BS: Poison pet food

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: GUEST,Nancy King at work
Date: 07 Feb 08 - 08:43 PM

Interesting article, Kat -- thanks for posting it.

It is gratifying to know some of these folks may be held accountable for this horrible pet food debacle. "...deaths of more than 4,000 cats and dogs." Geez.

I've pretty much given up on ever getting compensation for all the money I've spent on Roscoe's care and special food. Nobody ever got back to me from any of the class-action groups I tried to contact, and I just don't have the time to pursue the matter as vigorously as is clearly necessary. Would be nice, though.

Roscoe continues to be just a little bit better. He's down to once a week for the subcutaneous fluid injections. The only problem is, every time a change is made or contemplated, we have to have blood work done, and that's about $100 a pop. He remains remarkably patient about the whole business. At one point this winter, he contracted a (presumably unrelated) bladder infection, and I had to give him antibiotics. For a week I tried to deal with a liquid dose administered with an eyedropper, and it was a mess! Just when I thought I'd gotten him immobilized and his mouth pried open, and aimed the stupid dropper at the back of his throat, he'd jerk away at the crucial moment and the medicine would go squirting across the room. Aaarrgghh! When I told the vet it wasn't working, she gave me (HA! "gave"! make that "sold") pre-filled syringes of stuff to be injected subcutaneously, just like the NACL. Piece of cake. No clue why he prefers being stuck with a needle to swallowing something.

Anyhow, I hope these folks get the punishment they deserve.

Nancy

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Feb 08 - 04:27 AM

FWIW:

Two small Chinese companies and their U.S. importer were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury for their roles in producing pet food blamed for the deaths of more than 4,000 cats and dogs.

Facing the prospect of trial in the U.S., assuming Beijing would give them up, are Mao Linzhun, owner and manager of Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development (XAC), a small processor of plant proteins in the city of Xuzhou; and Chen Zhen Hao, president of Suzhou Textiles (SSC) , a Chinese export broker that shipped XAC's products to the U.S.

The grand jury also indicted Sally Qing Miller, a 41-year-old Chinese national, and her American husband, 55-year-old Stephen S. Miller, who own Las Vegas-based ChemNutra, a buyer and importer of food and food components from China.

The indictment was the result of an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement into adulterated pet food that left an estimated 1,950 cats and 2,200 dogs dead.

The U.S. doesn't have an extradition treaty with China, but the chances of bringing the two obscure Chinese executives to trial in the U.S. would appear to be higher given the radically changed attitude of late of Chinese officials to a spate of product-safety problems. After an initial period of strenuous denials following the emergence of the pet food scandal in March, in recent months, they have begun taking substantive action.

The sea change in official policy was forced by mounting evidence from abroad of the dubious quality of exported Chinese products, from lead-tainted toys to toothpaste to, most recently, pesticide-contaminated dumplings, causing worldwide damage to the reputation of the "made in China" label. Acting to contain the damage, the government in August appointed Vice Premier Wu Yi, known in China as the Iron Lady, to head a high-profile, Cabinet-level panel (See: " China Cracks Down On Food Safety") that has moved to clamp down on thousands of small factories in its prosperous coastal region.

In the last two weeks, Beijing went a step further, forming a joint investigation team with the Japanese government to probe a case of pesticide-laced dumplings made by a manufacturer in a city near Beijing that have sickened at least 10 Japanese.

In two separate but related indictments, U.S. prosecutors alleged a deliberate cross-border fraud perpetrated by the two Chinese executives and their U.S. importer. The Chinese export broker, SSC, agreed to provide the U.S. importer, ChemNutra, with food-grade wheat gluten with a minimum protein content of 75% and contracted XAC, the Xuzhou wheat gluten manufacturer, to produce it. In order to save money, SSC allegedly mixed in low-cost melamine, a toxic chemical that is banned in human and animal food in the U.S.

Citing information from the Chinese government, one indictment charges that after receiving the adulterated wheat gluten, SSC labeled it with an inaccurate product code that is reserved for products that are not subject to compulsory inspection prior to leaving China, and did not declare the contaminated product it shipped to the U.S. as a raw material for feed or as food. Instead, it was falsely declared to the Chinese government as a product that avoided triggering a mandatory inspection of XAC's manufacturing facilities.

SSC then allegedly provided its U.S. importer, ChemNutra and its owners, the Millers, with documents that used the inaccurate product code. Despite Sally Miller's training and experience as an ISO-9000 chief auditor, she failed to disclose the inaccurate product-labeling to her customers, federal prosecutors allege.

