to test the food for rat poison so it doesn't kill their pet....
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Regulations can certainly cut down on problems, no doubt about that. You would probably cringe at the number of regulatory standards that my lab has to abide by in order to stay in business, not to mention the additional government regs due to being a gov't facility. Trust me, as a patient in a hospital, you do not want anything less. When the 'bean-counters' get involved in making decisions to cut out certain steps & procedures to save money without consulting experts, then we start to see problems.
People aren't stupid, but some may be more interested in their bottom line and willing to 'cut' corners. Regulations will help make sure that doesn't happen.
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
There arguably could be more problems. Absent any mention of a specific regulation, people here seem to be blindly saying "regulation will fix things". Sort of like this:
Sorry baraka, that doesn't hold water. First, regulation often further encourages cost-cutting since companies must endure the additional cost of those regulations. Secondly, areas that are currently regulated suffer from these same problems. Human food and medicine are heavily regulated, yet for every one health scare with pet food there are many with human food and medicine. Now, I'm not trying to make the argument that regulation of human food/medicine accounts for that difference, I'm simply stating the obvious: regulation is not a panacea.
ffg, this is my forte. I just got back last week from inspecting a lab for The College of American Pathology (CAP), and I'm telling you that regulatory agencies are necessary, esp in medicine. To say differently means you do not understand all the variables.
There is a company outside of Dallas called Abbott. My lab in Denver used all Abbott instrumentation & reagents. We had a 7 year contract with them. The bean-counters at Abbott decided to cut out some crucial steps in testing reagents before distribution. Results for certain tests were erroneous and patients were affected. When the FDA got wind of this, they started an investigation and determined they had done this with many assays they offered, against the advice of the clinical experts. This was done to save money, but in the long run, it cost Abbott millions of dollars including many contracts in the US (mine included). One finds that cutting cost on the front end, usually ends up costing them on the back end. So, it does, indeed, hold water.
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
Certainly regs are not a magic band aid that fixes all problems, but to suggest that they create more problems is silly. I see the results of regulatory agencies everyday and it is for the better. I could get really technical with examples if you'd like.
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
What "variables" am I missing here? Stupidity? Greed? I'd never discount those things. Yet not a single regulation can eliminate a shred of either. A "good" regulation only attempts to shield consumers from their own stupidity or greed, or the stupidity or greed of others.
I'm not sure I understand your example. Are you suggesting that, absent regulation, cost cutting on the front end couldn't possibly lead to bigger costs on the back end?
They can create more problems. I'm certainly not suggesting that regulations on pet food are guaranteed to create more pet deaths. I'm simply rejecting the reverse idea: that regulation can only lead to less pet deaths.
Yeah, I don't think you & I are not on the same page here. Are you suggesting that there not be any regs in say, the medical field? If so, I think you are just trying to be argumentative, as I can't believe you would suggest something so silly. If my lab does not hold certain standards and you came in for some tests and we reported out erroneous lab results that caused a doctor to treat you unnecessarily which resulted in your death, don't you think that would be problem and we should be held accountable? Would you like an example of a reg we have to abide by that might cost you your life if we did not? And I'm willing to bet you'd be 'ignorant' to this problem.
As for your second question, yes, that is what I'm suggesting. I can give another example if you like.
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
Of course it can, to suggest otherwise is silly. Can you give me an example to support your theory? I can give many to disprove it.
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
of course there will still be problems w/ food,but at least there will be consequences and accoutability
see my post above
no, i won't, but thanks for forcing your perception onto me, what did the unknowing employees have to do w/ it or greed? are you saying greed had no role in it? was it done for shits and giggles?
if another company doesn't violate those laws/regulations then they have no worries...
he had a voice that was strong and loud and
i swallowed his facade cos i'm so
eager to identify with
someone above the crowd
someone who seemed to feel the same
someone prepared to lead the way
Maybe I misinterpreted your question. Just for clarification, cutting costs on the front end CAN led to bigger costs on the back end when problems arise from those initial cuts.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/NEW00697.html
but the illusion of knowledge.
~Daniel Boorstin
Only a life lived for others is worth living.
~Albert Einstein
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
I certainly do think that. However, I don't think, absent regulations, the medical field would be similar to what it is now.
Certainly. But accountability and government regulation are not necessarily dependent.
I can think of dozens of examples myself. Yet everyday in this country, people die because of erroneous test results, tainted products, ignored processes, and willful negligence.
Absent regulation, could more people be dying from those things? Certainly, yes. However, absent industry consolidation, price controls, restricted competition, witless consumers and wreckless politicians, could less people by dying from those things? Certainly, yes. So it's not just a "to regulate or not regulate" argument.
How about I give you two examples (one hypothetical and one actual) as you requested?
First, let's look at this very situation and a likely hypothetical that could come out of it. It would have cost Menu Foods X amount of dollars to simply withhold all of this food from the market, given the information they had at the time before sending it out to stores. However, it's now going to cost them $X times many factors to suffer the consequences of their actions now, despite the absence of regulation. The recall itself and loss in sales will end up costing them far more than the original withholding would have, even ignoring the fines or lawsuits that will come out of it. So, their cost-cutting on the "front-end" is going to be dwarfed by the losses on the "back-end", regardless of regulatory actions.
Second, let's look at a past example. The diabetes drug Rezulin was recently removed from the market after pressure from regulatory bodies. Rezulin had a side effect that ended up killing about 100 people, despited hundreds of thousands of people who suffered zero negative consequences from taking the drug. Competing drugs existed on the market, but not all patients responded to those drugs and thousands of people died from untreated diabetes. Existing regulations and "accountability" made it impossible for the drug makers to continue to produce the drug without having to suffer extreme costs that redered the drug as a loss-maker.
Unfortunately, we tend to measure regulations in averages, instead of individual choices. The problem is that "averages" don't eat dog food, don't take medicine, and don't grow crops. Individuals do those things, and you cannot assess them as averages.