Recall Update: Thursday
Is tainted food maker in China back in business? Binzhou posts new ad on June 12.
Recall-Related News:
- Analyst says Menu Foods future is “cloudy at best.”
- Investors believe Del Monte is poised to take business from Menu Foods.
- Pet owner issues a challenge to the FDA on acetaminophen testing.
- Regarding report of melamine in Country Value brand in Korea: FDA spokesperson says they are “not aware of any South Korean lab or the Korean government having contacted the FDA with respect to analytical findings.”
PFI attacks ExperTox’s reputation. ExperTox stands by findings.
“Through our contacts in Texas, which is where the lab is located that conducted the analysis, we have learned there is genuine concern among key toxicological and analytical experts about the lab and the actual test results,†Gallagher said.
The Lab Manager for ExperTox told us today that her company stands by its finding.
Expertox’s Donna Coneley also said she doesn’t have any idea what Texas experts Gallagher and PFI are talking about.
“They never name the experts they’re working with,†Coneley said. “When someone says ‘people I know say this,’ it sounds to me like they’re trying to say there are experts who have looked into this and don’t agree with the findings. But I don’t believe there are.
“To me, it sounds like they’re talking about imaginary experts,†Coneley said.
Coneley said the only experts her lab has worked with about the findings are those with the FDA. In fact, she told us she had the FDA on another line during our interview today.
“The pet food manufacturing companies have had ten-minute discussions with us about how we did our tests,†she said. “But they’re not experts.
Union of Concerned Scientists says FDA is not taking scientific concerns seriously:
The FDA mission statement calls for “helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health.” Unfortunately, scientists at the agency are concerned that science no longer plays this crucial role in the FDA’s regulatory decisions.
Independent science must be the driving force for decisions made by the FDA. Based on the survey responses from FDA scientists, it is clear that the agency needs to demonstrate a greater respect for independent science and improve both the transparency and accountability of its decisions.
Testing Your Own Pet Food?
Here’s our guide to making sure your test results are as accurate and trustworthy as possible. Share your test results with other pet owners and coordinate testing in this thread in our forums.
Add Itchmo New To Your Site: Keep other pet owners informed with recalls and other pet news with our widget. The widget will update automatically with the latest headlines. Get it here.
Check out our non-recall news below. And as always, we’ll keep covering all pet news.
Also, if you have questions or need help, try our ItchmoForums. Get your questions answered by great pet owners.
(Thanks for the tip Rebecca and menusux)
June 14th, 2007 at 7:10 am
I wish I could get every penny back of my money that ever went to fund the FDA. Their reaction is more victimizing to me than the initial poisoning as they are turning a blind eye. The FDA obviously wants all of this to go away. They would much rather all of us stay “ill-informed”. An informed public is much more dangerous to them than keeping us in the dark. Because of their recent handling (mishandling is more accurate) of the pet food recall and recent “human” food recalls, the FDA has proven they are understaffed, uneducated and completely ill-informed. It would not surprise me to find this a cover up as it has become too big for them to handle. The incompetence is overwhelming since this all began. I see nothing more than bumbling idiots running around with their heads cut off as they just don’t want to deal with this anymore. It is vital to keep this in the press and I still will forward news stories to my local affiliates and newspaper just hoping to keep this alive. I am amazed at how quickly the “aminopterin” lab got “shut up” after they still were standing by their results. How could something show up so blatantly and then “be a mistake” We all think now the results of the FDA are the ones with the incorrect results.
June 14th, 2007 at 7:21 am
Kudos to ExperTox for standing their ground. I’m moving from the view that FDA is a hapless group of incompetents that are easily manipulated by business interests to the view that they are shameless whores of business interests and will do anything to protect them. And if PFI thinks that innuendo about ExperTox’s methods and reputation will divert attention from these test results and the disgraceful actions of the manufacturers involved, it just proves once more that they think we’re all stupid and will believe anything. If I were one of the powers that be at ExperTox, I’d demand a full accounting from PFI about their “experts” while simultaneously filing a lawsuit for libel.
June 14th, 2007 at 7:31 am
This is the email I sent to Sen Durbin.
“My family and pets have been vitimized again. The FDA has decided to “stand down” as far as testing of acetaminophen. You should read the “Summary of the FDA Scientist Survey” from 2006 Union of Concerned Scientists.
