Posted on 04/27/2007 4:24:22 PM PDT by girlangler
Blue Buffalo Recalls Can and Biscuit Products Due To Tampering By American Nutrition Inc. Contact: Consumer Inquiries: 1-800-919-2833 Media Inquiries: David Petrie 1-203-762-9751
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Wilton, Connecticut, April 26, 2007- We at the Blue Buffalo Company have just learned that American Nutrition Inc. (ANI), the manufacturer of all our cans and biscuits, has been adding rice protein concentrate to our can formulas without our knowledge and without our approval. This is product tampering, and it apparently has been going on for some time. The can formulas that we developed, and trusted them to produce, never contained any rice protein concentrate. It appears that only an FDA investigation of ANI's rice protein concentrate supplies forced them to reveal this product tampering to us.
While this activity by ANI is in itself unlawful, the situation is further clouded by the fact that ANI has been receiving rice protein concentrate from Wilber-Ellis, some of which the FDA has determined to be contaminated with melamine.
So while no BLUE or Spa Select canned product has tested positive for the presence of melamine, and there has been no reported illness due to any of our canned products, we simply cannot be sure of what ANI has been including in our formulas. For this reason, we have decided to remove all of our canned and biscuit products from retail distribution. While this may seem to many to be a major over-reaction, as other ANI customers will probably only recall the products that tested positive for melamine, we see this as a matter of integrity.
We founded Blue Buffalo on the principle of providing dogs and cats with the highest quality and most nutritious food, and we will not sell any product that doesn't meet this standard. And under these circumstances, we cannot say that any products manufactured by ANI measure up.
The obvious question is "how could Blue Buffalo not know that ANI was putting rice protein concentrate into our canned food?" The answer is we trusted them. In business and in life, we all trust our partners to deal with us honestly. When we buy produce from our local grocery store, we are trusting growers, shippers and a series of handlers to have delivered a product that is safe and nutritious for our family. If any one of these parties betrays our trust, contaminated products can make their way to our dinner table.
And while we test for known toxins and contaminants, we don't test for protein sources, like rice protein concentrate, especially when we did not formulate our products to contain them.
In the end, this all comes down to an issue of integrity, and ANI has not been honest with us and with the pet parents who buy our products. We will not put any product made by ANI on the shelf, and are temporarily withdrawing an important part of our business in order to be true to our pet parents.
We have already started the process of identifying a can and biscuit manufacturer with whom we can build a partnership based on trust. Once we have accomplished this, BLUE and Spa Select cans and BLUE Health Bars will be reintroduced with the high quality and superior nutrition that our brand stands for and that dogs and cats deserve.
We have informed our retail partners and the FDA about this action and will be cooperating with them to complete this recall quickly. The specific product involved includes all "BLUE" brand can dog foods, all "Spa Select" brand can cat foods and all "BLUE Health Bar" treats.
Consumers who have unused or partially used packages of any of these products should return them to their place of purchase for a complete refund.
All "BLUE" dry natural food for dogs and "Spa Select" dry natural foods for cats are not affected by this recall and are safe for consumption. Should consumers have a specific question, they can call the Company at 1-800-919-2833, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, to receive more information.
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FDA's Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety Alerts Page: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html
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Hey, when I post lately I am always in a hurry (lot going on) and ALWAYS plan to ping you and Milaukee Guy, but for some reason always get a message that can’t find that poster (because I can’t seem to spell your posting names right and am in a hurry).
I assume you’ll get pinged by other freepers, but wanted you to know I didn’t forget you.
Thank you for doing that—I wish there was something near me to participate in.
Guess, I knew that. I don’t envision Paul stirring the stuff up in the kitchen. LOL
Wasn’t the pork fed here in Oklahoma? I thought that’s what I had read somewhere. Hmmm, I’m wondering now about the bacon I was going to give the fur kids in lieu of other treats.
Aaaargh!
I have a suspicion that you confuse which side is going to be plaintiff and which defense in this matter.
LOL, I was FREAKING out when I first read cans and bisquits, thought the same thing.
Although I don’t use canned bisquits often (in fact, never now because I am not eating any bread).
It continues.
Thank you. We just swithed to BLUE lasssssst weekend. Fortunately it was the dry food.
I use Purina One for both dog and cat. So far, so good. Purina sent an email yesterday with the same info their website has - none of the ingredients that are suspect in any of their feed.
Dr. Michael Fox's Homemade 'Natural' Dietary Supplement for Dogs
name, company, contact address....the works.
You are correct. I check their site daily. I think I will sign up for email, tho. Thanks.
Yes the FDA alerts are a way to find out asap if you are eating, or feeding your pets, something dangerous.
One of the FR posters posted that info and I am thankful.
Obviously Blue Buffalo will be suing ANI, but normally when a company makes an extremely negative public statement like this about another company, the target of the statement will sue for libel, regardless of any suits that may be coming at it from the other side. It’s why you very rarely see anything like this in a public statement. It’s the same reason why employers won’t give negative references about former employees in writing (and often not orally either). Makes no difference how richly the ex-employee may deserve to be described as a lazy, no-good, dishonest, hothead — the employer still risks an expensive lawsuit for saying so, and is likely to end up settling out of court, rather than spend huge sums trying to prove the truth of every detail of what they said.
Oh, I think ANI stands a good chance of being the defendent, since at least one other company, Natural Balance, is claiming the same thing: the ingredient was added by ANI without their knowledge.
Of course, it does put the lie to these premium brands' claims that they keep strict control over their product, inspect it, etc. I doubt that most of them have done much more than market the stuff.
I suspect that if a consumer went to the expense of having some of these brands analyzed by a lab, they'd find the ingredients don't come close to matching the labels.
It was a pretty strong statement, wasn’t it.
Blue Buffalo has Big Balls!
Well crap. I give my dogs the Blue Buffalo treats all the time. Dammit.
I was quite a ways down that article before I realized it was pet food.
I have been trying to reach that consumer number. I get nothing, no answer, no recording. It just rings for a while then kicks to a fast busy signal.
I just cried on the phone last night to my husband that I think something is wrong with my female. She has been incontinent for a few days (she only has accidents when she is asleep, she is five and has never peed in the house since she has been housetrained) and vomiting. She has not been herself for a few days. I give them the Blue Buffalo treats all the time. I already have an appointment tomorrow, but just DAMN.
They still aren’t answering.
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