As Pet Connection notes, USA Today asks questions about how official the “offical” numbers are. Also of interest in the article:
The U.S. imports 70% to 80% of its wheat gluten, used widely in human and pet foods either as a protein source or, in wet pet food specifically, as a binding agent.
The Washington Post has a new story here.
The New York Times has corrected (scroll to the end of the article) an earlier report that claimed Menu Foods had expanded its recall. According to the Times, Menu Foods “did not expand its recall to all wet food products on Friday” (emphasis in original). This correction contradicts widely circulated reports in other media (including this morning on NPR).
The Globe and Mail offers a history of Menu Foods and an assessment of its future.
The latest lawsuit filed against Menu Foods is asking for $100 million (Canadian).
From New Zealand, a report that recalled food has made it to that part of the world. No animals are reported becoming ill from eating recalled food in New Zealand, however.
The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine has posted an information sheet about the pet food recall.
Itchmo!Seattle catches a Rocky Mountain News story that notes the FDA “is looking into a small number of reports that pets have died after consuming food that was not included among the recalled products.” Itchmo has been collecting reports of pets allegedly sickened after eating dry Iams brand food.
Menu Foods has posted a consumer FAQ on its Web site. The FAQ confirms that Menu Foods does not manufacture any dry foods. Also of note:
Who is going to pay my vet bills for sickness and death?
If Menu Foods product is the cause of sickness or death, Menu Foods will take responsibility. Menu has engaged a professional firm to manage your concerns and is currently contacting concerned pet owners who have reached our call center. Specific direction will be received from these individuals. Please keep copies of all your vet records and receipts for pet food purchases as well as vet bills.
24 March 2007 at 5:40 pm
Our cats food has not been put on the recall list. She ate Nutro California Chicken Supreme. It comes in a can not a pouch but it does have cuts and gravy and wheat gluten in it. We have contacted Nutro, Menu Foods, FDA and still cannot get any answers why this food was deemed to be OK and not put on the recall list when it is made my Menu Foods. She died 5 days before the recall of exact symptoms listed. We can get no answers as to why Nutro cat food in cans (cuts and gravy style) is not on their list.
25 March 2007 at 5:47 pm
My cat was fed Iams dry for the last 2weeks.
she also had purina fancy feast. she became ill
the 17th. of the month. using a liquid solution
of warm water and felovite admistered orally
over a 4day period i was able to get her thru
the crisis period. she may have weakened kidneys
and will be tested for this and other issues
as a result of the food poising i am suspect of the iams. she is 5yrs.i am hopeful that a full
recovery will be made? i am switching to a holistic food innova evo, and raw meats .. a
tinic for kidenys , and other holisitc meds.
25 March 2007 at 8:33 pm
Regardless of the AP’s or the NYTimes’ retractions, Menu Foods HAS announced an expansion of the recall, as a precautionary measure. This is all over the Canadian news today.
Proof of expanded recall–the Menu Foods’ Press Release, issued 03/24/07 to the Canadian News Wire Service:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2007/24/c6329.html
25 March 2007 at 9:13 pm
This might be a matter of semantics, but I wonder if the wording of the latest news release has some legal implications. I can see how the release could be read as saying the recall had been expanded. However, I think the differences in wording between the latest press release and the original March 16 press release are significant. The original release talks about a “food recall” and addresses what consumers need to do. In contrast the new release is described as a “market withdrawal” and seems to apply only to retail outlets. Menu isn’t asking consumers to return or stop using food not included in the original recall. In fact, the latest release specifically notes that “There is no known risk from items not listed on the recall list.”
As for legal implications, I’m speculating, but a product recall might carry a different set of legal responsibilities for Menu than a “market withdrawal.”
Certainly the situation is confusing, and I advised my clients a week ago not to feed any wet pet food until we could be sure of the extent of the problem.
26 March 2007 at 5:09 pm
I am so sick about this dog and cat food mess. I switched my dogs to Nutro Max about 6 weeks ago… After the weaning period, they began to vomit… all three of them. I was assured by Nutro that it was possible that they were just “getting used to” the food. Thankfully, I switched them back to their old food (Purina Beneful) and now they are doing just fine. I feel absolutley horrible for the pet owners who have had their furry family members affected by this disaster. My e-mails to Nutro have gone unanswered and I can’t figure out why these foods are still not being recalled along with the wet foods! What are we to do?