Wednesday's indictment announcement said Miller has an engineering degree in food chemistry from Hangzhou University and worked for more than 10 years in China, mostly as a purchasing manager for U.S. companies. She represented herself to be a certified auditor in China for the internationally recognized ISO quality system.

The three companies exported more than 800 metric tons of wheat gluten to the U.S. in at least 13 separate shipments, with value totaling nearly $850,000, between Nov. 6, 2006, and Feb. 21, 2007, using Kansas City as the port of entry.

The Chinese companies and named parties were charged with 13 felony counts of introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce and 13 felony counts of introduction of misbranded food into interstate commerce. Each felony count is punishable by up to three years in prison.

ChemNutra and the Millers were charged with one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 13 misdemeanor counts of introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce and 13 misdemeanor counts of introduction of misbranded food into interstate commerce. The conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of five years; the misdemeanor counts, up to a year each.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 07 May 07 - 01:59 AM

No evidence that any of the two contaminated batches ...

But there is accumulating evidence that Chinese distributors have made a continuing practice of adulterating food (and pharm) products in export (and for their own domestic distribution).

Reports are vague, but my impression has been that the contaminated stuff used in livestock food, now including at least hog, chicken and probably cattle feed, most likely came from separate batches imported by a number of companies in separate shipments.

Even your pet gerbil probably isn't safe.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 May 07 - 07:18 PM

"There is no evidence that any of the two contaminated batches of wheat gluten and rice protein from China ended up as an ingredient in human food"

But this weekend's news claims that it was put into chicken feed and those chickens have been sold to consumers.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 06 May 07 - 05:50 PM

Toxic medicine in Panama traced to China is a short article that appeared in my local paper today, so probably has had fairly wide publication.

From China to Panama, a Trail of Poisoned Medicine is a longer and more informative article from the New York times that appeared (in an extracted version)yesterday at MSNBC but appeears to be no longer there. (I'd suggest looking soon at the NYT article, as they tend to remove stuff to a "for fee" archive after a week or so.)

Both articles cite numerous cases in which at least one Chinese counterfeiter substituted diethylene glycol for glycerine, labelling the product as 99.5% pure glycerine. Since glycerine is a "universal ingredient" in a vast range of pharmaceuticals, several hundred deaths have been documented and specifically linked to the counterfeit product. Circumstantial evidence indicates that several thousand - and potentially severeal hundred thousand - "unexplained deaths" are due to this counterfeit product.

[Extracted quotes]

Panama is the most recent victim. Last year, government officials there unwittingly mixed diethylene glycol into 260,000 bottles of cold medicine — with devastating results. Families have reported 365 deaths from the poison, 100 of which have been confirmed so far. ... ... ... ... ...

When at least 88 children died in Haiti a decade ago, F.D.A. investigators traced the poison to the Manchurian city of Dalian, but their attempts to visit the suspected manufacturer were repeatedly blocked by Chinese officials, according to internal State Department records. Permission was granted more than a year later, but by then the plant had moved and its records had been destroyed. ... ... ... ...

The Times said investigators in four countries identified Taixing Glycerine Factory as the maker of the poison. That company's certificate of analysis said the shipment was 99.5 percent pure, the Times reported.

The sale of the syrup was brokered by a unit of a state-owned business in Beijing, the article said. From there, it went to a distributor in Barcelona, Spain, and on to a dealer in Panama.
No one in China has been charged with causing the Panamanian deaths.

An unidentified Chinese drug official told the Times that investigators tested the Taixing Glycerine Factory's product and found it contained no glycerine. But a spokeswoman for the drug agency said the company had not broken any laws.

Wan Qigang, the legal representative for the factory, told the Times last year that the company made only industrial-grade glycerin. But more recently it has been advertising 99.5 percent pure glycerine on the Internet, the Times said. Wan declined to answer further questions."

[End quotes]

Glycerine is no less common in pet medications than in human ones, it that makes a difference to anyone.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: GUEST,Rebel Dog
Date: 06 May 07 - 04:39 PM

On the subject of home cooking, avoid onions and garlic! I have heard all kinds of mis-information on this, including that garlic is a good, natural cat wormer. In fact all members of the lily family are highly toxic to cats, which family includes onions and garlic.

I've tried to cook for my cat and she says she'd rather go hungry, plus everything I eat has onions or garlic, so she happily eats Trader Joes dry. She does like anything made from grain that is thin and crispy, like pizza crust and tortilla chips.

