[Guest]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/18/pet.food/

FDA expands pet food recall
POSTED: 12:36 p.m. EDT, April 18, 2007
Story Highlights• Recall is expanded to products containing rice protein with melamine
• Previous recalled food contained wheat gluten with melamine
• Menu Foods adds one of its Natural Life brand products to the recall
By Katy Byron
CNN
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(CNN) -- The nationwide pet food recall was expanded Wednesday to include products containing rice protein laced with melamine, a toxic agent, the Food and Drug Administration said.

Before this latest announcement, the FDA attributed pet illness and deaths to recalled pet food with wheat gluten found to contain melamine, a component of fertilizers and plastic utensils.

Also on Wednesday, Menu Foods, the company that recalled more than 60 million cans and pouches of wet cat and dog food on March 15, added one of its Natural Life brand products to its recall list. It added two product dates to eight of its already recalled pet foods.

The FDA has recorded 16 animal deaths related to the wheat gluten-pet food recall. However, other organizations have put the death toll in the thousands. (Details on the recall)

After consumer complaints to Natural Balance of Pacoima, California, reporting kidney failure in several cats and dogs after eating the company's venison products, the firm issued a nationwide recall of its venison and brown rice canned and bagged dog foods and treats, and venison and green pea dry cat food, the FDA said. (The FDA's list of recalled pet food)

The FDA said test results show the Natural Balance products containing the rice protein concentrate ingredient were found also to contain melamine.

Calls to Natural Balance for comment were not returned.

Multiple pet food companies announced recalls of more than 100 pet food products after Menu Foods and the FDA announced that a wheat gluten additive from China was found to be a danger to animals.

The FDA has since embargoed all shipments into the United States from the Chinese supplier of the suspect wheat gluten.

The U.S. Senate held hearings last week with FDA officials, veterinarians and pet food industry representatives to discuss prevention of future contamination of products.

The recalls have been conducted by Menu Foods, Hill's Pet Nutrition, P&G Pet Care, Nestle Purina PetCare, Del Monte Pet Products and Sunshine Mills.

 

[Guest]

Aaack, as usual they are not yet identifying the other companies that received or used the rice protein...

RICE PROTEIN CONCENTRATE FROM CHINA; SOLD TO FOUR OTHER PET FOOD COMPANIES BESIDES NATURAL BALANCE 04/17/07
An update on today's earlier USA Today article:
The rice protein concentrate was imported from China by San Francisco-based Wilbur-Ellis. Herrick says the concentrate, which is being tested, is suspected to have melamine, as it was the only new ingredient. Recalled Natural Balance products include Venison and Brown Rice canned and dry dog foods, dog treats and Venison and Green Pea dry cat food.
Wilbur-Ellis CEO John Thacher said his company sold the concentrate to five pet-food makers, but that most of it went to two firms. One of the primary companies was Diamond Pet Foods, which packs some of the Natural Balance product but doesn't use the concentrate in any Diamond-made foods, says Diamond spokesman Jim Fallon. The other major customer, which Thacher would not name, tested the rice protein and found no melamine, Thacher says. Natural Balance's rice protein concentrate is mixed with venison meal, Thacher says.

 

[Guest]

http://www.howl911.com/#headlines

FDA, RICE PROTEIN SUPPLIER, V.I.N. KEEPING US IN THE DARK 04/18/07
Yesterday evening's SacBee online edition reported that the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) is currently investigating five foods which have a disturbing record of recurrence in VIN's database of vet-described disease reports. Dr. Paul Pion, the Davis, CA vet who cofounded the service, refused to identify the five foods under investigation.

Similarly, the FDA and Wilbur-Ellis, the San Francisco-based supplier of the melamine-laced rice protein concentrate found in the recalled Natural Balance foods, have both refused to identify the other four pet food companies who purchased potentially toxic rice protein concentrate from Wilbur-Ellis, leaving consumers not just in the dark, but forced to play Russian Roulette with their pets' lives.

 

[Guest]

Very scary, why the delay in announcing companies again?

 

[Guest]

The Natural Balance recalled food has the ingredient listed as rice protein concentrate, so I guess this is the ingredient to be checking in your food.

 

[annieG]

Since all of the recalls with the pet food, I have signed up for FDA recalls. They come daily via email. It is really shocking how many recalls (not just petfood) there are. I had no idea :!:

 

[MaxandMe]

Since all of the recalls with the pet food, I have signed up for FDA recalls. They come daily via email. It is really shocking how many recalls (not just petfood) there are. I had no idea :!:

Annie i did the same thing!