Major "wet" pet food recall of dog & cat foods ~ NOW Includes Treets & Biscuits

[Cinder & Smoke]

Update: June25, 2008 - Class Action Lawsuit
Information available at >>>
http://www.petfoodsettlement.com/

EDITED April 5, 2005 ...
Recalls NOW Include some Major Brands of both Wet AND DRY Foods; Cat & Dog TREETS, and Biscuits.
Latest Recalls (Biscuits) noted in Post #124 (4/05/2007)

Copyrighted story - CREDIT to MSNBC.com & the Associated Press >>>

60 million containers of pet food recalled

Store brands sold at Wal-Mart and Safeway tied to kidney failure, deaths ...

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. ...

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. 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 — www.menufoods.com/recall — early Saturday (March17, 2007).

Consumers with questions can call (866) 463-6738.



/s/ Phred

[cyber-sibes]

Oh my gosh, that is a HUGE recall! I feel so sorry for people whose pets were harmed or killed by this stuff.

[Craftlady]

That company website is not loading (must be overwhelmed with hits). The recall didnt' say which specific brand? Is it menu foods? Never heard of them.
Anyone know?

[Freedom]

I couldn't get the web site to load, either. Rats!

I 'may" have some from Petsmart, I don't buy pet foods at WalMart; and don't have those other stores around here.

[Cinder & Smoke]

That company website is not loading (must be overwhelmed with hits).

The recall didnt' say which specific brand?

Preliminary releases say:

"... dog and cat food sold under Wal-Mart, Safeway, Kroger and other store brands recalled 60 million containers of wet pet food Friday ...

... 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.
The pet food was sold by stores operated by the Kroger Company, Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and PetSmart Inc., among others ..."

The labels will have the Store's "Brand" or house label ... whatever the store or
chain sells as "Its Brand" of pet foods.

Hopefully the Menue Foods web site will be operational in the morning when they
release the details of the recall.

Meantime - feed the FurKids some "Krunchies" for their supper and breakfast.

/s/ Phred

[BCollie_Kelly]

Oh no! How horrible!

[Cinder & Smoke]

Here's the Menue Foods original Canadian press release ...
worded to minimize the damage and put as positive a "spin" on the problem
as they could.


Menu Foods Income Fund Announces Precautionary Dog and Cat Food Recall
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - March 16, 2007) -

NOT FOR RELEASE OVER US NEWSWIRE SERVICES

Attention Business/Financial Editors

Menu Foods Income Fund (the "Fund") (TSX:MEW.UN) today announced the precautionary recall of a portion of the dog and cat food it manufactured between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The recall is limited to "cuts and gravy" style pet food in cans and pouches manufactured at two of the Fund's United States facilities. These products are both manufactured and sold under private-label and are contract-manufactured for some national brands.

Over the past several days, the Fund has received feedback in the United States (none in Canada) raising concerns about pet food manufactured since early December, and its impact on the renal health of the pets consuming the products. Shortly after receipt of the first complaint, the Fund initiated a substantial battery of technical tests, conducted by both internal and external specialists, but has failed to identify any issues with the products in question. The Fund has, however, discovered that timing of the production associated with these complaints, coincides with the introduction of an ingredient from a new supplier. The Fund stopped using this ingredient shortly after this discovery and production since then has been undertaken using ingredients from another source.

At the same time, the Fund's largest customer, for which it manufactures on a contract basis, received a small number of consumer complaints and has initiated its own recall. Furthermore, for the time being, the customer has put future orders for cuts and gravy products on hold. This customer's cuts and gravy purchases in 2006 represented approximately 11% of the Fund's annual revenue.

"We take these complaints very seriously and, while we are still looking for a specific cause, we are acting to err on the side of caution" said Paul K. Henderson, President and CEO, Menu Foods. "We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that our products maintain the very highest quality standards."

