Non-story #304,500,608 from the NYT. If they had a recall for the first test-animal death, few products would ever stay on the shelves. Not every death could be contributed to the actual purpose of the test. Living organisms are highly complex. It would be silly to label any product "faulty" because of a single fatality that is not attributable with a high degree of certainty to that product.
mark bump
Bookmarking for later, thanks.
I have no problem with this testing...provided that the executive who made the decision to switch to the new supplier also eats the tainted food.
Has anyone wondered if this contanimation could be a test by terrorists? - just an unpleasant thought.
I wonder what ingrediant they used.
Excerpt From PDF:
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/Press_Recall_03162007.pdf
March 16, 2007
Menu Foods Income Fund Announces Precautionary Dog and Cat Food Recall TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - March 16, 2007) -
NOT FOR RELEASE OVER US NEWSWIRE SERVICES
Attention Business/Financial Editors Menu Foods Income Fund (the "Fund") (TSX:MEW.UN) today announced the precautionary recall of a portion of the dog and cat food it manufactured between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The recall is limited to "cuts and gravy" style pet food in cans and pouches manufactured at two of the Fund's United States facilities. These products are both manufactured and sold under private-label and are contract-manufactured for some national brands.
Over the past several days, the Fund has received feedback in the United States (none in Canada) raising concerns about pet food manufactured since early December, and its impact on the renal health of the pets consuming the products. Shortly after receipt of the first complaint, the Fund initiated a substantial battery of technical tests, conducted by both internal and external specialists, but has failed to identify any issues with the products in question. The Fund has, however, discovered that timing of the production associated with these complaints, coincides with the introduction of an ingredient from a new supplier. The Fund stopped using this ingredient shortly after this discovery and production since then has been undertaken using ingredients from another source.
At the same time, the Fund's largest customer, for which it manufactures on a contract basis, received a small number of consumer complaints and has initiated its own recall.
Furthermore, for the time being, the customer has put future orders for cuts and gravy products on hold. This customer's cuts and gravy purchases in 2006 represented approximately 11% of the Fund's annual revenue.
"We take these complaints very seriously and, while we are still looking for a specific cause, we are acting to err on the side of caution" said Paul K. Henderson, President and CEO, Menu Foods. "We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that our products maintain the very highest quality standards."
While the number of complaints has been relatively small, Menu is taking this proactive step out of an abundance of caution, because the health and well-being of pets is paramount to the Fund.
In addition to changing suppliers, for production after March 6, the Fund has increased testing of all raw materials and finished goods. It is also working closely with regulatory authorities and its customers to learn more and will take whatever additional actions are appropriate. The Fund estimates that based on currently available information, this recall could cost between $30 million and $40 million, which will be financed from a combination of internally generated cash flow and bank credit facilities. Furthermore, the Fund is aggressively producing product, utilizing a different supplier for the ingredient in question, to replenish customers as quickly as possible.
Who was the wheat gluten supplier, those are the ones who need to be hung out to dry. Maybe they are supplying wheat gluten for human consumption, too. They need to be identified, if they are the culprits. It wouldn't be ADM, would it?
One important question: Who's the suspected supplier?
Follow-up: Why are all news agencies hiding the name of the mysterious supplier?
Top of the hour news just reported now up to 100 brands.
Nothing new on the recall site.
There are currently 52 dog and 41 cat labels listed.....
I think the dog labels were 49 last night when I checked, so maybe some kind of "total" is what is reported?
I did read that the deaths were mostly among their test animals after they first received reports of a problem. I wonder how many there are out in the general pet population?
NAFTA at work.
Now they are`nt certain that only pet foods may be contaminated.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20070320/hl_hsn/petdeathtollrisesintaintedfoodrecall
And I read another article that said the source of the wheat gluten Menu Foods used came from the US.
They don't seem to have mentioned, or IDed the "contaminant". Have they done that?