The decision that their (FDA)test results are correct and “anybody who disagrees is incorrect” is so absolutely ridiculous. Who’s to say their reults are wrong. The FDA wants to minimize this as it has become so out of control—well if I find more than melamine in my 17 packets of pet food in my freezer, you will hear my name as I will make such a stink—I plan on testing the food from different labs as soon as I pay off my vet bills. The unfortunate part of all this is the fact that my cats may still get sickened as I do not believe it for one minute that this issue has been resolved. The melamine has supposedly been in there for years, my cats ate the same food for 10 years and all of a sudden–Acute Renal Failure in both cats—with my vet saying they were poisoned—aminopterin –acetaminophen—I can believe—melamine that they’ve been eating for years—I doubt it now. I’m sorry to sound so upset but the last 4 months I have spent every morning trying to find the latest safe food so my family doesn’t lose 4 beloved members due to someone’s incompetence (FDA) or GREED (pet food suppliers and companies)”
I doubt he’ll read this but hope if enough people send him info he’ll get back on the FDA.–Carol
June 14th, 2007 at 7:39 am
“Union of Concerned Scientists says FDA is not taking scientific concerns seriously”
When has the FDA taken any science seriously under this administration? This is the most anti-science administration we’ve ever had.
June 14th, 2007 at 8:14 am
Menu Foods made a fatal flaw when they bypassed the need to properly handle this crisis at the level of the pet owner and instead just tried to assure their account holders - BIG MISTAKE.
If pet owner issues have not been properly handled (dealing timely, honestly, and directly with issues of illnesses, deaths, compensation, trust, communication, etc..) then pet owners will just refuse to buy product from those account holders that continue to use MF - and that is now what is happening.
I urge all of us to continue to BOYCOTT against all those that need boycotting and continue to put the SQUEEZE on everyone. These multi-nationals will soon realize that dropping MF won’t be enough - it will be just a beginning - the first baby step in a long process towards truly caring about all animals and manufacturing safe, high quality healthy food for pets. That needs to happen first - it needs to be a true, sustained effort, and it needs to be quantified. Then -only then- will pet owners even consider whether or not to revisit some of these products.
Until EVERYONE starts taking the idea of animal health and welfare (no more testing), safety, quality, and optimal pet nutrition seriously, we will just find a way to safely and nutritiously feed our own pets - we don’t need this poison and low quality #$%^ that has been pawned on our animals.
WE DON’T NEED YOU!!!!!!!!!
June 14th, 2007 at 8:22 am
“That company’s fall from grace in the pet food industry, he said, may prompt other companies to begin using Del Monte as a contract manufacturer.
“Numerous pet food companies such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate and Nestle-Ralston used Menu Foods in contract manufacturing and are seeking excess capacity,” he said. “Del Monte has it and thus is in a unique position that is likely to be additive to earnings for some time.”
This too is a fatal flaw - until DM deals with their own horrendous products, buying out MF will be a catastrophe for them as well. We won’t buy their filthy products just we have refused to buy from MF, P&G, C&P, etc…ALL your names are associated with low quality, unethical practices, low QA & QC, unsafe foods, inhumanity, greed, and a long list of expletives.
June 14th, 2007 at 8:26 am
“Through our contacts in Texas, which is where the lab is located that conducted the analysis, we have learned there is genuine concern among key toxicological and analytical experts about the lab and the actual test results,†Gallagher said.
This is SOOO typical nowadays. They’ve read the Karl Rove handbook on how to handle a situation when you can’t “kill” the message–you go after the MESSENGER instead!
So, PFI, you can make a shadey statement, but you can’t list ONE factual reason why we should be “concerned” about ExperTox.
On the other hand, I’m sure we can come up with many reasons why we should be concerned about what PFI says/does. For starters you’re in the back pocket of the pet food manufactoring industry!
June 14th, 2007 at 8:36 am
FDA, PFI, DM, MF, P&G, C&P, etc…: ALL of you who have harmed our pets by your continuing actions and inactions:
Guess What? WE HAVE GOT YOUR NUMBER…we know the who the real liars, incompetents, and losers are - just look in the mirror.