While the number of complaints has been relatively small, Menu is taking this proactive step out of an abundance of caution, because the health and well-being of pets is paramount to the Fund.

In addition to changing suppliers, for production after March 6, the Fund has increased testing of all raw materials and finished goods. It is also working closely with regulatory authorities and its customers to learn more and will take whatever additional actions are appropriate. The Fund estimates that based on currently available information, this recall could cost between $30 million and $40 million, which will be financed from a combination of internally generated cash flow and bank credit facilities. Furthermore, the Fund is aggressively producing product, utilizing a different supplier for the ingredient in question, to replenish customers as quickly as possible.

In order to determine whether cat and dog food in their possession is subject to recall, consumers should refer to the list of brand names ("listed products") at www.menufoods.com/recall. This will be available by 6 a.m. Saturday March 17, 2007. Products not identified on the website can continue to be used.

Menu is the leading North American private-label/contract manufacturer of wet pet food products sold by supermarket retailers, mass merchandisers, pet specialty retailers and other retail and wholesale outlets. In 2006, the Fund produced more than one billion containers.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Menu Foods Income Fund
Media and Investor Relations
Sarah Tuite (416) 848-1703 or

Menu Foods Income Fund
Consumers call 1-866-463-6738
__________________________________________________ ___
Taken from:
http://www.menufoods.com/recall/Pres...l_03162007.pdf

by Phred

[ShihtzuBeauty]

I found this on MSNBC, this link just worked for me. Soo very sad.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17650075/

[crow_noir]

The latest in the pet food scare

Pet Owners Report 241 Deaths from Food
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2963443&page=1

Snippet:
"If owners believe that their pet has been eating the food, Becker said that they should bring their pets into the vet's office immediately.

Cats, Becker said, can lose 80 percent of kidney function before showing evidence of a problem. But once the animal reaches this tipping point, the problem becomes apparent. By this time, treatment may come too late."

http://www.menufoods.com/recall

http://www.petconnection.com/ Click here to report a sick pet. (Owners have reported over 500 deaths) I took the time to hunt down this link since the article didn't include it. PLEASE pass it on.

[cmayer31]

AVMA Offers Advice to Pet Owners after Nationwide Food Recall
3/20/2007

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.— The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), in response to a national pet food recall, offers the following information and advice to concerned pet owners:

Menu Foods, Inc., a Canadian private-label pet food manufacturer based in Streetsville, Ontario, has issued a recall on all its "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food products produced at its facility in Emporia, Kansas, between December 3, 2006, and March 6, 2007.

This recall includes 90 brands across the entire manufacturing spectrum. A complete list of affected foods including date and product information codes is available through the AVMA Web site at:

http://www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/070318.asp.

If you have any of the products identified on these lists, immediately stop feeding them to your pet.

If you suspect that your pet has been affected by a recalled food, do the following three steps to help your veterinarian with your pet's diagnosis:

Retain food samples for analysis.
- Retain 4 cans or 1 kg of dry food, when possible.
- Freeze when possible or store at room temperature in airtight bags.

Document product name, type of product and manufacturing information.
- Retain all packaging.
- Identify date codes or production lot numbers.
- Retain purchase receipts.


Document product consumption.
- Dates products or products were fed.
- Consumption and palatability history.
- Time of onset of clinical signs.
- Detailed dietary history (ie, all products fed and feeding methods).

Although the exact cause is not currently known, animals that have become ill after consuming these products have shown signs of acute kidney failure.

Dr. Sandra Willis, DVM, a board certified diplomate and communications chair with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and member of the AVMA Council on Communications, advises that signs of kidney failure include loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, changes in water consumption and also changes in urination. Anybody who has a pet that exhibits these signs should take the animal to a veterinarian.

"Owners shouldn't panic, because there can be a wide variety of reasons a pet might exhibit these symptoms," Dr. Willis explained. "But it's always prudent that, when a pet is exhibiting any signs of illness, the pet owner should contact their veterinarian immediately."

