(***UPDATE 4/3/07: Pet food recall: Companies named & tainted wheat gluten reported in human food manufacturing plan ***)
I’m perplexed as to why it appears to be as difficult to find out the name of the company that was supplying the oft-mentioned wheat gluten to Menu Foods, as it would be to find out how to break the code at Fort Knox. As many of you know, the only connection there seems to be between the deaths of 16 cats and dogs (and counting) and the THREE WEEKS IN THE MAKING recall Menu Foods FINALLY released on March 16th of nearly 100 pet food products they manufacture, is the possibility of contamination of wheat gluten used in the manufacturing of said products during a particular time.
MGP Ingredients has issued a press release stating that they are NOT the company who provided the wheat gluten to Menu Foods, although they had in the past, so why is it that the identity of the company that DID provide the wheat gluten being kept such a closely guarded secret? I tried my hand at playing detective trying to figure out which company, of the many I did find as wheat gluten suppliers, might have been the one supplying its product to Menu Foods, but apparently donning Sherlock Holmes attire and sleuthing on the internet isn’t my forte. I do find it hard to believe that it is really that hard for someone who knows what they are doing, though. So why IS it taking so long to have someone come forward with this information?
If this situation had happened in the human sector of the food industry wouldn’t we all know by now who the possible culprit was? Didn’t we all quickly hear of the growers of spinach who “might” have had something to do, directly or indirectly, with the spinach scare we all went through recently? Why aren’t we getting information as quickly when the scare has to do with our beloved animals?
All I seem to keep hearing is that this recall is going to cost Menu Foods $30-$40 million. I do feel for the innocent folks whose livelihood will be affected by this catastrophe (those working for Menu Foods who had nothing to do with this), but try telling a pet owner who has lost their family pet, a member of their family, that $30 million dollars even comes close to covering the anguish and grief they are feeling right now knowing that they literally had a hand in bringing an early demise to their pet. Try telling them, the people who were merely tending to the daily needs of their pet by opening up that can or pouch and feeding their 4-footed friend, that this recall is going to have a horrible affect on the well-being of Menu Foods. I highly doubt they give a rat’s patootie. I know I don’t.
Come on Menu Foods, FDA, media sources, let’s start hearing some answers as to WHICH company provided the wheat gluten, IF the wheat gluten or anything associated with it had ANYTHING to do with the deaths of all these pets, or what OTHER scenario could have taken place for this heartbreaking catastrophe to occur. While the answers to the questions won’t ever take away the pain the owners of the affected pets are feeling, or ever fully restore the confidence of pet owners in the pet food industry, at least it will help everyone come to some sort of understanding as to how this could have happened, and how to make sure it does NOT happen again.
LINKS: My initial post, AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), ASPCA, FDA (Food and Drug Administration), Menu Foods, MyFoxDC (videos and information), PETA’s blog(possible lawsuit), Delta Society (list of pet loss and bereavement support groups)
Added on 3/27/07: I just can’t let this wheat gluten thing go, so thought I’d share an interesting read I just found over on vetcetera.
Added on 3/28/07: Am VERY glad to see so many folks are NOT letting this whole thing be swept under the carpet, and are instead trying to put the pieces of this VERY confusing puzzle together. Check out this link to a portion of a great discussion at Conspiracy Central.
Added on 4/1/07: Looks like there’ s a name to a supplier of at least SOME tainted wheat gluten, if not THE tainted wheat gluten Menu Foods used.
46 comments
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March 22, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Connie VC
Menu Foods continues to state they don’t know the cause for sure, but that wheat gluten is the most likely culprit.
I wonder what other factors involving the test animals and the pets who died might come into play.
Had they all recently had pet vaccines or some other widely distributed product – spot on flea control, wormer, etc..?
Perhaps in view of the magnitude of the damages, Menu Foods prefers not to involve their suppliers until they have more proof.
March 22, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Alasandra
My cat, Whiskers, died of kidney failure March 9, 2007 after eating special kitty pouch cat food.
What infuriates me is the fact the company knew something was wrong as early as Feb 20th (before my cat was sick) but did they inform pet owners?
No, they waited until March 16th and allowed countless pets to be killed needlessly in the meantime.
I hope there are some sort of criminal charges that can be brought against the people that choose to delay the recall. It was animal cruelty at the least, kidney failure is a terrible way to die. And it is causing untold mental anguish to those of us who lost our pets because we feed them pet food we thought was safe for consumption.
Pet Connections has just published an update to the pets murdered by the tainted pet food and the delayed recall.
Cats, deceased: 313
Dogs, deceased: 189
They will be updating it again at 6PM.