June 14th, 2007 at 8:48 am
The notion that “you can’t fight City Hall” is long gone thanks to us loud mouthed baby boomers. My parents generation took the government at face falue but through the years we have smartened up and realize that the government SERVES the public so the PUBLIC needs to be involved. Agencies had gotten used to business as usual—but the tide has changed. My tax dollars pay for these agencies and personnel so they have to listen to the taxpayers. It is probably unpleasant for them now but it can’t be any other way. This reminds me of my very first job many years ago—they taught us just enough to do most of our job—they didn’t want us to know everything as that would be dangerous. Fortunately times change and now is the time to keep on our governement agencies and officials to demand that things be done correctly with full disclosure. We need to demand disclosure whenever the new “positive” test results are “proven” false. The FDA can not hide behide anyone. The PFI can not hide behind undisclosed results. Taxpayers have a right to see this information.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:10 am
From the ExperTox home page:
http://www.expertox.com/
“ExperTox is a certified federal small business contractor”
“Certification/Accreditation:
“FDEA–Federal Drug Enforcement Agency
“Department Health & Human Services”
(BTW-FDA is part of HHS)
Here’s an Itchmo link to PFI’s Texas Connection and what the doctor had to say about the pet food crisis BEFORE joining the PFI “National Pet Food Commission”:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/fda.....ment-28649
His interview did anything but reflect the PFI line of most food being safe. Here’s another Itchmo link which shows just how much PFI is doing to assist PF customers in choosing safe foods:
http://www.itchmo.com/read/fda.....ment-28666
None of the relevant links on the PFI site for non-industry work.
If the industry can’t see they are paying SmithBuckin, Duane-o and his band of boobs $ for doing nothing to represent them in a favorable light, they love to be cheated. Continuing to pay membership in PFI is also not going to make any possible federal charges re: selling adulterated and misbranded food disappear either. So the question is: why are all of you providing corporate welfare to PFI?
June 14th, 2007 at 9:16 am
I continue to be horrified, but not surprised, by the blatant “in your face” behavior of the FDA, PFI and other megacorporations. I DO NOT, for one minute, believe the FDA. They are trying hard to make this whole problem not their problem. I wish there was a way to designate where our tax dollars went . . .
I am a retired teacher who is paying off thousands of dollars of vet bills for my 11 year old cat who suffered ARF in November. She’s alive but has major health issues with a “guarded” prognosis. And I still don’t know whether the food I’m feeding her is safe!
This is one American who is terribly ashamed of her government, starting at the White House on down . . . and hoping that the “crazy pet parent bloggers” can help to turn things around.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:18 am
“In March, after several pets had died from the tainted “cuts and gravy” food, Menu was forced to initiate one of the continent’s biggest-ever recalls. About 60 million cans and pouches of wet pet food were affected.
The trust, which faces 90 class-action lawsuits over the poisonings, lost $17.5 million in its first quarter, a period that included half a month of the recall, which began March 16.”
After several pets died?? Several?? - how do these journalists or anyone for that matter reconcile several or even the oft quoted 16 deaths with over 90 class action lawsuits?? C’mon folks - use the small brain that has been god-given to put it together. This is NOT about a few deaths from a few tainted cans of pet food.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:27 am
2.33
Menu Foods stock as of right now - I love to watch the line plunge, plunge, plunge…let’s keep up the good work - CONTINUE TO SHARE YOUR OPINION OF MF, P&G, C&P, FDA, PFI, DM, ETC…..
June 14th, 2007 at 9:33 am
catmom5,
I am with you my 2 cats are on the road to recovery and I worry everyday as i feed them if I am doing more damage with what I am feeding trying to avoid PF. I hate not being able to trust anything, they both seemed to be having acid reflux again and I freaking out not knowing if the new bag of cat food I open about 2 weeks ago is bad, if the wild salmon, or boiled chicken is bad, or if they are just having another relapse symptom. I cannot afford to have every bag of food i buy tested before I use it. Sorry for ranting but this has been a stressful week with still no hope in sight.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Ive been reading the assessment info posted over at Pet Connection (which by the way appears to be down this morning for some reason) I keep seeing over and over, FDA asking questions of 6 experts. Over and over the 6 experts say additional testing is needed. Over and over FDA’s response says the experts agreed and the findings were appropriate. From what Im reading thats NOT what the experts were saying. FDA says their findings are valid and then say additional suggested considersations will be evaluated. Talk about spin!
