More Pet Food Recall Information

Artical Pulled From HealthDay News

Pet Food Recall Widens After Toxin Found
Del Monte adds some of its moist pet food and snacks to a recall list that now includes dry cat food and Alpo dog food
By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay Reporter

SUNDAY, April 1 (HealthDay News) -- The massive pet food recall widened over the weekend to include two major brands of moist dog food, pet snacks, and, for the first time, a brand of dry cat food.
Food giant Del Monte announced late Saturday that it was recalling a number of dog and cat foods from its Pet Products division. These include select product codes from Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels brands. Dog snacks and wet dog food products sold under private label brands have also been recalled, the company said on its Web site, delmonte.com.
Del Monte joined Nestle Purina and Hill's Pet Nutrition in recalling selected pet foods over the weekend for fear they were processed with imported wheat gluten that was tainted.
The recalls followed a report by U.S. health officials Friday that melamine, a toxin used in fertilizer in China and plastic in the United States, had been found in imported wheat gluten used in moist pet food made by Menu Foods. Menu Foods recalled more than 60 million cans and pouches of moist pet food nationwide March 6 after reports of animal illness and death.
Del Monte strongly suggested that people stop feeding their pets the listed products and said purchases would be refunded after consumers contact the company at 800) 949-3799.
Melamine was also found in Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food, made by Hill's Pet Nutrition and sold only through veterinarians, the FDA said Friday night. This was the first time any dry pet food has been involved.
That announcement coincided with a voluntary recall by Nestle Purina PetCare Co. of all sizes and varieties of Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy, which the company said may also contain melamine.
Hill's of Topeka, Kansas, has begun recalling Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food, the FDA said in a prepared statement. The company had, for a two-month period, made the cat food with wheat gluten from the same China company that supplied Ontario-based Menu Foods, the FDA said.
Nestle Purina of St. Louis, Mo., said in its own statement that it was recalling the Alpo cans and pouches because it learned that it also received wheat gluten from the same company.
"The contamination occurred in a limited production quantity at only one of Purina's 17 pet food manufacturing facilities," the Nestle statement added.
The dog food being recalled involves 13.2-ounce and 22-ounce Alpo Prime Cuts cans and 6-, 8-, 12- and 24-can Alpo Prime Cuts Variety Packs with four-digit code dates of 7037 through 7053, followed by the plant code 1159. Those codes follow a "Best Before Feb. 2009" date. This information should be checked on the bottom of the can or the top or side of the multi-pack cartons, the company said.
Consumers should immediately stop feeding their dogs these specific Alpo products and consult with a veterinarian if they have any health concerns with their pet, the company added.
The cat food being recalled is labeled Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food. The products are: 4 lb. bag, U.S. & Canada UPC code 52742 42770; 10 lb. bag, U.S. & Canada UPC code 52742 42790. Consumers may contact Hills Pet Nutrition at 1-800-445-5777 or at www.HillsPet.com.
The FDA warns that any cat owner who has bags of Prescription Diet m/d Feline should stop using them. In addition, they should see their veterinarian if their pet shows any signs of kidney illness, include loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting.
Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said during a Friday news conference that the FDA still hasn't determined how melamine got into the wheat gluten.
The FDA, he said, is currently inspecting all foreign shipments of wheat gluten and tracing those shipments that have already entered the United States.
Last week, New York State official said that the rodent poison aminopterin had been found in samples of the recalled food. However, Sundlof said Friday, further testing by the FDA and others have failed to confirm the presence of the poison in the pet food.
The pet food scare began March 6 with a nationwide recall of more than 60 million cans and packages of moist cat and dog food made by Menu Foods for a number of name-brand companies.
According to published reports, Menu Foods has said that 16 animals died. The Veterinary Information Network said earlier this week that at least 471 cases of pet kidney failure have been reported and more than 100 pets have died.
To date, Sundlof said Friday, the FDA has received 8,800 calls reporting kidney failure in cats and dogs. However, none of these cases has been confirmed, he added.
More information
For more information on pet food, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Del Monte Pet Products Voluntarily Withdraws Specific Product Codes of Pet Treats and Wet Dog Food Products
SAN FRANCISCO, March 31, 2007—As a precautionary measure, Del Monte Pet Products is voluntarily recalling select product codes of its pet treat products sold under the Jerky Treats®, Gravy Train® Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels® brands as well as select dog snack and wet dog food products sold under private label brands. A complete list of affected brands and products is below.
The Company took this voluntary recall action immediately after learning this morning from the FDA that wheat gluten supplied to Del Monte Pet Products from a specific manufacturing facility in China contained melamine. Melamine is a substance not approved for use in food. The FDA made this finding as part of its ongoing investigation into the recent pet food recall.
The adulteration occurred in a limited production quantity on select product codes of the brands below. This recall removes all Del Monte pet products with wheat gluten procured from this manufacturing facility from retail shelves.
No other Del Monte Pet Products treats, biscuits or wet dog food products are impacted by this recall, and no Del Monte dry cat food, dry dog food, wet cat food or pouched pet foods are subject to this voluntary recall. The affected products comprise less than one-tenth of one percent of Del Monte Pet Products' annual pet food and pet treat production.
Del Monte Pet Products has proactively engaged and fully cooperated with the FDA since the start of its investigation. The adulterated ingredients were used in limited production over the last three months for those items identified by specific product codes. Del Monte Pet Products has not used wheat gluten from this manufacturing facility in China in any other pet products except those described below.
Consumers should discontinue feeding the products with the Product Codes detailed below to their pets.
Del Monte Pet Products are 100% guaranteed and all voluntarily recalled products will be refunded.
Del Monte Pet Products customers can contact our Consumer Hotline at (800) 949-3799 for further information about the recall and for instructions on obtaining a product refund. If consumers visit our website, they can click on the "Contact Us" button and submit the Contact Us form, including UPC number, product name, Best By Date, and manufacturing code information (located under the Best By date). Consumers may also write to us at: Del Monte P.O. Box 80Pittsburgh PA 15230-0080.
BRANDED
Production Code/Best By Date
Jerky Treats Beef Flavor Dog Snacks
Code: Best By:
TP7C05 Aug 05 08
TP7B07 Aug 07 08
TP7B08 Aug 08 08
TP7B09 Aug 09 08
TP6B10 Aug 10 08
Code: Best By:
TP7B15 Aug 15 08
TP7C05 Sep 02 08
TP7C06 Sep 03 08
Gravy Train Beef Sticks Dog Snacks
Code: Best By:
TP7B19Aug 19 08
TP7B20Aug 20 08
TP7B21Aug 21 08
Pounce Meaty Morsels Moist Chicken Flavor Cat Treats
Code: Best By:
TP7C07 Sep 04 08
TP7C12 Sep 09 08

