Posted on 03/16/2007 2:53:30 PM PDT by Dysart
WASHINGTON - 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.
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 Dec. 3 and March 6 throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Company, Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.
Menu Foods did not immediately provide a full list of brand names and lot numbers covered by the recall, saying they would be posted on its Web site — http://www.menufoods.com/recall — early Saturday. Consumers with questions can call (866) 463-6738.
The company said it manufacturers for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies. Its 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, Kan., and Pennsauken, N.J., 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.
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.
Also.... I just updated my profile page...;^) Gotta run to cook for the kitty now....
Very Koool Pic...later...;0)
I am shocked. 7000+ views on PET FOOD?
Oh, I wasn't suggesting that you were recommending it. I was just mentioning it in case it wasn't well known. Personally, I wish I could do the raw diet, but I just can't. I don't have the time.
Your doggie is beautiful. The cats are cute, too. :)
Just in case you haven't seen the info in this thread PING
You must not love your pets.
Arghh! I spent this evening cooking for four dogs - and I think I may just as well keep on doing it, in spite of any inconvenience. My beloved kitty died last week suddenly, and now I'm worried it was the food...
:(
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1802307/posts?page=66#66
I'm so sorry you lost your kitty so suddenly.... very sad.
Something must have accumulated in Peekaboo's system, though... could it happen with one day's feeding?
I'm wondering if some poison has gone out throughout the pet food system. As someone stated on another thread, most cat food is from the same manufacturer; just the labels are different.
I feel bad for your Mother too. I feel guilty with a wake up call like this, realizing I could take better care of my kitty.
Good luck to you and all our furry friends out there.
This is very distressing kind of news to deal with, and I no longer have a cat.
Well said. I've long suspected this; the Diamond dog food recall solidified my suspicions, and latest recall is certainly no surprise. The pet food manufacturing process is as sick as some of pets who have consumed their contaminated products.
This link is Bravo Sierra.
No different than a link that "proves" that global warming is real, that there was no holocaust and that the Earth is flat.
The shame is that what truth there might be is scrubbed away with tin foil.
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/product_dog.html
Iams is now added to the list.
How many minimum wage workers have either been paid to profess this or said it on their own?
None.
We never went to the moon either some people "say".
Well, why don't you do something useful and provide a better link.
Or are you arguing that pet food manufacturers don't use low quality ingredients in their food?
Commercial pet food is as safe as anything else in life. A Snickers bar is allowed a percentage of bug parts. It ain't on the wrapper but it is in the law.
Therefore I am going to do no research on this issue but will say that posting a link postulating that the last unicorns are ground up for turtle food is of no help.
Wow, you have made a significant contribution to this thread.
Did you even read the full text of the link you are disparaging? I doubt it or you would realize that the article isn't just about a certain amount of "bug parts" that make it into a bag of food.
Personally, I don't give a crap what you think about this topic. Most of the people reading this thread are obviously concerned about their pets in light of the huge recall of pet food. And, just so you know, one company makes almost all (or maybe all) of the food that is being recalled. Since you are too busy to use a search engine, I will tell you that the company name is Menu Foods.
And it isn't all about companies using tainted or low-grade products. A lot of the problems with pet food is that the ingredients used for filler are picked because they are cheap, not because they are good for your animals. So, by doing 10 minutes of reading, people can make an informed decision before buying generic dog/cat food for their pets.
But hey, you don't care about that... because you are an idiot.
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