March 22, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Connie VC
These numbers are self reported by Pet Connections. Did every one of these animals die of kidney failure? During the period 3/17-3/20, the AMC (Animal Medical Center) found 12 deaths due to renal failure.
We certainly all hope the answers are found and provided to an anxious public very soon.
March 22, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Anna
I lost my only 2 cats on Monday 3/19 of kidney failure after they have been eating the Special Kitty pouch food from Walmart. They became ill about 2 weeks prior by not eating, constantly drinking water and flooding the litter box. It was so sad to see them suffer needlessly. I live in Palmyra Pennsylvania and I’m looking for a support group and anyone who is contemplating a class action lawsuit. Please contact me at afanske@yahoo.com
March 22, 2007 at 4:43 pm
A Possibility
Do a Google search.
From http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-961/F-559web.pdf
“The domestic gluten market is almost completely controlled by four manufacturers: Midwest Grain Products Inc., Manildra Milling Corp., Archer Daniels Midland, and Heartland Wheat Growers.”
Of these, one company is particularly politically powerful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archer_Daniels_Midland
There’s no way to know if this is the company Menu Foods switched to or switched from (they could be the one from before the switch, after all), but if a conspiracy theorist was guessing on why no one is giving the company name….
March 22, 2007 at 7:28 pm
SoCalMuchacha
Connie V, while I understand not rushing to judgment, I also think when the lives of innocent beings are in jeopardy, a company must err on the side of safety, and if it indeed turns out that the supplier of the wheat gluten DOES have something to do with the deaths, then what other products might that supplier also be involved in? I would like to assume that the supplier is being checked out thoroughly as we speak, but with such secrecy surrounding everything it’s hard to tell. I do agree that an anxious public awaits some much-needed answers.
And yes, the Pet Connection-posted deaths are self-reported, and anyone could say they had a pet, or pets, that died from the contaminated food, but one has to believe there are more deaths directly attributable to this recall than the 16 or so that have been confirmed.
Alasandra and Ana, I am VERY sorry for your losses. Having lost pets myself over the course of many years of pet ownership, I can only imagine what you’re going through. I know your hearts are very sad at this time, but I hope you have many memories to lighten your grief a bit. I am going to include a link to the Delta Society in my post above, which will have various other agencies you can contact for pet loss and bereavement support.
And to “A Possibility”, interesting read…thank you. And if it is ADM I’m sure they are coated in an extra thick layer of insulation…if ya get my drift. 😉
March 23, 2007 at 8:27 am
Connie VC
Midwest Grain Products (MGP, INC) has made a public statement vehemently denying being involved. I guess this narrows the possible “suspects”.
March 23, 2007 at 8:31 am
Connie VC
At 8:30 a.m. PST I got a news alert in my email that says the pet food deaths were caused by wheat from China tainted with rat poison.
Check out http://www.thekansascitychannel.com
March 23, 2007 at 10:46 am
Joy
This is all so scary. Thankfully Wilbur is on a very natural dog food made here in Canada that is not included in any recalls. (it also makes him poop less which is a BIG bonus!) 😉
March 23, 2007 at 10:51 am
SoCalMuchacha
Connie, thanks so much for the information about the rat poison. Have been away from news sources this morning, but will definitely be checking it out. Such poisons would definitely cause some of the reactions pets were having. As for MGP’s press release, I had the link to their press release in my post and did state that they had nothing to do with this batch of wheat gluten. 🙂
And Joy, considering Wilbur’s size (hey, Rudy’s a big boy, too! ;)) I’m sure you’re VERY happy that there is less to pick up from him. Glad he’s not on any of the recalled foods, too…I consider him an extended member of my family. 🙂
March 24, 2007 at 2:27 pm
fridaymorningafter
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16942953.htm
“There are only three wheat gluten manufacturers in the U.S., including Atchison, Kan.-based MGP Ingredients, but hundreds of brokers that sell both domestic and imported wheat gluten.
MGP President Tim Newkirk said Tuesday that MGP is not a supplier to Menu Foods. Joe Carmosino of Milandra, an Australian-based maker of wheat glutens but which has an office in Shawnee, also said his company is not a supplier to Menu Foods. Officials with the third domestic gluten maker, ADM, which has an office in Overland Park, could not be reached for comment.”
I’ve noticed that of the very few stories coming out, ADM isn’t even mentioned and they are using words like “hundreds of brokers” and mentioning very little about the fact that there are only 3 manufacturers. Put ADM & “Menu Foods” in Google news and you get 1 story. I did find ADM Canadian contact info:
ADM/Ogilvie Division ADM Agri-Industries Ltd.
