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.
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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:
- Menu Foods (cat products)
- Menu Foods (dog products)
- Hill's Pet Nutrition
- Purina Pet Foods
- Del Monte Pet Products
- FDA (Pet Food 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:
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Recalled Cat Product Information (Menu Foods) |
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Recalled Dog Product Information (Menu Foods) |
Last updated: 10 August 2011
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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.
