August 22, 2007 Update: Wal-Mart has pulled two Chinese brands of dog treats from its shelves following customer reports of sickened pets. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. stopped selling Chicken Jerky Strips from Import-Pingyang Pet Product Co. and Chicken Jerky treats from Shanghai Bestro Trading on July 26th. The company subsequently conducted 17 sets of tests on the dog treats, with test results released today indicating the presence of trace amounts of melamine in the treats.
A statement from Wal-Mart warns customers to be especially wary of Chicken Jerky treats from Shanghai Bestro Trading with a UPC number of 0087784900006 and item number of 839751. Wal-Mart officials don't know if the amount of melamine found in these dog treats would be enough to sicken or kill a dog that ate the suspect products, but there's been at least one report of a customer claiming her dog died after eating some of the tainted treats.
MSNBC has more on this developing story.
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June 7, 2007 Update: Expertox, a lab in Deer Park, Texas, today reported that it has found toxic levels of acetaminophen and/or cyanuric acid poisons in dozens of pet food samples. The contaminants could be lethal for pets, and the FDA has already launched an investigation, but the lab cannot legally reveal which pet food brands tested positive for the drugs. Additional information is available on our pet care blog.
Also today, Doane Pet Care Co. issued a recall for its Ol' Roy Complete Nutrition dog food due to concerns of possible salmonella contamination. This recall is not related to the melamine-tainted pet food recalls. Additional information can be found on our pet care blog.
May 21, 2007 Update: More than two months after the pet food recall news first broke, Menu Foods has now announced that it will be "phasing out" the use of ingredients imported from China in its pet foods. The company says it will not resume using them until "Menu and the 'world community' are assured that they are safe."
May 11, 2007 Update: Royal Canin today recalled eight new dog foods and seven Kasco brand dog foods and cat foods due to the products containing trace amounts of a melamine derivative (cyanuric acid?) from contaminated rice protein concentrate that was provided to the company by Cereal Byproducts (the second company — Wilbur-Ellis being the first — to receive tainted rice protein concentrate from China).
At least eleven companies have now been included in the recall of tainted pet food and treats: Menu Foods, Hill's, Nestle Purina PetCare Co., Royal Canin, Del Monte Pet Products, Sunshine Mills Inc., Natural Balance Pet Foods, Wilbur-Ellis, Cereal Byproducts, American Nutrition, and Chenango Valley Pet Foods.
A voluntary pet food recall of more than 100 brands of dog food and cat food has been initiated by Menu Foods as of March 16th, 2007, following the deaths of thousands of cats and dogs and many more reports of kidney failure in pets after having eaten "Cuts and Gravy"-style wet pet foods made by Menu Foods.
Ontario, Canada-based Menu Foods manufactures cat foods and dog foods sold at grocery stores, pet stores, and other major retailers across North America, including 17 of the top 20 North Amercian retailers.
Popular pet food brands from Iams, Eukanuba, Hill's Science Diet, Purina, and Nutro are included in the recall, and major retailers involved include Wal-Mart (Ol' Roy), Target, PetSmart, Kroger, Food Lion, Price Chopper, Publix, and Safeway. Menu Foods is also a contract manufacturer for many of the top pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble, Nestle Purina PetCare, and Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc.
Less than two months after Menu Foods' initial pet food recall, at least ten other pet food manufacturers announced their own recalls for pet foods and treats potentially contaminated by melamine toxins in the wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate ingredients. These manufacturers include Hill's, Nestle Purina PetCare Co., Del Monte Pet Products, Sunshine Mills Inc., Wilbur-Ellis, Cereal Byproducts, Chenango Valley Pet Foods, American Nutrition, Royal Canin, Diamond Pet Foods, and Natural Balance Pet Foods.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has received more than 17,000 complaints about tainted pet foods related to these pet food recalls, and experts are concerned that the pet death toll could reach well into the thousands.
What cat and dog foods are affected?The recall specifically applies to Menu Foods' "Cuts and Gravy" style food, a moist pet food consisting of chunks of meat in gravy that is sold in cans as well as small foil pouches. The cat and dog food recall is currently for foods sold between December 3rd and March 6th, 2007, a range that includes more than 60 million containers of pet food.
