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Effectivness of recall questioned
Pets may still be at risk of consuming recalled food, according to FDA
Recalled pet food may still be on the shelves in some businesses, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
To verify the effectiveness of the recall, which began March 16, the FDA conducted about 400 checks of retail stores across the nation. Based on those checks, officials think most companies have removed the recalled products, but some have not. The FDA will continue to monitor retailers' efforts to remove items.
The agency's priority is to make sure cats and dogs have safe food to eat, said Stephen Sundlof, doctor of veterinary medicine and director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. “Many of us are pet owners and animal lovers, and we want pet owners to feel assured that we are doing everything we can to make sure that all contaminated food is off the shelves,” he said.
Menu Foods Inc., a private-label manufacturer based in Streetsville, Ontario, Canada, expanded its recall April 10 to cat food not previously subject to the recall. A complete list of Menu Foods' recalled products, including the new items, is online at www.menufoods.com.
The company acted after receiving information from the FDA, which had confirmed test results from a laboratory at the University of California, Davis, showing that canned cat food not included in Menu Foods' earlier recalls tested positive for melamine, a chemical used as a fertilizer and in the manufacture of cutlery and kitchenware.
The company informed the FDA that it had shipped wheat gluten purchased from China and contaminated with melamine from its Emporia, Kan., plant to its plant in Ontario. Some of the products produced with the contaminated gluten also were shipped to the United States.
Since March 16, Menu Foods, Hill's Pet Nutrition, P&G Pet Care, Nestle Purina PetCare Co., Del Monte Pet Products and Sunshine Mills Inc. have recalled pet food. Extensive information about the current recall situation can be found at www.fda.gov. There is a single list of all recalled pet food online at www.fda.gov/ora/fed_state/recalls/Recall.xls. It will be updated.
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To verify the effectiveness of the recall, which began March 16, the FDA conducted about 400 checks of retail stores across the nation. Based on those checks, officials think most companies have removed the recalled products, but some have not. The FDA will continue to monitor retailers' efforts to remove items.
The agency's priority is to make sure cats and dogs have safe food to eat, said Stephen Sundlof, doctor of veterinary medicine and director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. “Many of us are pet owners and animal lovers, and we want pet owners to feel assured that we are doing everything we can to make sure that all contaminated food is off the shelves,” he said.
Menu Foods Inc., a private-label manufacturer based in Streetsville, Ontario, Canada, expanded its recall April 10 to cat food not previously subject to the recall. A complete list of Menu Foods' recalled products, including the new items, is online at www.menufoods.com.
The company acted after receiving information from the FDA, which had confirmed test results from a laboratory at the University of California, Davis, showing that canned cat food not included in Menu Foods' earlier recalls tested positive for melamine, a chemical used as a fertilizer and in the manufacture of cutlery and kitchenware.
The company informed the FDA that it had shipped wheat gluten purchased from China and contaminated with melamine from its Emporia, Kan., plant to its plant in Ontario. Some of the products produced with the contaminated gluten also were shipped to the United States.
Since March 16, Menu Foods, Hill's Pet Nutrition, P&G Pet Care, Nestle Purina PetCare Co., Del Monte Pet Products and Sunshine Mills Inc. have recalled pet food. Extensive information about the current recall situation can be found at www.fda.gov. There is a single list of all recalled pet food online at www.fda.gov/ora/fed_state/recalls/Recall.xls. It will be updated.