Also avoid fatty foods. Cats don't get a lot of concentrated fat in the wild, and a big glob of cholesteral can clog their pancreatic duct and induce diabetes. My cat never begs/steals food, except for once she ate an entire sink of lamb trimmings. I've caught her checking out grease left in the deep fat fryer. Bottom line, it's not a good idea to leave open grease or fat out.

Same for caffeine and dogs, which they usually get in chocolate. It's like crack to them, physiologically. You will hear debate about this constantly. Do not be fooled. Anyone that insists otherwise is not a fit pet owner. Unfortunately people who have no ability to deal with reality often use animals as a proxy for society.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: beardedbruce
Date: 04 May 07 - 11:35 AM

FDA checks food manufacturers; pet food recall expands
POSTED: 8:34 p.m. EDT, May 3, 2007

Story Highlights• NEW: FDA checking food makers for contaminated products
• NEW: Menu Foods pet food recall expands to cuts and gravy
• NEW: Other Menu products made during contamination period also recalled

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Government inspectors are checking food makers who use protein concentrates to make sure none of the contaminated products found in pet food have reached other products, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.

There is no evidence that any of the two contaminated batches of wheat gluten and rice protein from China ended up as an ingredient in human food, "but it's prudent to look," said Dr. David Acheson, assistant FDA commissioner for food protection.

Acheson said the inspections began this week, covering both human and pet food manufacturers to raise awareness of how important it is to know their supply chain and to make sure none of the contaminated products remain in stock.

The number of facilities to be visited could be in the range of hundreds, based on knowledge of what ingredients go to which manufacturer, Acheson said.

"This is going to go on until we feel satisfied we've got it covered. We're not setting the bar at 50 or 100 or 1,000. We're going to keep doing this until we're confident that we've got our arms around it," he said.

Protein concentrates are used in a number of food products such as baked goods.

The announcement came as pet food manufacturer Menu Foods expanded its recall because of possible cross-contamination between melamine-tainted products and other foods made in the same period.

Another company, SmartPak Canine of Plymouth, Mass., issued a recall for all lots of its LiveSmart Adult Lamb and Brown Rice food, which it said had tested positive for the presence of melamine. The food is shipped directly to about 220 consumers and is not available on store shelves, the company said in a statement.

More than 100 brands of pet food have been recalled since March 16 because they were contaminated with melamine. An unknown number of dogs and cats have been sickened or died after eating chemical-laced pet food.

The Menu Foods expansion includes cuts and gravy pet food, as well as other products that were not made with the contaminated wheat gluten supplied by ChemNutra Inc., but were manufactured during the period the chemical-laced gluten was used.

While Acheson said he remains confident that none of the products contaminated with melamine ended up as an ingredient in human food, he noted that some poultry and hogs ate feed including some of the recalled pet food.

That isn't expected to pose a hazard to humans because of the dilution factor, he explained. (Paging Dr. Gupta blog: Dilution)

Pets that became sickened or died ingested larger dose of melamine because pet food makes up their entire diet.

On the other hand, the contaminated pet food made up only a small part of the hog and poultry feed, meaning they got a lesser amount and none of those animals became ill. In addition, pork and poultry make up only a part of the human diet so the amount anyone might eat would be very small.

Kenneth Peterson of the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said some meat and poultry made it to the market and "there is just no evidence of any harm to humans from that chicken or that pork."

Animals on farms where the pet food is known to have been used are now being barred from slaughter, he added.

The FDA has inspectors in China working with local officials to trace the sources of the contamination, he said.

The New York Times, meanwhile, reported that Mao Lijun, the manager of the Chinese firm that supplied the wheat gluten, was detained by Chinese authorities.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: GUEST, Topsie
Date: 03 May 07 - 05:27 AM

Is it poisonous for humans? Animals differ as to what they can and cannot consume - e.g. chocolate poisons dogs; even small amounts of aspirin can poison cats, whereas we can benefit from small doses.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Greg B
Date: 02 May 07 - 12:54 PM

I'm concerned because I'm wondering about the rice bran sould
at Agway and other outlets to feed to our livestock.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Donuel
Date: 02 May 07 - 12:25 PM

The poison has now been found in 3 million chickens that were sold for human consumption as well as a large number of pigs.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Metchosin
Date: 02 May 07 - 12:20 PM

It has been announced that melamine tainted feed has been fed to hogs in six States in the US, as well as poulty in Indiana. Here in BC it was fed to farmed Atlantic salmon which have already gone to market and been consumed.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 May 07 - 10:05 PM

Latest Pet Food Recall

    Chenango Valley Pet Foods, based in central New York, is voluntarily recalling some of its pet foods that were made with a certain shipment of rice protein concentrate.