Its the same thing we keep hearing from FDA over and over. Everythings fine, you crazy pet-parents (in my case ex pet-parent), just go bury your little heads in the sand. Nothing new hear to report, move on.
All this has done is convince me that there is even more out there that they dont want us to find out hence the obvious attempts to cover up info and intimidate labs that find damaging evidence. Shame on you FDA and PFI. And by the way Duane Eckedahl, I hope you lose your job real soon. Because of you more pets have died, all in the name of your bottom line, the almight dollar. I hope there is some zealous lawyer out there that sues both FDA and PFI.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:40 am
TAKE THE PLUNGE MENU FOODS! WHEN MF IS DEAD - THEN OUR PETS WILL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN…..
Menu Foods continues its downward slide, falls another 15%
Menu Foods Income Fund (MEWu/TSX) is down another 15% on Wednesday, after dropping more than 25% Tuesday on news the company had lost a major contract with one of its top customers.
According to Cormark Securities analyst Aleem Israel, Procter & Gamble canceled its contract for Menu’s “cuts & gravy” style pet food product.
P&G accounted for 11% of Menu’s 2006 “cuts & gravy” revenues and 20% of the company’s overall sales.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:41 am
We have the power of the dollar and of the vote. We do not have to pay people to poison us and our pets or to protect the interests of business. As long as we remain firm in our position to put these criminals out of business and to put everyone who ever worked for Bush out of a job we can prevail. The most important thing now is keeping the pressure on and getting out the word. I read daily of cats and dogs dying and I don’t even think their owners considered their food. Most people think the recall was a one time thing in March and that it is over. It will never be over for some of us.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Sandi, I think they’ve already stuffed Duane into the closet. Kurt Gallagher seems to be wearing the idiot hat in the interim.
Frankly, I hope ExperTox sues the shorts off Kurt & his band of spin doctors.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:42 am
NEXT WILL BE THE HEADS ROLLING AT FDA AND PFI - THEY ALL NEED TO BE GONE AND SOON…
June 14th, 2007 at 9:44 am
I would not feed one more morsel of any pet food again. After losing my cat to 9 lives wet food, my dog is on home made food exclusively.
They can all go out of business as far as I am concerned!
June 14th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Serious miscalculation by all these losers on the will of pet owners and the love of our pets and what we will do to protect and nurture our animals or, if needed, to exact unrelenting vengeance on those who have done and continue to do harm by their actions and inactions.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Menu Foods executives cash in prior to food recall
KEITH MCARTHUR
June 12, 2007
Top executives at Menu Foods Income Fund were granted more than $1-million in bonuses weeks before the company initiated a massive recall of tainted cat and dog food. According to a document filed last week with securities regulators, the company’s top five executives received $1.2-million in bonuses on Feb. 12, with respect to the company’s 2006 performance. On March 16, Menu foods recalled 60 million containers of pet food after it learned that animals were suffering kidney failure and dying after eating the food. MEW.UN (TSX) fell 1 cent to $4.09.
I think we need some slick lawyers to go after these guys personal bonus’s - to me, this proves that they knew what the deal was. I have no doubt now.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:53 am
“This whole pet-food thing has been a PR nightmare for everyone, and some steps have to be taken, even though it’s been found that Menu Foods is not at fault.”
………………
It’s a PR nightmare because MENU FOODS CAUSED ITS OWN NIGHTMARE by not recalling foods as soon as it knew pets were dying! I hope they go down big time. [>>].
Have the Canadian stock trading authorities started to investigate Mark Wiens, CFO of Menu Foods, about selling his Menu stocks?
If DelMonte Pet Foods thinks it’s going to pick up where Menu Foods left off, it’s in for a HUGE SURPRISE! It’s not only Menu, but DelMonte as well, who dodged my questions on March 30, telling me they didn’t know or couldn’t say where their ingredients came from and couldn’t say “because the focus of the investigation might change again” when they were scrambling behind the scenes and KNEW they were going to do a recall the next day. That CS rep was scrambling and didn’t know what to say until she let the cat out of the bag. So, they were following the practice of — if the investigation shifts from one ingredient to another, we can breathe a sigh of relief and hope the recalls pass us by.”
