Posted on 03/16/2007 2:53:30 PM PDT by Dysart
WASHINGTON - A major manufacturer of dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday after reports of kidney failure and deaths.
An unknown number of cats and dogs suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, Menu Foods said in announcing the North American recall. Product testing has not revealed a link explaining the reported cases of illness and death, the company said.
"At this juncture, we're not 100 percent sure what's happened," said Paul Henderson, the company's president and chief executive officer. However, the recalled products were made using wheat gluten purchased from a new supplier, since dropped for another source, spokeswoman Sarah Tuite said. Wheat gluten is a source of protein.
The recall covers the company's "cuts and gravy" style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6 throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Company, Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others, Henderson said.
Menu Foods did not immediately provide a full list of brand names and lot numbers covered by the recall, saying they would be posted on its Web site — http://www.menufoods.com/recall — early Saturday. Consumers with questions can call (866) 463-6738.
The company said it manufacturers for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers. It is also a contract manufacturer for the top branded pet food companies. Its three U.S. and one Canadian factory produce more than 1 billion containers of wet pet food a year. The recall covers pet food made at company plants in Emporia, Kan., and Pennsauken, N.J., Henderson said.
Henderson said the company received an undisclosed number of owner complaints of vomiting and kidney failure in dogs and cats after they had been fed its products. It has tested its products but not found a cause for the sickness.
"To date, the tests have not indicated any problems with the product," Henderson said.
The company alerted the
Food and Drug Administration, which already has inspectors in one of the two plants, Henderson said. The FDA was working to nail down brand names covered by the recall, agency spokesman Mike Herndon said.
Menu Foods is majority owned by the Menu Foods Income Fund, based in Ontario, Canada.
Henderson said the recall would cost the company the Canadian equivalent of $26 million to $34 million.
How old is your kitty?
BIG PING!
Good grief. I had no idea that the Soylent Corporation had a pet food division!
Check your cat food.
Slings, I borrowed your list.
and after reading all that, my wife wanted to cook for the dogs. Fortunately, we use a salmon based food for skin allergies and the maker didn't make one website's list and the ingredianet don't have the 'meal' as a component.
Heh heh, you dawg.
So is their phone number.
I'm not sure sure these Canucks have their act together.
Thanks HOTD. Even when we stay with name brand foods we don't know what they're putting in our pet's food. Scary.
Pinging some of you 'cat people' too!
So I just got back from buying her tuna in water at Aldi's and read this. She is eating that right up after not eating anything all day, $.49 a can, won't say the 2 brands of canned cat food I've bought religiously to see if more comes to light about this, none of those mentioned, but I noticed that she was just licking the gravy off those "cuts" a lot. Also bought canned salmon, the cheaper pink stuff. She will eat scraps from the table, too.
I got her some boned chicken breasts at the butcher shop and stewed them, and she ate all the liquid and all the chicken, seems to be feeling better generally overall, a lot peppier, they had to rehydrate her, gave her shot and I gave her clavamox? in liquid form.
I cooked her some frozen, cooked steaks I sometimes use for soup in water to make broth, and she doesn't like that, skimmed all the fat off the top, she might have eaten the fat lol.
Just had to give her more tuna, she licked the plate clean. But older animals do develop kidney problems and various ailments, so I don't necessarily blame the cat food at this point. Guess I've got a finicky eater now. My other dearly loved old cat died in Aug 2005 at 21, kidney thing as best the vet could tell. She got finicky about eating the last year or so, and I had to cook and buy for her as above until finally she wouldn't eat anything. Strained baby meat in a jar was the last thing she would eat before she quit.
Info bump.
Bookmarking
They will find that the storied Canadian wait lists(socialized pet care doesn't work!) won't cut it with Americans. We want answers and we want them NOW.
I could have lived the rest of my life without knowing that.
But now that I do know, thanks. I will be choosing my packaged pet food more wisely in the future.
Is this the same as the deaths from Beneful? That was reported true by snopes. Or is this another instance?
Totally separate case here.
I hope not! It sounds like it's a store brand. Menu Brands? Never heard of it.
sw
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