Rat poison found in tainted pet food By MARK JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer
46 minutes ago
ALBANY, N.Y. - Rat poison was found in pet food blamed for the deaths of at least 17 cats and dogs, but scientists said Friday they still don't know how it got there and predicted more animal deaths would be linked to it.
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After the announcement, the company that produced the food expanded its recall to include all 95 brands of the "cuts and gravy" style food, regardless of when they were produced. The company also said it would take responsibility for pet medical expenses incurred as a result of the food.
The substance in the food was identified as aminopterin, a cancer drug that once was used to induce abortions in the United States and is still used to kill rats in some other countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.
The federal government prohibits using aminopterin for killing rodents in the U.S. State officials would not speculate on how the poison got into the pet food, but said no criminal investigations had been launched.
The pet deaths led to a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat food produced by Menu Foods and sold throughout North America under 95 brand names. Some pets that ate the recalled brands suffered kidney failure, and the company has confirmed the deaths of 15 cats and two dogs.
The latest death, a Yorkshire terrier named Pebbles, occurred Thursday. The dog died of kidney failure after eating some of the food. Her owner, Jeff Kerner, said he was contacting an attorney because he wanted to prevent another pet tragedy.
"Before they put this stuff in the bags, there should be some kind of test," said Kerner, of Sherman Oaks, Calif. "I can't just let it go. Even if they just change the law."
The company expanded the recall — which initially covered only cans and pouches of food packaged from Dec. 3 through March 6 — after the FDA alerted it that some products remained on store shelves.
There is no risk to pet owners from handling the food, officials said.
The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation into the pet deaths was focused on wheat gluten in the food. The gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but it could have been contaminated, the FDA said.
Paul Henderson, chief executive of Ontario, Canada-based Menu Foods, confirmed Friday that the wheat gluten was purchased from China.
Bob Rosenberg, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Pest Management Association, said it would be unusual for the wheat to be tainted.
"It would make no sense to spray a crop itself with rodenticide," Rosenberg said, adding that grain shippers typically put bait stations around the perimeter of their storage facilities.
Scientists at the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University and at the New York State Food Laboratory tested three cat food samples provided by the manufacturer and found aminopterin in two of them. The two labs are part of a network created after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to keep the nation's animals and food supply safe.
"Any amount of this product is too much in food," Hooker said.
Aminopterin is highly toxic in high doses. It inhibits the growth of malignant cells and suppresses the immune system. In dogs and cats, the amount of aminopterin found — 40 parts per million — can cause kidney failure, according to Bruce Akey, director of Cornell's diagnostic center.
"It's there in substantial amounts," Akey said.
Donald Smith, dean of Cornell's veterinary school, said he expected the number of pet deaths to increase. "Based on what we've heard the last couple days, 16 is a low number," Smith said.
Aminopterin is no longer marketed as a cancer drug, but is still used in research, said Andre Rosowsky, a chemist with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
Rosowsky speculated that the substance would not show up in pet food "unless somebody put it there."
Henderson said Menu Foods does not believe the food was tampered with because the recalled food came from two different plants, one in Kansas, one in New Jersey. Menu continues to produce food at the two plants.
The company, already facing lawsuits, said Friday it is testing all the ingredients that go into the food.
"We have a lot of work to do, and we are eager to get back to it," Henderson said. "This is a highly unusual substance."
When asked whether there would compensation for medical bills for sick pets, Henderson said "to the extent that we identify that the cause of any expenses incurred are related to the food, Menu will take responsibility for that."
A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was posted online by Menu Foods and is available at http://tinyurl.com/2pn6mm. The company also designated two phone numbers that pet owners could call for information: (866) 463-6738 and (866) 895-2708.
___
Associated Press writers Andrew Bridges in Washington, Michael Virtanen in Albany and Solvej Schou in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
FDA pet food recall information: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html
Menu Foods: http://tinyurl.com/2pn6mm
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Showing posts with label Recall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recall. Show all posts
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Samonella in Dog Food?
BJ'S Wholesale Club Issues Recall of 'Berkley & Jensen' Full-Cut Pig Ears Dog Treats Because of Potential for Salmonella Contaminationadvertisement
Related information E-mail this article Print-friendly version Discuss this articleStocks mentioned in this articleBJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. (BJ) Stock Quote, Chart, News
All PRNewswire NewsNATICK, Mass., March 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is recalling its 25-count packages of "Berkley & Jensen" Full-Cut Pig Ears dog treats with no lot number and only the expiration advisory "BEST IF USED BY 2009" (without referencing a specific month) because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious infections in dogs, and, if there is cross contamination, young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Confirmatory testing is ongoing but until the testing is final, consumers should immediately stop feeding the treats to their pets.
Related newsStocks End Mixed on Economic DataUnemployment Rate Dips to 4.5 PercentNew Century Among Wall Street's MoversBusiness Events Sceheduled for This WeekProduct Recalls
Salmonella can potentially be transferred to people handling these dog treats, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the product or any surfaces exposed to these products. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Dogs that become ill from Salmonella generally will have a fever and diarrhea that may contain blood or mucus. Affected animals may seem more tired that usual, and may have vomiting. Some dogs do not have diarrhea, but will have decreased appetite, fever and excess salivation. If your dog has consumed the recalled product and is exhibiting these signs, please contact your veterinarian.