A veterinarian may call for a urinalysis and blood work, and might also perform additional tests, such as an x-ray or ultrasound, to rule out other possible problems such as bladder and kidney stones. If it has been determined that the cat or dog has been affected by consumption of the recalled pet food, a veterinarian could decided to treat the illness with medications and/or intravenous fluids.

"If the kidney disease is severe, such as the animal is not urinating at all, the veterinarian can refer or consult with a specialist from the ACVIM for more specialized care," Dr. Willis explained.
Owners of pets affected by the recalled pet foods who wish to report the incident should contact the FDA, by going to the FDA Web site at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html to find the FDA complaint coordinator in their state.

Please monitor the AVMA Web site (www.avma.org) for the latest information on the recall. Consumers with questions for the manufacturer can contact Menu Foods, Inc. at 1-866-895-2708. A list of veterinary specialists can be found at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine at www.acvim.org, or by calling 800-245-9081.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Menu Foods

Thursday, March 22 - 02:00:00 PM

Ontario (News1130) - A national class action lawsuit has been filed in the Ontario Superior Court on behalf of pet owners who bought dog and cat food made by Menu Foods.

The claim seeks compensation for all those who purchased dog or cat food manufactured by the company between December 3rd, 2006 and March 6th, 2007.

Toronto lawyer Joel Rochon says while most of the claims are for vet expenses, it's hard to put a price on a pet.

"The jury is still out has to how the court will deal with emotion damage or psychological damage from one losing a pet unnecessarily to a bad product."

Menu Foods has recalled about 90 brands of dog and cat food in North America after reports of animals dying.

A second class action suit filed yesterday in Windsor alleges the Canadian manufacturer was negligent and at least one other suit has been filed in Chicago.

[crow_noir]

" http://progressivelaw.ezsitelaunch.com/main.asp?id=11

(If for some reason that page doesn't open, go to:
http://www.progressivelaw.com/
click on "Information on our Pet Food Lawsuit " at the top of the page.) "

[CathyBogart]

Articles...fixed the links!

http://www.itchmo.com/read/rat-poiso...ected_20070323

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=29...page=1&US=true

[NoahsMommy]

I'm so mad about this stuff, I can't see through my tears. These poor, poor animals and these poor, poor people.

Thankfully, I've only fed my furballs (all, even tho' they're spread all over - I buy thier food) dry Royal Canin.

Here's what their home page says:

The recent nationwide pet food recall initiated by Menu Foods and other companies does not include any
Royal Canin USA pet food products.

All of our pet food brands, including Feline Health Nutrition, Canine Health Nutrition, Royal Canin Veterinary Diets, Sensible Choice, and Kasco continue to be available at your local pet food outlet.

The safety and nutritional quality of our pet food is our top priority because we understand that the health of your pet is your top priority.

For details on the recall, contact Menu Foods at
1-866-895-2708 or visit the company's web site at: www.menufoods.com/recall.

I hope those people sue this/these companies up the ying yang!!! Quality control isn't hard and should be a normal business practice for goodness sake!!!!!!!!!

[Craftlady]

Part of article on MSNBC

Technically, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is responsible for ensuring that pet foods, like human foods, are safe to eat, truthfully labeled and produced under sanitary conditions. But on Tuesday, FDA officials admitted that the regulation of pet food takes a back seat to its regulatory obligations of other food and drug sectors, and that inspections of pet-food processing plants are done only on a for-cause basis.

"There are limited resources," said David Elder, director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance in the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine in Rockville, Md. Elder added that inspections of companion animals' food products are "based on risk." Which means that the processing plant in Emporia, Kans., where the tainted food was manufactured, had never been inspected by government officials until after consumers started complaining about pets dying of kidney failure. The Emporia plant remains open and continues to produce new food, according to a Menu Foods spokesperson, who adds that safety tests are being done around the clock.