THAT is the kind of business practice that angers customers and turns them away for good with no hope of redemption. It’s the greed to want to squeeze every cent out of customers when pets were dying when they knew they had tainted products on the shelves — that’s what angers customers and causes them to boycott all DelMonte products. Right then, I knew I would never buy another DelMonte Pet Foods product or DM human food product again. Yes, I have all the names of the DM products printed that I am avoiding.
My cat (kidney disease now) used to eat 9 Lives canned cat food (made by DelMonte, for those who don’t know) all his life. He vomited predictably every 7 -10 days, sometimes a few days in a row and sometimes a few times a day. My *former* vet said he just had a sensitive stomach like her cat. When I switched away from 9 Lives canned cat food on March 30th, my cat has vomited only ONE TIME (1) in 75 days — that’s once in 75 days due to a hairball!!! His fur is no longer clumpy, matted, and sticky feeling as it was from around November till the end of March, and he’s playing more like a kitten! What a positive change in my cat! My dog that died in Feb. used to eat Snausages treats made by DelMonte Pet Foods. Well, Snausages are off my list, too, because of the answers DelMonte gave me. I would never feed my new puppies Snausages because I’m finished with DelMonte for good. My pups are getting cubed cooked liver and chicken for treats.
As far as the FDA… The FDA is CORRUPT and WORKS FOR BIG BUSINESS AND PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES TO GET AND KEEP PRODUCTS IN THE MARKETPLACE — NOT FOR THE SAFETY OF CITIZENS, which is its stated goal!
FDA SCIENTISTS WHO CARE ABOUT SAFETY AND TRUTH IN TESTING ARE FLEEING WORK AT THE FDA. YES, THOSE WITH ETHICS, JUST THE ONES WE NEED, ARE LEAVING!! ANY FDA SCIENTIST WHISTLE-BLOWERS OUT THERE? Does your government pension mean more than doing the right thing and divulging what you know? You could be saving lives every day! Any large private ethical corporation would welcome your honesty and pay you top dollar for your skills, and you would go down in history for helping to change how our federal agencies, big business, and the government operate!
Read the survey and narrative responses in PDF format from the FDA scientists who divulge that they have been approached by upper-level management (who are closer to politics) to alter results in their reports and not disclose information about the dangers of products.
THIS PRESSURE TO WORK FOR BIG BUSINESS IS WHY PETS WILL CONTINUE TO DIE!!
LINK IS BELOW:
“Summary of the FDA Scientist Survey†from 2006 Union of Concerned Scientists. Read the links listed in green for the survey questions & answers and very candid narrative responses from FDA scientists.
Taken from the article:
“Of the 997 FDA scientists who responded to the survey, nearly one-fifth (18.4 percent) said that they “have been asked, for non-scientific reasons, to inappropriately exclude or alter technical information or their conclusions in a FDA scientific document.” This is the third survey UCS has conducted to examine inappropriate interference with science at federal agencies.”
http://www.ucsusa.org/news/pre.....sured.html
June 14th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Our government agencies do not change. I’m another old-timer, so this is one of those stories again. Back in the early 70’s (1st oil crisis), they were looking for alternatives to oil. A wonderful agency called the Atomic Energy Commission had the brilliant idea they could use tiny nukes out west to “liberate” enough natural gas to not need fuel oil anymore. A leading scientist named Dr. John Gofman, a medical physicist around since the Manhattan Project went public describing the injuries/illnesses that low level radiation would cause. The AEC thought they could ruin him by rumor and innuendo. However, the man’s credentials were too good and the AEC ended up looking like absolute morons, and still do to this day. Smooth move, FDA. Why would you think that trick would work this time? You already look like a bunch of morons. No more, please, you’ve convinced us.
June 14th, 2007 at 9:59 am
Another thing in the assessment is experts saying no long term studies have been done to show whether cancer might arise. Ive been seeing quite a few posts lately here and on Pet Connection about pets being diagnosed with cancer. I hope its not due to the pet food but I think its a real possibiity that we could be dealing with.
And one expert also said that allergy type symptoms should be considered. I remember before our cat died, that she had real watery eyes off and on and no one could ever figure out why. Is this a coincidence? I wonder if any other folks out there noticed anything similar with their pets?