    The Food and Drug Administration says the concentrate may be contaminated with melamine - which may lead to illness or even death in animals.

    The pet foods were sold to customers in Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

    Chenango Valley Pet Foods is offering a full refund.

    For more information call [phone].

    The following pet foods are being recalled:

--Doctors Foster & Smith Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Adult Lite Dog Food. It was sold in containers with net weights of 5, 12.5 and 25 lbs. with code dates best used by Jan. 24, 2009, Feb. 8, 2009, Feb. 26, 2009, April 10, 2009, and April 17, 2009.

--Doctors Foster & Smith Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Adult Lite Cat Food. It was sold in containers with net weights of 3 and 7 lbs. with a code date of best used by March 13, 2009.

--Lick Your Chops Lamb Meal, Rice & Egg Cat Food in packages with a net weight of 4 lbs. and a code date best used by April 29, 2008.

--Bulk Chicken & Brown Rice Formula Adult Lite Dog Food sold to one consignee, SmartPak, in a 2,000-pound tote with a ship date of Feb. 9, 2007.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Peace
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 04:16 PM

"porkbellies will fall"

Good one.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 04:14 PM

The FDA has NO LEGAL AUTHORITY to recall food.

call it quirky but thats the way it is.

Now the poison is linked to US swine.

Maybe a futures bet that porkbellies will fall is in order.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Peace
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 03:45 PM

We share that interpretation. Like, when is a ton of feathers more than a ton of feathers?

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 03:36 PM

Good one, Peace. That confirms what I thought some of the better articles were hinting at. Apparently the others thought it wasn't polite to say "deliberate criminal fraud."(?)

Of course, that's still just my interpretation, I suppose.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Peace
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 04:50 PM

Here ya go, JiK.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 02:16 PM

The melamine addition may be a fairly common thing in China, where the contaminated stuff came from. Some recent articles appear to say that the market for human food is rife with "unapproved adulterants" there. Several non-food approved dyes/colorants have been cited along with the apparently common melamine (fertilizer) additions. Fairly common use of agricultural and industrial chemicals rather than "food grade" materials is claimed, although the reports I've seen lack really credible citations.

A latest in the "pet food" recall cycle appears to be an investigation of melamine spiked agricultural (esp. hog) food, and at least one US hog herd supposedly has been blocked from being slaughtered for market because of alleged confirmation that they were fed melamine doped food. (Note: lots of weasel-words should indicate the quality of reports I've seen.)

I haven't seen details, but some reports imply that the addition of melamine does not actually affect (raise) the protein content, but only makes it appear to have a higher protein content than it actually does when it's tested by ordinary methods. Has anyone seen a clarification on this?

John

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 04:35 PM

And, one more recall...just seems to keep coming, doesn't it:

he U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the voluntary recall of another brand of possibly contaminated dog food.

Massachusetts`s SmartPak Inc. initiated the recall of a single production run of its LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food after determining the product included a rice protein concentrate that was found contaminated with melamine.

The company said no other formulas of LiveSmart dog or cat foods were involved in the recall and every affected pet owner has been notified.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Peace
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 08:45 PM

Pay 'em enough and they'll re-certify thalidomide.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 06:56 PM

Good to hear how he is doing, Nancy.

JohninkS, thanks for the link. After reading the whole article, I found the following alarming:

Although Wyeth has been sued on behalf of dozens of people whose pets took Proheart 6, the company hopes to be vindicated, too. It has kept selling the drug in Canada, Europe and elsewhere, and it has approached the FDA with more data for a possible U.S. comeback.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Nancy King
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 06:41 PM

Guest, thanks for the good wishes and the information. Actually, I was able to get the equipment, etc., for considerably less than I was paying the vet at first. Katlaughing suggested I try Drs. Foster & Smith, which I did, and they had what I needed (NACL bags, tubing & needles) for a reasonable price. The $50-60/week figure was based on the vet's price and also on hydrating Roscoe every day. He's now getting the treatment four times per week, and the cost of the equipment comes to not quite $10/week. Of course I have to take him back to the vet periodically to check that he's doing OK, and what with the necessary blood work and all, that comes to almost $100 per visit. Maybe if he's doing OK this next time I can skip a couple of months between visits.

Anyone see the speculation in the press about the possibility that the melamine -- or whatever it was -- was introduced into the food purposely, to boost protein levels? Sheesh!

