Pet Food Recall

[rangerette]

yahoo news link - pet food recall

There is incomplete information at this time, but thought it good to post this as soon as possible.

[sue_t]

Third tainted ingredient detected in pet foods
Last Updated: Friday, April 20, 2007 | 12:43 PM ET
CBC News

An industrial chemical imported from China has now been detected in a third ingredient used to make pet foods, leading officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to speculate that the contamination may be intentional.

Melamine, which is used in plastics, was found in wheat gluten and in rice protein concentrate that was imported from China to make pet foods in the United States in recent weeks and days. That and the deaths of 16 pets in March led to a recall of more than 100 dog and cat foods in the U.S.

Now, melamine has been detected in imported corn gluten in South Africa that has killed 30 dogs, officials from the South African Veterinary Association said Friday.

The tainted corn gluten ingredient has not been found in the U.S., but FDA investigators are waiting for visas that would allow them to visit the Chinese plants where the vegetable protein ingredients were produced.

"Melamine was found in all three of those — it would certainly lend credibility to the theory that it may be intentional. That will be one of the theories we will pursue when we get into the plants in China," Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's chief veterinarian, told reporters.

Chinese authorities have told the FDA that the wheat gluten was an industrial product not meant for pet food, Sundlof said. Still, melamine can skew test results to make a product appear more protein-rich than it really is, he added. That raises the possibility the contamination was deliberate.

"What we expect to do with our inspections in China will answer some of those questions," said Michael Rogers, director of the division of field investigations within the FDA's office of regulatory affairs.

Wilbur-Ellis Co., the U.S. importer of the tainted rice protein, said Thursday it was recalling all the ingredients it had distributed to five U.S. pet food manufacturers. The San Francisco company in turn urged its customers to recall any products that may be on store shelves.

So far, just two of those companies have done so: Natural Balance Pet Foods and Blue Buffalo Co.

Natural Balance, of Pacoima, Calif., announced a limited recall Monday of its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and Venison and Green Pea dry cat food.

Blue Buffalo, of Wilton, Conn., followed Thursday by recalling 5,044 bags of its Spa Select Kitten dry food. The company intercepted most of the kitten food before it reached distribution centres, company co-founder Billy Bishop said.

FDA officials would not release the names of the other two manufacturers that Wilbur-Ellis supplied, citing its ongoing investigation.

In South Africa, a range of dog and cat dry pet food products were recalled after they were found to contain corn gluten contaminated with melamine.

Last week, the makers of Vets Choice and Royal Canin pet foods in South Africa recalled the products, manufactured in its Johannesburg plant between March 8 and April 11 and sold in South Africa and Namibia. They have said they will compensate pet owners for the loss of their animals.

The FDA could not provide updated numbers of pet deaths or injuries due to the contaminated pet food. The agency has received more than 15,000 calls since the first recall was announced more than a month ago.

Sensible Choice Diet food joins recall list

On Friday, Royal Canin Canada said it has added Sensible Choice Diet and some veterinary-prescribed products to the growing list of recalled pet foods.

The company also cut its ties with Chinese suppliers of its vegetable proteins.

The recall covers five veterinary diet products:
- Canine Early Cardiac.
- Canine Sensitivity RC.
- Canine Skin Support.
- Feline Hypoallergenic HP.
- Feline Sensitivity RD.

Earlier this month, Royal Canin recalled its Medi-Cal Feline Dissolution Formula after discovering that it could have also been contaminated with melamine.

In Canada, the federal government has asked the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to review whether pet food should be regulated.

The CFIA will determine what, if any, action the government should take to better monitor the ingredients of pet food, federal agriculture officials said. The agency can recommend that pet food be regulated, but can also suggest other unspecified options for monitoring pet food ingredients, with the aim of improving food safety.

With files from the Associated Press and the Canadian Press

[sue_t]

Argh ... just got back from grocery shopping. I don't buy dog food at the grocery store so have never stopped to read the sign they have posted about the recall. Today I did. The sign indicated the recall affected only pet foods that were the "cuts and gravy" varities. I found the store manager and asked if they were up-to-date on the recall. He said they "were all over it". So I asked if their intent was to deliberately mislead customers. And I let him know the recall had expanded to include some dry foods. He said he doubted that since head office was "all over it". And he said he fed Iams dry food to his dog so he was watching the recall closely. I asked if he was aware the recall had expanded the past week to include rice byproduct and also expanded to include more dry foods. Again he said, they were "all over it". I told him then, quite bluntly, that they were not providing accurate info to their customers, that I didn't have issue with the foods they had on their shelves, but had issue with the sign which was misleading and untruthful. He said they would phone to double-check. I think I'll phone their head office to double check too, and determine their definition of "all over it".