995 Mill St.
Montreal QC, H3C 1Y5
Phone: 514-846-8516
Fax: 514-937-9578
Toll Free: 800-561-3715
Joe
March 24, 2007 at 2:39 pm
fridaymorningafter
Found this:
“Pet Food Maker to Take Financial Responsibility for Pet Deaths From Poisoning”
March 23, 2007 — The president of pet food maker Menu Foods, which last week issued a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of pet food after a rash of animal sickness and death, said today that the company would reimburse pet owners who can trace their pets’ illnesses to the company’s products.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2975912&page=1
March 24, 2007 at 2:55 pm
fridaymorningafter
Got It. Has to be ADM because the other 2 have issued statements saying it wasn’t them.
Here MGP denies it:
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suspects kidney failures in cats and dogs were caused by gluten, ”the safety and quality of wheat gluten produced by MGP Ingredients is not in question,” Atchison, Kansas-based MGP Ingredients said today in a statement. ”Our product is not associated with this sad and unfortunate situation,” MGP Ingredients President and Chief Operating Officer Tim Newkirk said in the statement.
There are only three major U.S. producers of gluten, Steve Pickman, MGP Ingredients vice president for corporate relations, said in a telephone interview. Along with his company, Pickman identified Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. and Manildra Milling Co. The ingredients may have come from outside the U.S. because about half of the U.S. supply is now imported, he said.
http://www.stockhouse.com/mediascan/news.asp?newsid=8294867
and here Milandra denies it:
Joe Carmosino of Milandra, an Australian-based maker of wheat glutens but which has an office in Shawnee, also said his company is not a supplier to Menu Foods. Officials with the third domestic gluten maker, ADM, which has an office in Overland Park, could not be reached for comment.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/16942953.htm
I called ADM in Canada and got nowhere.
Will keep looking.
Joe
fma@ckut.ca
March 24, 2007 at 3:19 pm
SoCalMuchacha
Joe, I think you have most DEFINITELY earned the Sherlock Holmes award! I send to you his pipe (fill it with what you choose ;)), the magnifying glass, the lovely hat he wore, and of course the coat. Great work…thanks! 🙂 (Drats, the picture of Sherlock Holmes won’t show up…use your imagination. :))
March 24, 2007 at 9:19 pm
PCW
It had to be ADM. Most likely the FDA will not not make this public until they are certain it was wheat gluten. They do not want the public to be concerned about our food supply, as they SHOULD BE.
I do not understand why this process would take more than 4 hours due to FDA regulations requiring pet food companies to keep inventories of ingredients and finished product for 90 days.
This is a complete breakdown and failure of our food suppliers and government agencies to protect the public from tainted food. Unfortunately, as more food is imported from abroad, situations such as this will only increase. Foreign countries do not have simple laws banning chemicals such as DDT, and there is no way the US government can hire enough inspectors to guarantee the safety and quality of imported food products.
It is even more difficult for consumers to protect themselves. Price is no longer a guarantee for quality as everyone now knows. Expensive foods are only as good as their ingredient sourcing, and with commodity prices skyrocketing due to ethanol competition, pet food companies are turning to cheaper suppliers to maintain profit margins. In the commodity world, you get what you pay for.
I suggest intimately knowing you pet food manufacturer and selecting one who will only use legitimate, known suppliers.
March 25, 2007 at 6:08 am
Dr Ken at WFPC
Connie,
Great job on compiling these pieces of information regarding the aminopterin poisonings. My client, Jackie Johnson has filed suit in Madison, WI and I want to do all I can to help her and other pet owners. I have started my own blog and would like to link to yours, but as I am new to this I don’t know if I need your permission or not. Please advise.
As my patient, Gumbie had some underlying health issues prior to the tainted food exposure but the temporal relationship and cause and effect of feeding the food and Gumbies resultant acute renal failure and anemia is very suspicious.
Thankfully due to early intervention we were able to stabilize Gumbie and recent tests performed on Friday(Creatinine levels) are the best we have had since his acute illness.
I urge all pet owners (exposed to Menu foods and not) to have regular kidney function and other wellness testing done (simple blood testing) on their pets from the age of 5 on or at any time that their appetite wanes or they are losing ANY weight at all. It will serve as a wellness base if anything like this ever comes up and and simply lead to early detection of organ problems like kidney disease. This is importatn in dogs and cats but especially important in our feline friends because you know how subtle they are and kidney disease is more common in cats. I personally lost one of my cats at age 7 to renal disease (cause never identified) It has made me very aggressive in laboratory testing (blood and urine) to detect what we can’t otherwise know about.
My blog will be dedicated to food quality and nutraceutical advances for pets from an integrative care perspective.
Thanks again for furthering the knowledge through your great blog!