Nancy

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 06:30 PM

A little off the subject of the pet food, but I note that there are a number of articles popping up with complaints that the FDA, the principal agency charged with assuring safety in both human and pet food, is complaining that they know, and have known, of a number of "problem areas" that they have been unable to handle due to funding limitations. This isn't a subject on which I've started to log the news, so I didn't make notes, but there were a couple of articles at MSNBC in the last day or so.

A related subject, pet medicines, brings up the recent story:

Watchdog risked career over pet-drug warning,

Speaking up about risky medicine sparked Senate inquiry, got vet demoted.

It's difficult to tell if this last article is a bit sensationalized; but I have no difficulty believing that it could easily be true.

John

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 10:51 PM

Nancy,

I hope Roscoe is doing Ok. I have a cat that has had kidney failure for many years, not because of the recent recall, simply because he is old. We have been giving him subcutaneous fluids for seven years now and, believe it or not, he is 23 and so far so good. It is a pain to do it, but he has a full and normal life because of it.

The cost of $50 to $60 for the subcutaneous fluids your vet is charging you can be reduced to approximatly $6.00 per set-up, if you order directly from a supplier. Ask your vet to give you a perscription for the fluids; Lactated Ringer Bags, IV lines and needles, and then call UPCO at 1-800-254-8726 or Terumo at 1-800-216-3213 and order what you need. Both Upco and Terumo will not fill your order without a perscription, which they will request that you send (fax)to them. Also, the cost will depend on how much you order. If you order more than 12 bags you can get the best deal, (around $2.75 to $3.25 per bag) and be sure to ask them how much you will have to spend to avoid shipping cost. By the way, we like Terumo's 18 G X 1 needle, it seems to go in and stay in easier, but it really depends on your personal preference.

Good Luck

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Metchosin
Date: 19 Apr 07 - 11:18 AM

Well its not just wheat gluten now. Its seems that Natural Balance's rice protein concentrate from China, also contains melamine.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: GUEST,Dianne
Date: 19 Apr 07 - 09:44 AM

My dogs and cats have always eaten PHD foods. I can't believe how healthy they are! You can read more about their program at www.viandpet.com

Right now I have two Shiloh Shepheds and when this recall happened i am so glad I didn't have to worry about anything.

This is also not a plug but just want to let people know about this life-changing program and how much better your animals will be.

Dianne

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Nancy King
Date: 17 Apr 07 - 09:51 PM

Boy, this just doesn't stop, does it? What a miserable situation.

Roscoe seems to be doing OK at this point, but still needs his subcutaneous fluid injections every other day -- and probably will for the rest of his life. What a drag. BTW, I never have heard back from the class-action lawsuit people, or for that matter, the FDA. Someone from the Maryland FDA did leave a message on my answering machine at one point, saying they'd call back later, but they never did. Maybe I'll try leaving another message, though I doubt I'll ever get any compensation from anybody.

Nancy

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: beardedbruce
Date: 17 Apr 07 - 11:10 AM

Natural Balance recalls venison dog, cat foods
POSTED: 9:22 a.m. EDT, April 17, 2007

Story Highlights• Natural Balance recalls types of dog, cat food
• Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food , Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Food recalled
• Last month, Menu food recalled 60,000 cans of pet food
• Large veterinary chain sees 30 percent increase in kidney failure

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Natural Balance Pet Foods recalled two kinds of pet food after receiving reports of animals vomiting and experiencing kidney problems, the Food and Drug Administration said Monday.

The recall includes all date codes of Venison & Brown Rice Dry Dog Food and Venison & Green Pea Dry Cat Food.

The company does not know the cause of the problem, but said it is focused on one particular lot.

Natural Balance Pet Foods is working with the FDA to investigate the matter and is urging consumers to not feed either pet food product to their animals.

Last month, Menu Foods recalled 60 million cans of dog and cat food after the deaths of 16 pets, mostly cats, that ate its products. (Details on recall)

The FDA said tests indicated the food was contaminated with an industrial chemical, melamine.

At least six pet food companies have recalled products made with imported Chinese wheat gluten tainted with the chemical. The recall involved about 1 percent of the U.S. pet food supply.

FDA spokeswoman Julie Zawisza said the agency had no indication that the Natural Balance case is related to the melamine problem.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Apr 07 - 12:15 AM

This is unfucking believable:

By Julianna Goldman

April 12 (Bloomberg) -- Pet food with contaminated wheat gluten from China is still being sold in stores, U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said.