[Code2High]

Blue Buffalo has now recalled one of their foods. In addition, it seems there are two more companies that may have bought tainted rice protein and haven't yet been id'd. Here's a link to an article from today:

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/pet-food-may-have-been-intentionally/20070412155809990001?nc...

[BCSnob]

I'd probably agree with the "dirty bag" hypothesis except for this....

Stephen Sundlof, director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the agency, said at a news conference last week that the agency had found unusually high concentrations of melamine in some batches of wheat gluten, as much as 6.6 percent. The agency said the concentrations were high enough to have led to kidney failure in some pets.

Clues to pet food recall traced to Chinese city

At 6.6% by weight, there must have been lots of melamine left in the bags.

Mark

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Personally, I'm going to avoid anything that lists a "gluten" or grain "protein concentrate" as an ingredient - at least until we know what the problem really is.

So far, Iams green-bag dry food passes this test.

Deb

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

sue.t wrote:
The source of the melamine remains unclear. It may have contaminated the rice protein through the reuse of dirty bags used to ship the products.

Could this be the "smoking gun"??? Reusing bags that have contained melamine in the past (a granular product, I'm pretty sure) - and now carrying grain products?????

Deb

[Br-]

Looks like no end in sight! This from itchmo.com.

Royal Canin is recalling several formulations due to contaminated rice protein concentrate. No illnesses are confirmed in relation to these items. Royal Canin also recently recalled pet food in South Africa due to melamine found in corn gluten.

Recalled items:

ROYAL CANIN SENSIBLE CHOICE (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)

Dry Dog Food
- Chicken Meal & Rice Formula Senior
- Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Puppy
- Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Adult
- Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Senior
- Rice & Catfish Meal Formula Adult

ROYAL CANIN VETERINARY DIET (available only in veterinary clinics)

Dry Dog Food
- Canine Early Cardiac EC 22™
- Canine Skin Support SS21™

Dry Cat Food
- Feline Hypoallergenic HP23™

[Happytraveler]

Br- wrote:
We were afraid that corn gluten would be next! I called science diet and the girl told me she could not guarantee that their corn gluten meal did not come from China. We had been slowly weaning him off science diet canned lite. He seems fine so far.

That is scary. They can't guarantee their corn gluten meal did not come from China. I guess it's all about profits just like everything else these days.

[Br-]

We were afraid that corn gluten would be next! I called science diet and the girl told me she could not guarantee that their corn gluten meal did not come from China. We had been slowly weaning him off science diet canned lite. He seems fine so far.

[Happytraveler]

Recalls Link
This has been a difficult decision as corn gluten contamination has not hit North America. But based on patterns of development and expansion of recall in the US, Itchmo is issuing a warning to pet parents out of abundance of caution.



We stress that NO US OR CANADIAN CONNECTION HAS BEEN REPORTED.



BREAKING NEWS: Melamine in Corn Gluten Linked to South African Pet Illnesses

April 19th, 2007



The 29 cases of renal failure in South Africa has been linked to melamine in corn gluten used in pet food. Corn gluten is used extensively in the US.



Tests have confirmed that Vets Choice and Royal Canin dog and cat dry pet-food products contained corn gluten contaminated with melamine, says the manufacturer.



The contaminated corn gluten was delivered to Royal Canin by a South African third-party supplier and appears to have originated from China.



We were tracking cases of the South African pet deaths before and have heard rumors of corn gluten contamination.



At this point, we believe that all corn gluten should be considered at risk for contamination and should be tested by every pet food manufacturer and the FDA.

[Br-]

Anyone using blue buffalo? You may want to check ingredients. Lite dog food does contain rice protein concentrate. See editors note from the petfoodlist.com:

Brands include BLUE for dogs, and Spa Select for Cats
No products made by Menu Foods (have never used Menu)
Products do not contain wheat gluten, soy, or corn
All ingredients from US except lamb from New Zealand
They do not manufacture food in their own facility. Manufacturer is confidential but they have their own vets and staff on location at all times and ingredients are tested before and after each run.

Editors note: According to Blue Buffalo website, some products contain rice protein concentrate.

[sue_t]