June 14th, 2007 at 9:59 am
I just tried to call the Pet Food Institute. I asked for Kurt Gallagher who is the spokesman for PFI that issued that disingenuious quote attempting to cast doubt on ExperTox. After being put on hold I was told that he was in a conference call and sent into voicemail. I then called back and asked to speak to someone about PFI-and was told that Mr. Gallagher was the only one. I want to know 3 things:
1) Who are the “key toxocological” & “analytical experts” that you refer to as your “contacts in Texas”?
2) What is the “genuine concern” you have about the lab?
3) Who provides your funding?
If anyone else would like to try to find the answers to these questions here is the contact info:
202-367-1120
email- info@petfoodinstitute.org
http://www.petfoodinstitute.org/contactpfi.htm
we need to remind them that they list “promoting the overall care and well-being of pets” ABOVE “representing the pet food industry before federal and state governments” on their own website-
http://www.petfoodinstitute.org/whatispfi.htm
June 14th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Way to go Rick!
June 14th, 2007 at 10:03 am
2.310 from 2.33
MF stock change in 2 minutes…
June 14th, 2007 at 10:04 am
Go Get ‘Em Rick - Be Relentless!!!
June 14th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Sandi K
I hate to say it but my vet said almost every animal that come into her office anyore seems to have cancer, she feels this is going to be the long term fallout of all the survivors.
Also, I notice geisha eyes were really wet the other evening, i thought it was just because she gets upset sometimes when I leave the house. HMMM now i am going to pay more attention.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:28 am
I am not a scientist & certainly do not claim to be but let me jot down my thoughts on this latest “finding” from the FDA & anyone is welcome to correct me.
If you (FDA “scientists”…..& I use that term loosely) are out to validate findings of acetaminophen in pet food that ExperTox found, would you not test the same food? I know, how silly of me to ask that question. I just read that the pet owners refused to allow the samples to be removed from ExperTox & it was AFTER the FDA’s testing that they even contacted the lab…..which leads me to believe that they were testing random samples of pet food but obviously not the same ones as ExperTox had tested. Excuse me? I’m afraid this doesn’t validate anything except perhaps that the FDA has their heads (collectively) up their patooties.
The sad part of this is that pet owners, not following this like we are, will now believe the FDA & keep on buying pet food off the shelves. After all, isn’t the FDA out there to insure our food safety? The only thing they are insuring is that all the powers that be will get a six figure job with the PFI after they get thrown out of their jobs, which won’t be soon enough for me.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Sandi K, KiKi–
Thanks for the support! I hope others are contacting them as well-I sent an email. Will update if/when I get response. Anyone else who contacts them sould post their experience & response.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:30 am
PFI and Galllagher reveal your contacts and prove the statement below or face a slander law suit.
I have the resources to do this, you have 2 days.
“Through our contacts in Texas, which is where the lab is located that conducted the analysis, we have learned there is genuine concern among key toxicological and analytical experts about the lab and the actual test results,†Gallagher said.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Doug,
you wouldn’t happen to have the resources to get criminal charges filed on the various players would you . . . ?
June 14th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Important Stay-Safe Alert: Counterfeit Colgate Toothpaste Found in US:
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/sto.....paste.html
CBC-June 14, 2007
“The Colgate-Palmolive Company said Thursday that five-ounce tubes of counterfeit toothpaste sold in discount stores in four U.S. states under a Colgate label are being recalled because they may contain a poisonous chemical.
“MS USA Trading Inc. of North Bergen, N.J., the importer involved in the initial recall announcement, said the toothpaste may contain diethylene glycol, a chemical found in antifreeze.
“The company said the toothpaste, imported from South Africa, was sold in discount stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. “Made in South Africa” is printed on the box and includes Regular, Gel, Triple and Herbal versions.
“The trading company said the problem was discovered in routine testing by the FDA. It said no illnesses have been reported to date. The same chemical has led to the recall of several brands of toothpaste imported from China in recent weeks.”