The potential for contamination was noted after testing revealed the potential presence of Salmonella in a 25-count package of "Berkley & Jensen" Full-Cut Pig Ears dog treats.
There have been no confirmed illnesses to date. These products have been removed from sale while the problem is being investigated.
BJ's members who purchased "Berkley & Jensen" Full-Cut Pig Ears dog treats between January 1, 2006 through March 8, 2007 should discontinue use of the product and may return the unused portion to any BJ's Wholesale Club for a full refund. Consumers who have further questions may contact BJ's toll free Member Care line at 1-800-BJS-CLUB.
For more information on Salmonella, please visit the U.S. Food & Drug Administration Web site at www.FDA.gov.
About BJ's Wholesale Club
Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is a leading operator of warehouse clubs in the eastern United States. The Company currently operates 172 Clubs and 96 gas stations in 16 states. For more information about BJ's Wholesale Club, please visit www.bjs.com.
Copyright 2007 PRNewswire
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.aspx?Feed=PR&Date=20070309&ID=6596069&Symbol=BJ
Related information E-mail this article Print-friendly version Discuss this articleStocks mentioned in this articleBJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. (BJ) Stock Quote, Chart, News
All PRNewswire NewsNATICK, Mass., March 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is recalling its 25-count packages of "Berkley & Jensen" Full-Cut Pig Ears dog treats with no lot number and only the expiration advisory "BEST IF USED BY 2009" (without referencing a specific month) because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious infections in dogs, and, if there is cross contamination, young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Confirmatory testing is ongoing but until the testing is final, consumers should immediately stop feeding the treats to their pets.
Related newsStocks End Mixed on Economic DataUnemployment Rate Dips to 4.5 PercentNew Century Among Wall Street's MoversBusiness Events Sceheduled for This WeekProduct Recalls
Salmonella can potentially be transferred to people handling these dog treats, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the product or any surfaces exposed to these products. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Dogs that become ill from Salmonella generally will have a fever and diarrhea that may contain blood or mucus. Affected animals may seem more tired that usual, and may have vomiting. Some dogs do not have diarrhea, but will have decreased appetite, fever and excess salivation. If your dog has consumed the recalled product and is exhibiting these signs, please contact your veterinarian.
The potential for contamination was noted after testing revealed the potential presence of Salmonella in a 25-count package of "Berkley & Jensen" Full-Cut Pig Ears dog treats.
There have been no confirmed illnesses to date. These products have been removed from sale while the problem is being investigated.
BJ's members who purchased "Berkley & Jensen" Full-Cut Pig Ears dog treats between January 1, 2006 through March 8, 2007 should discontinue use of the product and may return the unused portion to any BJ's Wholesale Club for a full refund. Consumers who have further questions may contact BJ's toll free Member Care line at 1-800-BJS-CLUB.
For more information on Salmonella, please visit the U.S. Food & Drug Administration Web site at www.FDA.gov.
About BJ's Wholesale Club
Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. is a leading operator of warehouse clubs in the eastern United States. The Company currently operates 172 Clubs and 96 gas stations in 16 states. For more information about BJ's Wholesale Club, please visit www.bjs.com.
Copyright 2007 PRNewswire
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/article.aspx?Feed=PR&Date=20070309&ID=6596069&Symbol=BJ
Peanut Butter Recalled
Peanut butter recall widens for salmonella link Sat Mar 10, 11:40 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. food safety authorities extended a recall of peanut butter linked to a salmonella outbreak to include products bought as early as October 2004.
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Initially, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said all Peter Pan peanut butter bought since May 2006, and all of Wal-Mart Inc.'s Great Value peanut butter with the batch code 2111 should be discarded.
ConAgra Foods Inc. makes both, and has recalled all potentially contaminated batches.
But on Friday night, the FDA said ConAgra had said all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter beginning with product code 2111, including peanut butter toppings, back to October 2004, were being recalled.
"Consumers who have purchased any of the products since October 2004 should discard them," the FDA said.
Salmonella can cause nausea, diarrhea and other ill effects, but usually the sickness clears up on its own in less than a week.
The outbreak of salmonella related to peanut butter has affected hundreds of people in dozens of states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070310/us_nm/salmonella_peanutbutter_dc
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. food safety authorities extended a recall of peanut butter linked to a salmonella outbreak to include products bought as early as October 2004.
ADVERTISEMENT
Initially, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said all Peter Pan peanut butter bought since May 2006, and all of Wal-Mart Inc.'s Great Value peanut butter with the batch code 2111 should be discarded.
ConAgra Foods Inc. makes both, and has recalled all potentially contaminated batches.
But on Friday night, the FDA said ConAgra had said all Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter beginning with product code 2111, including peanut butter toppings, back to October 2004, were being recalled.
"Consumers who have purchased any of the products since October 2004 should discard them," the FDA said.
Salmonella can cause nausea, diarrhea and other ill effects, but usually the sickness clears up on its own in less than a week.
The outbreak of salmonella related to peanut butter has affected hundreds of people in dozens of states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070310/us_nm/salmonella_peanutbutter_dc
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