``We know that there is not 100 percent of the product off the shelf,'' Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said today at a Senate panel holding a hearing on last month's recall of contaminated pet food.

The FDA is examining tainted pet food that has been linked to the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs. Canada's Menu Foods Ltd. has recalled more than 60 million cans and pouches of food sold under brand names such Procter & Gamble Co.'s Iams and Nestle SA's Mighty Dog.

The FDA discovered pet food tainted with melamine, a substance used to make plastic kitchen utensils and fertilizer, that was traced to a supply of wheat gluten obtained from China by ChemNutra Inc. of Las Vegas.

PetConnection.com, a Web site that has been tracking the recall, said 3,973 pets deaths from tainted food have been reported as of this morning. About 12,419 cats and dogs have been reported sick. The site says the tally shouldn't be considered official because the numbers are ``self reported.''

Sundlof also told the panel that less than one-third of pet-food processing facilities have been inspected in the last three years.

``Over the past 3 1/2 years, we've inspected approximately 30 percent of all the pet food manufacturers in the United States,'' he said.

Adequate Inspection?

``Do you think that's an adequate inspection to protect the quality and wholesomeness and safety of pet food products?'' asked Senator Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who called for the hearing. ``I think what's happened with pet food contamination is an indication that we are not dedicating the most basic resources to this endeavor, and we've seen the outcome.''

Durbin said he wanted to know why it took Menu Foods at least 22 days to recall the food after it first suspected potential problems.

Earlier this week, Menu Foods, which is based in the Toronto suburb of Streetsville, expanded its recall after finding additional tainted pet food at a plant in Canada.

Menu Foods Income Fund, which owns Menu Foods Ltd., rose 8 cents, or 1.9 percent, to C$4.20 on the Toronto Stock Exchange today. The stock has dropped 43 percent since the day before the recall.

To contact the reporter on this story: Julianna Goldman in Washington at [e-mail]

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Ebbie
Date: 08 Apr 07 - 11:52 AM

This is the kind of problem I'm referring to:

"Chemical scares and mass poisonings are common in China, which has been struggling to improve a dismal food-safety record. Manufacturers often mislabel food products or add illegal substances to them. Cooks routinely disregard hygiene rules or mistakenly use industrial chemicals instead of salt and other ingredients.

"Last year, seven companies were punished for using banned Sudan I dye to color egg yolks red. The industrial dye, a possible carcinogen used for leather, floor polish and other household chemicals, has been found in various consumer products sold in China, such as roasted meat, chili powder and lipstick.

"In 2004, at least 12 infants died from malnutrition after drinking formula with little or no nutritional value in eastern China's Anhui province."

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Metchosin
Date: 08 Apr 07 - 03:32 AM

If I had been a little clearer in my thinking, I would have suggested that subsidies, in general, appear to be the root cause, not corn specifially.....but its late and my brain hurts.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Metchosin
Date: 08 Apr 07 - 03:22 AM

The question has been raised as to why the US imported wheat gluten from China. Almost all of North America's wheat gluten, for both PET and HUMAN CONSUMPTION is imported. It is cheaper than home produced gluten. And we can, to a great extent, blame that on the use of CORN starch as a sweetener in North America. I believe that the corn industry in the US is heavily subsidized.

The largest exporter of wheat gluten to the US is Europe, because Europeans use their heavily subsizied wheat starch to produce their sweeteners and consequently in the manufacturing process, they have a lot of left over gluten, which they export.

More on the story here

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Big Mick
Date: 07 Apr 07 - 03:39 PM

Up until last May, I represented these workers in their labor relations. They are a good bunch, and this company always took quality control and the welfare of the animals, very seriously. I represented numbers of workers (including the one mentioned in my earlier post) in discipline hearing over the issue of quality control. The point the company raised many times was that the health of peoples beloved pets was at stake.

As I said in the earlier post, as a Union Organizer I don't defend corporate interests often, but in every dealing I have had with this company they have been very concerned for the pets of their clients. I believe when this all shakes out, the company will have been blindsided by tainted ingredients.

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Becca72
Date: 07 Apr 07 - 03:20 PM

Ok, thank you for clearing that up, Mick. I didn't hear anything about the NJ plant and thought the trouble was coming out of Ontario. Much appreciated.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Big Mick
Date: 07 Apr 07 - 03:16 PM

Menu Foods is a Canadian company. The plant causing all the fuss, however, is located in Pennsauken, New Jersey.

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Ebbie
Date: 07 Apr 07 - 02:17 PM

Yes, but reportedly the contaminent(s) came from China. Whether the ingredients were put together in Canada or in the US, my point remains.