SA news says they turned up on their shelves too and from the discrepancies in the labels, appear to be counterfeit Chinese imports.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:41 am
yep, contaminated toothpaste - this is just the tip of the iceberg. I have no doubt that most of our products are tainted.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Another part of the article on Consumeraffairs.com says this:
A spokeswoman for Menu Food said the company had no comment on ExperTox’s findings. But spokeswoman Sarah Tuite told us: “The Pet Food Institute (PFI) has provided comment.â€
http://www.consumeraffairs.com.....all57.html
Menu Food is using PFI as their “sheild” to keep themselves as far away from it as they can.
PFI should be doing more testing and investigating before they rush to provide cover for a pet food company by attacking an independent lab.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Hundreds of dogs and cats have been made sick by tainted pet food, and recent nationwide recalls of pet foods have left millions of pet owners deeply concerned with the food industry’s ability to ensure the safety of its products.
Visit American Humane’s website and tell Congress to pass the Human and Pet Food Safety Act of 2007>>
Even before the recent pet food recall, bacterial outbreaks were discovered in several human foods, such as spinach, tacos and peanut butter. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 76 million people suffer from food poisoning each year. Without more trustworthy regulation of the nation’s food supply, both humans and pets will remain vulnerable.
In response to growing concerns across the nation, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) recently introduced the Human and Pet Food Safety Act (H.R. 2108). This bill would establish critically needed mandatory federal standards to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply.
Specifically, the bill would:
* give the FDA the power to order mandatory food recalls;
* establish mandatory processing and ingredient standards;
* require more inspections of domestic and international food processing plants;
* create a warning system to identify contaminants early on;
* enable the FDA to work with veterinarians and public health officials to uniformly disseminate information about food contamination and update recall lists on the FDA website; and
* require food processing companies to maintain records and make the records immediately accessible to the FDA upon inspection.
Most importantly, the bill would also allow the FDA to fine companies that neglect to report possible contamination.
Send a message to your member of Congress at American Humane’s website>>
Thank you for helping make a difference on this important issue!
Michael Lawley,
Care2 Campaign Team
P.S. If you cannot see the links in this email, please visit: http://go.care2.com/e/sapd/JKej/rCmH
Care2.com, Inc.
275 Shoreline Drive, Suite 150
Redwood City, CA 94065
http://www.care2.com
Click here to sign.
https://secure2.convio.net/aha/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=439
June 14th, 2007 at 11:10 am
Sandi,
My shep puppy who is a year old is having eye problems…watery eyes, gook in them. She did eat the poison food months ago..along with my other doggies. She is the only one with eye problems. She never had this problem before. BUT–we live in Arizona and it could be from all the dust, dirt and crap in the air.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:11 am
I am so disgusted with the FDA, PFI and all else. i’m getting really worried about this. I’m going to call and write letters again today. we need answers. Now. And the vet who said He couldn’t tell us what pet food was toxic? Don’t vets, like Drs. have to a sign a paper saying -will do no harm? this is harming pets. We could be feeding the wrong food. Beneful keeps advertising on My TV. It almost killed my dog, and I can’t stand to watch it on TV.
And yes, one of My cats was diagnosed with cancer and put down. It was so quick, one day He was fine and then all of a sudden this. It doesn’t make sense to Me. And I know there are pets dying every day. That is the horrible truth about all these lies.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Re: DelMonte foods.
I posted yesterday that the DelMonte food plant in Portland, OR was raided by ICE and detained over 160 illegal workers. The working conditions were horrible, and some of the detainees were taken for medical attention.
These companies not only use cheap, poisonous ingredients to make more money, they hire illegals deliberately! The illegals work for low pay and won’t squeal on the company about working conditions, because they don’t want to be deported!
I think this is the right link——
www.kgw.com/news-local/stories.....fff56.html
June 14th, 2007 at 11:14 am
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....e/us_china
June 14th, 2007 at 11:24 am
Re: DelMonte hiring illegals–
If I stole someone’s identity, it is a federal offense and I could go to federal prison!
The illegals and those aiding and abetting them, are victimizing those whose identities they have stolen. 90% of those workers in that plant were illegal?! Many of the identities stolen were from senior citizens!
DelMonte and the REST of these greedy companies that con’t care diddleysquat about humankind or their pets need to be put out of business.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:25 am
I don’t really see where DM is going to be any better than MF. Once they get all the additional orders, they will start out doing the right thing (maybe) & then slowly but surely go down the tubes & become just another MF under a different name.