PRIVATE LABEL
Production Code/Best By Date
Ol' Roy Beef Flavor Jerky Strips Dog Treats
Code: Best By:
TP7B06 Aug 06 08
TP7B07 Aug 07 08
TP7C05 Sep 02 08
TP7C06Sep 03 08
TP7C07Sep 04 08
Code: Best By:
TP7C08Sep 05 08
Ol' Roy Beef Flavor Snack Sticks Dog Treats
Code: Best By:
TP7B19 Aug 19 08
TP7B20 Aug 20 08
TP7B21 Aug 21 08
TP7C08 Sep 05 08
TP7C09 Sep 06 08
Ol' Roy Bark'n Bac'n Beef & Bacon Flavor Dog Treats
Code: Best By:
TP7C14Sep 11 08
Ol' Roy with Beef Hearty Cuts in Gravy Dog Food
Code: Best By:
BC6M21Dec 21 09
Ol' Roy with Beef Hearty Strips in Gravy Dog Food
Code: Best By:
BC7A19Jan 19 10
Ol' Roy Country Stew Hearty Cuts in Gravy Dog Food
Code: Best By:
BC6M15Dec 15 09

Dollar General Beef Flavored Jerky Strips Dog Treats
Code: Best By:
TP7C06Sep 03 08
Dollar General Beef Flavored Beef Sticks Dog Treats
Code: Best By:
TP7B20 Aug 20 08
TP7B21 Aug 21 08
Happy Tails Beef Flavor Jerky Strips
Code: Best By:
TPY7B08 Aug 08 08
TP7B09 Aug 09 08
Happy Tails Meaty Cuts with Beef in Gravy Dog Food
Code: Best By:
BC7A29Jan 29 10