Given China's record I don't - at all trust the safety of any food it can export, whether for pets or for humans.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Becca72
Date: 07 Apr 07 - 12:25 PM

"I don't understand WHY the US is buying ingestables at all from China"

Maybe I'm being dense here, but Menu Foods is a Canadian company...

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Ebbie
Date: 07 Apr 07 - 12:09 PM

That fact, Charley, doesn't change the fact that China has a continuous battle versus contamination. Read the link I gave.

My point is that if things in China are as bad as that link says, no other country has any business trusting its quality control.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Apr 07 - 08:56 PM

Guest Ebbie-

Please reread this thread. China is hardly unique in terms of producing contaminated grain and trying to cover up the contamination.

However, when contamination becomes evident, as it has in this case, it is important that everyone concerned become actively involved so that the source of the contamination is clearly identified by the scientific authorities who might prefer to ignore such "problems." We may yet be able to achieve international safeguards in the manufacturing process. Or maybe not!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: GUEST, Ebbie
Date: 06 Apr 07 - 04:56 PM

I don't understand WHY the US is buying ingestables at all from China. It is well documented that China has a deplorable record of contamination in numerous categories. Given that, I would think that export would be barred. Their claim that no tainted foods were sent or will be sent to the US is suspect in the extreme.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17980629/

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: beardedbruce
Date: 06 Apr 07 - 12:41 PM

Thursday, April 05, 2007
On the toxic pet food story....
Our correspondent Joe Johns and his team are breaking some news on the pet food scandal:

Most of us had been assuming that somewhere along the supply-chain the wheat gluten that goes into pet food was accidentally contaminated by the chemical melamine. Testing is still underway, but toxicologists suspect that the crystals containing melamine and found in animals' kidneys is making them ill or killing them.

The phrase to focus on here is "accidentally contaminated." The FDA now tells us it's investigating whether or not the contamination was intentional -- and profit-motivated.

Here's why:

The FDA says it's possible that melamine can be used to raise protein levels in wheat gluten. Higher protein levels make the wheat gluten more valuable. So, based on his conversation with the FDA, here's what Joe is looking at tonight: Was this all about money?

All the companies -- including the Chinese company that the FDA says distributed the tainted gluten, the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Development Co. -- have denied adding melamine to the wheat gluten in the pet food.

Here's another thing:

The FDA has now received more than 12,000 complaints about contaminated pet food. That's more than the total number of complaints the FDA had received over the past two years.
Posted By David Doss, "360" Executive Producer: 7:39 PM ET

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: beardedbruce
Date: 06 Apr 07 - 12:07 PM

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1607483,00.html?xid=site-cnn-partner

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Metchosin
Date: 06 Apr 07 - 11:31 AM

This is the first time I've been really thankful that my dogs are allergic to wheat, beef and chicken. While bits of salmon jerky and goat cheese worked OK for training, our vet didn't even recommend a big ham bone for them to gnaw on, so finding commercially prepared hard dog treats, that were also good for their teeth, was particularly a pain in the ass.

Then we discovered "Lucky Dog" dog biscuits! I figure that any company that would use saskatoon berries in their product has a lot of jam. How's that as a commercial for them? I should own stock. LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Sorcha
Date: 06 Apr 07 - 10:08 AM

A few weeks ago, some one gave us a bag of dog treats...I didn't give them out as I prefer Flavoured Milk Bones. I checked the brand etc last night....Sunshine Mills. Glad I didn't feed them. Just luck, I guess.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Apr 07 - 08:53 AM

More recalls:

Sunshine Mills, of Red Bay, Ala., manufactures branded and private label dry pet food and biscuits. The recalled biscuits include Nurture Chicken and Rice Biscuit, Ol' Roy Peanut Butter Biscuit and Pet Life Large Biscuit.

Conrad Pitts, a lawyer for Sunshine Mills, said 80 percent of the tainted biscuits were sold by Wal-Mart, under the Ol' Roy brand. Mr. Pitts said that the company had produced about 24 truckloads of biscuits with the contaminated gluten, and that the majority of the product was large biscuits. He said wheat gluten accounted for less than 1 percent of the total weight of the biscuits.

and,

Menu Foods, which last month recalled more than 90 brands of its "cuts and gravy" pet food, said yesterday that it had extended the period of time covered by its recall to include food made after Nov. 8, 2006. The company, based in Ontario, initially recalled only food made from Dec. 3, 2006, to March 6, 2007.

