Fact Check

Menu Foods Pet Food Recall

Menu Foods has recalled some of its pet food after dogs and cats suffered kidney failure.

Published March 18, 2007

Claim:

Origin

Claim:   A number of Menu pet food products have been recalled due to a possible association with kidney failure-related illnesses and deaths of cats and dogs.


TRUE

Origins:   The massive recall of pet food products manufactured by Menu Foods that began in mid-March 2007 (after those products, sold under a variety of brand names, were linked to kidney-related illnesses and deaths in a number of cats and dogs) has been a confusing and worrisome issue for consumers. Initial reports that all the suspected products had been recalled, that only can and pouches of Menu Foods wet food were affected, and that the

problem was due to a form of rat poison (used as a pesticide) present in wheat gluten obtained from a foreign supplier have all since been contradicted.

FDA testing of Menu Foods' products did not turn up evidence of rat poison, and the contaminant now suspected is melamine, a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics and as a type of fertilizer. Melamine has been found in wheat gluten (which serves as a binding agent and source of protein in pet foods) imported from China and used by Menu Foods, but toxicologists are unsure whether it is sufficiently toxic at the levels detected so far to have caused the reported cases of kidney failure in cats and dogs.

Potentially contaminated shipments of wheat gluten have also been tracked to Hill's Pet Nutrition, Nestlé Purina PetCare, and Del Monte Pet Products, and all of those brands have issued voluntary recalls of some of their products as well.

We have compiled as comprehensive a list of recalled pet food products as possible from the information available to us, but pet owners should be sure to check all of the following sites to determine whether a particular brand (and form) of pet food is currently under recall:

Brands and labels of pet foods that have been recalled so far include:

Recalled cat foods

Americas Choice, Preferred Pets

Authority

Best Choice

Companion

Compliments

Demoulas Market Basket

Eukanuba

Fine Feline Cat

Food Lion

Foodtown

Giant Companion

Hannaford

Hill Country Fare

Hill’s Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry

Hy-Vee

Iams

Laura Lynn

Li'l Red

Loving Meals

Meijer's Main Choice

Nutriplan

Nutro Max Gourmet Classics

Nutro Natural Choice

Paws

Pet Pride

Pounce Meaty Morsels Moist Chicken Flavor Cat Treats

Presidents Choice

Price Chopper

Priority US

Save-A-Lot Special Blend

Schnucks

Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans

Sophistacat

Special Kitty Canada

Special Kitty US

Springfield Prize

Sprout

Stop & Shop Companion

Tops Companion

Wegmans

Weis Total Pet

Western Family US

White Rose

Winn Dixie

Recalled dog foods

ALPO® Prime Cuts in Gravy

Americas Choice, Preferred Pets

Authority

Award

Best Choice

Big Bet

Big Red

Bloom

Cadillac

Companion

Demoulas Market Basket

Dollar General

Eukanuba

Food Lion

Giant Companion

Gravy Train Beef Sticks Dog Snacks

Great Choice

Hannaford

Happy Tails

Hill Country Fare

Hy-Vee

Iams

Jerky Treats Beef Flavor Dog Snacks

Laura Lynn

Loving Meals

Meijers Main Choice

Mighty Dog Pouch

Mixables

Nutriplan

Nutro Max

Nutro Natural Choice

Nutro Ultra

Nutro

Ol'Roy

Paws

Pet Essentials

Pet Pride - Good n Meaty

Presidents Choice

Price Chopper

Priority Canada

Priority US

Publix

Roche Brothers

Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels

Schnucks

Shep Dog

Springsfield Prize

Sprout

Stater Brothers

Stop & Shop Companion

Tops Companion

Wegmans Bruiser

Weis Total Pet

Western Family US

White Rose

Winn Dixie

Your Pet

Pet owners who think their animals may have been affected by contaminated products should contact a veterinarian and their local FDA office if their pets begin exhibiting symptoms of kidney failure (e.g., lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting). Cats are much more likely to be affected than dogs.

Additional information:

    Recalled Cat Product Information   Recalled Cat Product Information   (Menu Foods)
    Recalled Dog Product Information   Recalled Dog Product Information   (Menu Foods)

Last updated:   10 August 2011


Sources:

    Burton, Thomas M.   "Amid Pet-Food Recall, Problem Remains Mystery."

    The Wall Street Journal.   19 March 2007   (p. B3).

    Goldman, Abigail.   "Pet Death Toll Predicted to Rise."

    Los Angeles Times.   20 March 2007   (p. C1).

    Hansell, Saul.   "Canned Pet Food Is Recalled After Links to Animal Deaths."

    The New York Times.   19 March 2007   (p. A11).

    Johnson, Mark.   "Pet Food's Taint Identified."

    Las Vegas Review-Journal.   24 March 2007   (p. A7).

    Manning, Anita.   "No Firm Leads Yet in Pet Food Recall, FDA Says."

    USA Today.   21 March 2007   (p. D4).

    Schmit, Julie and Elizabeth Weise.   "Pet Food Inquiry Expands."

    USA Today.   20 March 2007   (p. D4).

    Szabo, Liz.   "Pet Food Recall Affects 90 Brands."

    USA Today.   19 March 2007   (p. D6).

    Weise, Elizabeth and Julie Schmit.   "Pet Food Recall Spreads, and So Does Confusion."

    USA Today.   2 April 2007   (p. D5).

    Verrinder, Matthew.   "Pet Owners Worry About Food Recall."

    Associated Press.   18 March 2007.

    Yoshino, Kimi.   "Recall of Pet Food Alarms Owners."

    Los Angeles Times.   19 March 2007   (p. C1).

    Zezima, Katie.   "Tests by Pet Food Maker Killed 7 Animals Before Recall."

    The New York Times.   20 March 2007   (p. A12).

    Associated Press.   "FDA Tests Reveal Chemical in Recalled Pet Food."

    MSNBC.com.   30 March 2007.

    CNN.com.   "Mass Recall of Dog and Cat Food After Pets Die."

    17 March 2007.

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