Recall widens as second industrial chemical found in tainted pet food
Last Updated: Thursday, April 19, 2007 | 9:17 AM ET
The Associated Press
An industrial chemical that led to the nationwide recall of more than 100 brands of cat and dog food has turned up in a second pet food ingredient imported from China.
"This has exposed that the safety standards for pet foods are not in place in any significant way and the kind of drumbeat, day after day, of recalls has shaken consumers' confidence in the pet food industry's adherence to food safety standards," said Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States.
The chemical, melamine, is believed to have contaminated rice protein concentrate used to make a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
The FDA has found there is no evidence so far to suggest any of the rice protein went to companies that make human food, said Michael Rogers, director of the agency's division of field investigations. But the FDA has not accounted for all shipments of the imported ingredient.
Previously, the chemical was found to contaminate wheat gluten used by at least six other pet food and treat manufacturers. Both ingredients were imported from China, though by different companies and from different manufacturers.
FDA reviewing all rice protein concentrate imports
The FDA on Wednesday began reviewing and sampling all rice protein concentrate imported from China, much as the agency has been doing for wheat gluten, Rogers said.
Natural Balance said it was recalling all its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, its Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and its Venison and Green Pea dry cat food. The supplier of the tainted rice protein said early Thursday it was recalling all lots of the ingredient it had distributed to U.S. manufacturers and in turn urged them to recall any products that may be on store shelves.
The recalls now include products made by at least seven companies and sold under more than 100 brands. The Pacoima, Calif., company said recent laboratory tests showed its recalled products contain melamine. Natural Balance believes the source of the contaminant was rice protein concentrate, which the company recently added to the dry venison formulas.
A San Francisco company, Wilbur-Ellis Co., began importing the ingredient in July from a Chinese company, Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., according to Wilbur-Ellis president and chief executive John Thacher. It resold the ingredient to five pet food manufacturers, including Diamond Pet Foods Inc. of Meta, Mo. Diamond manufactured the dry dog and cat foods recalled by Natural Balance, Diamond Pet Foods spokesman Jim Fallon said.
Thacher declined to identify his company's other four customers, except to say two tested the ingredient and found no melamine. Wilbur-Ellis has not heard from the other two, both of whom received limited amounts of the ingredient, Thacher said.
The FDA's tests detected melamine in a rice protein sample; the agency would not disclose the sample's origin. The source of the melamine remains unclear. It may have contaminated the rice protein through the reuse of dirty bags used to ship the products.
Over 60 million cans of pet food recalled in March
The recalls began March 16 when Menu Foods recalled 60 million cans of dog and cat food after the deaths of 16 pets, mostly cats, that had eaten its products. The FDA said tests indicated the food was contaminated with melamine, which is used in making plastics and other industrial processes.
Five other companies later recalled pet products also made with wheat gluten tainted by the chemical. The FDA has since blocked Chinese imports of wheat gluten.
Menu Foods continues to add more varieties to its recall list. Menu Foods spokesman Sam Bornstein did not know if the Streetsville, Ont.-based company also used rice protein concentrate as an ingredient in its pet foods, sold under more than 100 different major and store brands.
A House committee is holding a food safety hearing Tuesday and is expected to discuss the pet food recall.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

sue.t wrote:
Natural Balance pet food tainted with melamine, FDA says
Last Updated: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 | 11:23 AM ET
CBC News


"We believe the source of the melamine is a rice protein concentrate," the FDA said in a release Tuesday. "Natural Balance has confirmed this morning that some production batches of these products may contain melamine."

Now rice???? Good Lord, when is it going to end????

Deb

[tomkatzid]

I'd like to thank all of you that post the new information. I see the news here first. I did turn on TV to see what they had to say about the latest food recall today. Lots of foods have rice, I hope this isn't the start of all foods with rice now. Kelcee eats IVD Duck and Green Pea and we just switched the pups to Canadae from Precise.
Katz

[sue_t]

Natural Balance pet food tainted with melamine, FDA says
Last Updated: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 | 11:23 AM ET
CBC News

Tests have shown that Natural Balance pet food pulled from the market Tuesday was contaminated with melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

The recall applies to the venison and brown rice canned and bagged dog food, venison and brown rice dog treats and venison and green pea dry cat food made by the California-based company.

"We believe the source of the melamine is a rice protein concentrate," the FDA said in a release Tuesday. "Natural Balance has confirmed this morning that some production batches of these products may contain melamine."

Also Tuesday, Menu Foods expanded its recall to include a wider date range for selected products. The Ontario-based company also withdrew Natural Life vegetarian dog food sold in 13.2-ounce cans after tests showed the product to contain contaminated wheat gluten.

In March, Menu Foods recalled 60 million containers of its cuts and gravy style wet pet food, sold across North America under nearly 100 store and major brand labels. Since then, five other pet food companies have recalled products believed to be contaminated with wheat gluten containing melamine.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl has asked the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to conduct a review to determine if pet food should be regulated.

"What we are doing is reviewing the situation," Strahl said. "We're trying to determine what, if anything, we can do to try to prevent these things from happening again, and also what type of regulations might be effective on this kind of a product."

Under the current system, the Canadian Veterinary Medicine Association provides nutritional guidelines but has no regulatory powers. The NDP recently called on the federal government to tighten pet food production regulations.

The FDA traced the problem to melamine after pet owners grew concerned about apparent kidney failure in their cats and dogs. There have been 16 confirmed cases of animals dying in the U.S. after eating Menu Foods products.