Pet Food Blogger Chat
Itchmo will be joining an esteemed panel of bloggers covering the pet food recall at on online chat on (Today) Tuesday, May 8th at 10pm Eastern/7pm Pacific hosted by PetHobbyist.com. This has been on eye-opening experience for us and we would like to share our thoughts and stories in covering the news with you.
Panelists:
You can join the chat here on Tuesday, May 8th at 10pm Eastern/7pm Pacific.
Full release after the jump. (Post bumped)
Online Panel about Pet Food Recall May 8
PetHobbyist.com invites you to attend a special panel discussion of the pet recall crisis, on Tuesday, May 8 at 10 PM Eastern Time.
When Menu Foods, back on March 16, announced its first recall of pet foods due to melamine contamination, the mainstream media was only briefly interested.
To a small group of bloggers, it was apparent from the first days that this story was much larger than most people thought. They began compiling data, comparing information, collecting personal stories, and digging for facts. Since then, there have been dozens of additional recalls, threats to the human health supply, a re-evaluation of international food safety standards, and a rising wave of frightened and angry pet owners.
PetHobbyist.com, on behalf of founder Jeff Barringer and its DogHobbyist.com, CatHobbyist.com, and PetSupport.net communities, invites you to attend an online panel discussion with the bloggers who have been following the pet food crisis from the beginning, to discuss the story behind the recall, what’s likely to happen next, and what pet owners can do to protect their pets now and in the future.
Joining us will be:
On Tuesday, May 8, at 10 PM ET, simply enter the Auditorium. If you are registered for our site, use your regular username and password to log in. If not, just click on Login as a guest, enter your name, and join us.
How panel discussions work:
PetHobbyist.com has been hosting online panel discussions, seminars, and guest chats for almost ten years. We have trained chat hosts, designated with a “PH” in front of their names and a red flag afterward, who will facilitate the discussion.
The guests will be introduced, and then will discuss their perceptions of the pet food crisis. If at any time during the discussion you have a question or comment, just type ? and !. Your name will be added to the queue, and a host will call on you when it’s your turn. Wait to be called on my the host to send your question to the room, but please have it typed and ready to send when you’re called on, to avoid delays. Questions? Contact Moira O’Connor, PetHobbyist.com’s Chat Coordinator.
There is no open chatting in the room during the special guest panel.
May 7th, 2007 at 9:35 am
I’m really looking forward to this chat……not only have all of you & your websites saved a multitude of animals but the people who post have really helped me so much with all of their knowledge (& humor).
I get my info on recalls from all of you…..my friends have not heard a word on any of these because they are not publicized….not even a little. I’m sure the biggest PF companies have put a lid on the media…..so the majority of people out there believe this has been over since March sometime & go about happily buying the big names in PF & still poisoning their pets. How sad is that? I’m pretty much afraid to buy any commercial food right now…..even sadder.
Anyway, looking forward to sitting in on the chat with all of you…..
May 7th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Not one single criminal indictment.
Amazing. Apparently crime does pay. And very well.
May 7th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Not one single criminal indictment.
Amazing. Apparently crime does pay. And very well.
May 7th, 2007 at 10:09 am
Looking forward to the upcoming chat Tues. night. Was able to listen to Pet Central last night. As a former Chicagoan I felt like I was back in my beloved city. Chicagoans are a politically activite bunch. Ben was great!
No wonder this is such an informative and well organized site as Ben is a grad of Northwestern’s School of Journalism.
I think Ben’s best quote of the night was that, “Our pets did not die in vain”. Pet Connection’s host , Steve Dale, said now he has an answer to the people that contact him asking why our beloved pets had to die and/or suffer a serious illness. Ben believes we will see changes for the better in food safety coming from this disaster. We all have to stick together to make sure that becomes a reality. Thank you once again Ben for Itchmo.
May 7th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Hi,
I’ve been reading a lot of these entrees, and feel and agree with the rage felt over this.
How amazing, really, that our government is allowing this to happen to us (and I am one of the lucky ones, with a living dog, only traumatized over what to feed him).
Here’s the thing. I just read about a 20 year old getting three years in prison for animal cruelty… she let two dogs nearly starve to death from neglect. Three years of prison for…neglect.
Despite the appalling lack of laws in place regulating the food industries, don’tthe laws about animal cruelty still make these people criminal? Legally? They KILLED thousands of animals and caused suffering to thousands others.
I know the class action suits etc are not able to go very far due to the gov. protecting corporations and pets being considered “property” etc….
BUT… why not get every animal law enforcement agency (these are different in different states, I believe) to bring these criminals up on ANIMAL CRUELTY charges. Each state can take care of the criminals producing food in their state.
That’s my idea.
May 7th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Is there going to be a transcript available?? I won’t be able to make that chat and it makes me so mad because it’s going to be SOOOO good!
May 7th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
I have a friend who is feeding Her cats Good Life, dry. It’s made by Mars. Is this a good food to be feeding them? They did trow up at first. Thanks, Trudy
May 7th, 2007 at 7:59 pm
Is there anymore conversation on this thread? Trudy
ITCHMO ADMIN: Trudy, please go to our Forums: www.itchmoforums.com for questions like these.
May 8th, 2007 at 11:52 am
I’ll second Jen’s question here: will there be a transcript available?
I’m out tonight but would love to read the results of the chat.
May 8th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
ALERT: This Diane Rehm nationally-syndicated NPR show aired this morning and you can now listen to the Real Audio/Windows audio. http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/
I haven’t begun listening yet, but am most anxious to hear what William Hubbard has to say. A former FDA commissioner, Hubbard is an adviser to the FDA Coalition (http://www.fdacoalition.org), which is lobbying for a stronger FDA. He and I have corresponded, and he’s with us in wanting wider inspections and more FDA field agents. And Rep. Bart Stupak is one of the House leaders on new legislation to improve the FDA.
10:00 Safety of Imported Food and Medicine
Contaminated medicines are linked to at least eight mass poisonings around the world in the last two decades. We’ll talk about recent efforts to monitor the safety of both food and medicine imported into the U.S.
Guests
William Hubbard, former associate commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration
Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety for the Center for Science in the Public Interest
Congressman Bart Stupak, D, Michigan, 1st District
Jeff Stier, associate director, American Council on Science & Health
http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/