Personally, I wouldn’t feed any canned food to my dog. Feeding her 1/4 c of dry is scary enough but at least the remainder is people food. Of course, with the FDA being the ones responsible for the safety of our food, I don’t even know that people food is good for her or any of us for that matter. It’s a very sad situation when you can’t trust any of these organizations that are supposed to be there for the people & our pets…..none of them represent anything more than covers for the PF manufacturers.
I guess their work won’t be done until people are dying in huge numbers. Then there won’t be any more pesky, hysterical, off-the-wall pet parents. How nice for them.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Sorry, that last post should have read “covers for PF companies” not manufacturers.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:34 am
Just a note on Snausages. I had a partly used bag in my cupboard, at the beginning of the poisonings. I completely switched to home feeding and making dog treats. So about, three weeks later, I picked up the Snausages to throw them out. The bag was puffed up full of air or gas of some kind. This was carefully tied up in a plastic bag and put in the garbage. I think these Snausages were fermenting in the bag.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:34 am
ATTENTION: PET FOOD INSTITUTE & KURT GALLAGHER:
I HOPE YOU END UP IN COURT BECAUSE…
I JUST **CALLED & EMAILED EXPERTOX** THE SLANDEROUS QUOTE
THAT KURT GALLAGHER, SPOKESMAN FOR THE PET FOOD INSTITUTE
SAID ABOUT EXPERTOX, INC.!
I just called and emailed Expertox the quote from Kurt Gallagher, spokesman for the Pet Food Institute, about the PFI casting doubt on Expertox’s findings. I told them to forward my email to their CEO and LEGAL DEPARTMENT & lawyers. I also told them we are behind Expertox, know their results are valid, and thanked them for testing the pet food.
Do YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Call ExperTox about this. Don’t pester them with hundreds of calls because they do not have any customer service representatives, and they do not list email addresses on their site, but we (some of us) should let them know we are outraged over what the PFI said about them and stand behind them. ExperTox will get the idea of how widespread the quote and how it could potentailly damage their reputation and may pursue legal action.
ExpertTox Home Office
ExperTox Laboratory Services
1803 Center Street
Deer Park, TX 77536
Phone: 281-476-4600
EXPERTOX should SUE the PET FOOD INSTITUTE and KURT GALLAGHER for saying unsubstantiated things about ExperTox.
I say SUE SUE SUE. Expose the Pet Food Institute for its unsubstantiated claims, trying to discredit Expertox and potentially ruin Expertox’s reputation.
SUE the Pet Food Institute and all its members!
Gotta love the power of the Internet and the power of the people! Speak out everyone!! We’re making changes and creating waves!! Speak against wrongdoing for our dead pets and those still struggling to survive. I’m sick of the corruption and lies, and I will make every wave, make that TIDAL WAVE, that I can!
Some of you here, please call Expertox and tell them what is being said about their lab and findings. I do not want to give out the worker’s email to whom I spoke.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:38 am
I forgot to add that ExperTox seemed unaware of the quote from the Pet Food Institute that is casting doubt about the lab’s results.
Let me proudly say that EXPERTOX IS AWARE OF IT NOW!!!
June 14th, 2007 at 11:46 am
IS THE FAKE BLOOD OLD NEWS? For anyone who didnt know…
First pet food, then toothpaste, now fake blood found in China
By AUDRA ANG
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEIJING - Chinese authorities are investigating the widespread sale of fake blood protein to hospitals and pharmacies in China, state media reported Monday.
A newspaper reported one death from receiving the fake albumin, but authorities have not said whether anyone has fallen ill. A drug company salesman was detained.
http://www.chieftain.com/business/1181628269/5
June 14th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Awesome!! I hope PFI gets disbanded. It is nothing more than a bunch of pet manufacturer cronies -same as the whatchamacallit - AAAthingamajig that has no power or authority or experts (one employee) who so called certifies that pet food is to standard - although of course there IS no standard.
THIS WHOLE THING (FDA, PFI, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH) IS NUFFIN BUT A DECK OF CARDS (IF THAT) THAT THE “WINDS” OF THE IRE OF PET OWNERS WILL JUST DESTROY AND DEMOLISH - ALL CREDIBILITY, RESPECT, TRUST, AUTHORITY - YOU ALL HAVE LOST IT ALL!!!