The company also added 20 additional varieties of those brands to the recall list yesterday. Information about the recalled pet food can be found at www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Nancy King
Date: 05 Apr 07 - 10:12 PM

I'm not concerned with any tainted food with Fancy Feast, but I'm trying to comply with the vet's instructions about Roscoe's nutritional needs. It ain't easy, but I doubt he'll starve.

Nancy

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Apr 07 - 09:44 PM

Nancy-

Fancy Feast seems to have eluded any list of suspects that we have found. We're still using the Fancy Feast Medley which our two finicky cats seem to thrieve on.

However, we are not vets or FDA scientists

I bet someone saved a penny a can on the wheat gluten deal they got from China.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Apr 07 - 04:33 PM

News of the day. Posted without comment:

Apr 05, 2007 03:12 PM
Curtis Rush
Staff Reporter

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration admitted Thursday that the official number of pet deaths related to tainted food will climb much higher than the 16 reported so far.

"This (16) is a number we recognize is nowhere near the reality and that there are many more animals that have been affected," said Stephen Sundloff, director of the Center of Veterinary Medicine at the FDA.

The FDA said that in the past three weeks it has received more than 12,000 consumer complaints, more than twice the number of complaints it usually receives in a year for any product.

Sundloff was speaking Thursday in a teleconference call from the U.S. to update reporters on the investigation into the suspected melamine at the heart of the massive recall, one of the largest in the FDA's history.

"We're not saying we think that's an accurate number," Sundloff said. "Trying to put an estimate at this time is something we can't do. It's hard to get good clinical evidence. We have no good information what the final number will be or the extent of this tragedy."

Sundloff said the FDA doesn't have the resources necessary to confirm numbers at this time.

Meanwhile, the FDA identified another pet-food company in the U.S. that announced a food recall Thursday, adding to the massive recalled triggered last month by Mississauga-based Menu Foods after 16 animals died of kidney failure in tests.

The FDA said Sunshine Mills Inc. in Alabama is recalling dog biscuits made with imported Chinese wheat gluten, which is believed to have contained melamine.

Melamine is suspected of causing kidney failure in pets, but the FDA doesn't know how melamine, which is used in fertilizer and plastics, got into the pet food.

Also Thursday, Menu Foods expanded its original recall to include a broader range of dates, the FDA said.

Menu Foods spokesperson Sam Bornstein said the expanded recall now dates back to Nov. 8 and involves an additional 20 products, none of which are available in Canada.

Bornstein said this is a precautionary measure.

Menu Foods has being inundated with about 300,000 calls since the recall of 60 millions tins of wet food on March 16, but the company said on its website that its calling centres will be mostly silent this weekend to mark the Easter holiday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration told reporters Thursday that it believes the latest recall will be the last, although it can never be 100 per cent certain.

The FDA's Sundloff said pet owners can be assured that the food their pets are eating today will not likely be part of a recall at a later date.

"The public should feel secure about the products not subject to the recall," Sundloff said. "We don't know of any others that are potentially pending. My recommendation to consumers is that we should have (the recalls) all wrapped up."

Sunshine Mills is now among about six companies that have announced recalls of both wet and dry food. The others include Nestle Purina, Del Monte and Hills Pet Nutrition Inc.

"These recalled products represent less than 1 per cent of the pet food industry," said Sundloff. "There remains an ample supply of pet food through the United States."

The FDA is still identifying melamine, a largely non-toxic chemical normally found in fertilizer and plastics such as kitchenware, as the chief agent responsible for the pet deaths.

Officials said there is no reason to suspect any of the suspect chemical, melamine in the wheat gluten, has entered the human food chain.

A single U.S. supplier imported the wheat gluten from China, according to the FDA.

FDA officials are working with the Chinese authorities to investigate the wheat gluten from one particular company in that country.

Menu Foods said Thursday that ChemNutra Inc. was the former supplier of its wheat gluten. Based in Las Vegas, it no longer supplies Menu Foods. ChemNutra imported the wheat gluten from a company the FDA has identified as Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. in Wangdien, China. Records from Menu Foods show that products from ChemNutra were first used on Nov. 8 and last used on March 6.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Bee
Date: 05 Apr 07 - 07:09 AM

Guest Milky Way, gluten is fine for most omnivorous humans, but we're talking about carnivorous cats, who don't normally consume any more vegetation than might be found in the stomach of a mouse.

Subject: RE: BS: Poison pet food
From: Peace
Date: 05 Apr 07 - 01:16 AM

If you're allergic, yes!