The recall is a direct result of the company having received an undisclosed number of owner complaints that their dogs and cats were vomiting and/or suffering kidney failure-related issues from eating its products, but exhaustive tests by both internal and external specialists have so far failed to identify the specific problem, according to the CEO for Menu Foods, Paul Henderson.
While specifics on the cause of the recall are still not available, there's speculation that a contaminated wheat gluten ingredient in the pet foods could be at the source of the resulting health issues. The dates for the recalled dog foods and cat foods coincide with the introduction of a wheat gluten ingredient from a new supplier for Menu Foods. The inclusion of this ingredient from the supplier has since been discontinued, according to Menu Foods.
It's possible the new wheat gluten ingredient could have been contaminated by a fungal toxin similar to the aflatoxin that contaminated corn and corn by-products in Diamond Dog Foods and claimed the lives of more than 100 dogs during last year's Diamond Pet Foods Recall.
What should I do if I'm concerned my pet is affected?Many of the major pet food retailers have already removed the affected dog and cat foods from their shelves, but if your cat or dog has been fed any of these foods recently, pay particular attention to your animal companion's appetite and health. If your pet starts vomiting, appears to lose its appetite, exhibits excessive water intake and/or urination, or shows unusual signs of lethargy, consult a veterinarian immediately.
If you're using a food on the Menu Foods recall list, we highly recommend you discontinue use of the food and switch to a dry food formula (the only pet foods currently being recalled are the canned and the foil-pouch foods) or switch to another top pet food manufacturer.
Menu Foods has also set up two toll free phone numbers that concerned pet owners can call for additional information: (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708. A complete list of the recalled pet food products, along with product codes, descriptions, and production dates for the petfood recall, can be found on the Menu Foods Web site at http://www.menufoods.com/recall.
Affected Dog Foods in the Recall
The following dog foods are included in the Menu Foods dog food recall / dogfood recall (listed in alphabetical order): ALPO Prime Cuts in Gravy (Purina), Americas Choice (Preferred Pets), Authority, Award, Best Choice, Big Bet, Big Red, Bloom, Bruiser, Cadillac, Companion, Demoulas Market Basket, Eukanuba, Food Lion, Giant Companion, Great Choice, Hannaford, Hill Country Fare, Hy-Vee, Iams, Key Food, Laura Lynn, Loving Meals, Meijers Main Choice, Mighty Dog (Purina), Mixables, Nutriplan, Nutro Max, Nutro Natural Choice, Nutro, Ol Roy Canada, Ol' Roy US, Paws, Pet Essentials, Pet Pride - Good n Meaty, Presidents Choice, Price Chopper, Priority, Publix, Roche Bros, Save-A-Lot, Schnucks, Shep Dog, Springfield Prize, Sprout, Stater Bros, Total Pet (My True Friend), Western Family, White Rose, Winn Dixie, and Your Pet.
Affected Cat Foods in the RecallThe following cat foods are included in the Menu Foods cat food recall / catfood recall (listed in alphabetical order): Americas Choice (Preferred Pets), Authority, Award, Best Choice, Companion, Compliments, Demoulas Market Basket, Eukanuba, Fine Feline Cat, Food Lion, Foodtown, Giant Companion, Hannaford, Hill Country Fare, Hy-Vee, Iams, Key Food, Laura Lynn, Li'l Red, Loving Meals, Meijers Main Choice, Nutriplan, Nutro Max Gourmet Classics, Nutro Natural Choice, Paws, Pet Pride, Presidents Choice, Price Chopper, Priority, Save-A-Lot, Schnucks, Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans, Science Diet Prescription Diet m/d Feline, Sophistacat, Special Kitty Canada, Special Kitty US, Springfield Prize, Sprout, Total Pet (My True Friend), Wegmans, Western Family, White Rose, and Winn Dixie.
Click on the below links for complete details on the specific pet food brands involved in the 2007 pet food recalls (moved to a separate page due to length).
The archived pet food recall news updates and the pet food recall news links have moved to a separate page in order to keep this page from growing too large. You can find the news updates and link page here:
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A+ FRR Note: No Recalls for Flint River Ranch - Flint River Ranch has no involvement with Menu Foods or the companies it sells pet foods to, and none of Flint River Ranch's all natural, healthy dog food formulas or cat food formulas are involved in this pet food recall or any other pet food recall.
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