Dr Ken at WFPC
March 25, 2007 at 12:30 pm
SoCalMuchacha
PCW, I totally agree with you and feel that what we’re seeing with the horrendous deaths from this pet food recall is truly just the tip of the ice berg as far as what IS going on with ALL food sources, not just those for animals. And when I was trying to do my sleuthing on the wheat gluten suppliers, I definitely got a crash course in the commodities market. I think EVERYONE should be educated on how it is that ANY product makes it into ANYTHING we eat or use–quite enlightening…and scary. Truly does seem to come down to the almighty dollar. Sigh.
And Dr. Ken, thanks for the compliments on the blog! I’m actually the person who writes it, but Connie and so many others who have commented with insights and information have TRULY been as much a part of what’s been on this blog as I have. 🙂 Interesting how folks who have never met each other can come together to share info like this…love it! By all means, feel free to link to my blog…the more info we can get out, the better! And having worked in the veterinary field myself for several years, I stress with you the importance of routine blood work, as well as in times when something is ‘just off’ with your pet. The more clues the veterinarian can get as to what’s going on inside your pet’s system, the better. Unfortunately too many folks think that blood work, x-rays, and other diagnostic measures are just a way for the veterinarian to make more $$$, and of course there IS profit in such things, BUT they really DO help the veterinarian pinpoint what’s going on. There are some good pet insurance carriers out there, so perhaps now would be a good time for pet owners to take a closer look at them.
Again, to EVERYONE who has been posting and reading, thank you so much for your interest, your input, and your obvious love of pets. 🙂
March 31, 2007 at 7:53 am
Max Beck
The FDA knows the identity of the American supplier of the tainted wheat glutin and notes the city where it is located, but refuses to give the American public the name of this company. Disgusting.
The web link:
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:NTnwSxfIu4QJ:www.itchmo.com/read/fda-still-unaware-of-gluten-source-contaminated-plant-still-open_20070321+name+of+wheat+gluten+supplier+tainted&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9&gl=us
March 31, 2007 at 8:40 am
Deborah Thompson
The researchers are missing the forest for the trees. Granted, plastic and/or pesticides in the food are a problem, but the real problem is the gluten itself. Our whole family has discovered wheat gluten to be the source of many health problems, from depression to learning disabilities, acid stomach to migraine. We don’t feed our beagles gluten anymore either, and their health has improved significantly, as well. See http://dogtorj.net/id32.html for good info on gluten intolerance in animals.
March 31, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Joe
What about Heartland Wheat Growers Inc. In Kansas. If ADM were the culprit you would know by the stock price which has not yet shown any significant decline.
March 31, 2007 at 7:49 pm
SoCalMuchacha
Max, I found it QUITE interesting that in the Menu Foods press conference yesterday (3/30/07), they went out of their way to say that it “was not their place” to name the supplier of the wheat gluten? Say what?!?!?! Ugh! Someone most definitely knows, and I think it sucks that we aren’t being told so that WE, the consumers, could decide if we want to use products from that company, and so on.
Wow, Deborah, that’s a great link and has me definitely thinking long and hard about wheat gluten. Thanks!
I see what you’re saying, Joe, but if the name of the company who provided the wheat/wheat gluten hasn’t been made public, (and keep in mind I know very little about the stock market ;)) how could the stock price be affected? Hope that question made sense.
LOVE the dialogue taking place on this subject…thanks everyone! 🙂
April 1, 2007 at 4:00 am
Charles
I did a little bit of research on the web, searching for Chinese Wheat Gluten. After a bit of searching I found this company name:
Shandong Weifang Native Produce Imp.& Exp. Corp
It seems to be one of the larger Ag Exporting businesses and it has been around since 1955.
Here is info from: http://en.shac.gov.cn/bs/sell/200506/t20050627_130261.htm
Company Address: No. 4 First Street, Railway Staion, Weifang, Shandong, China
City/Town: Weifang
Province/State: Shandong
Country/Region: China
Zip/Postal Code: 261051
I hope this helps!
Thanks,
Charles
April 1, 2007 at 4:13 am
Charles
I’d like to add something to my last post. From the Chinese Government website, they do not list wheat gluten as a supply. But, other research did show that this company provides Wheat Gluten.
Charles
April 1, 2007 at 11:34 am
SoCalMuchacha
Hmmm, now isn’t THAT interesting, Charles! Thanks for your sleuthing…good job.
April 1, 2007 at 11:58 am
Maureen
Read the following description by Reuter’s of ADM’s business ventures in China (and Indonesia) that gives impetus to inquire of the FDA whether ADM is the “unnamed supplier”:
“Golden Peanut Company LLC, a joint venture between the Company (ADM) and Alimenta (U.S.A.), Inc., supplies peanuts to both the domestic and export markets. The Company has a 50% ownership interest in this joint venture. The Company participates in various joint ventures in China and Indonesia that operate palm plantations; soybean, rapeseed, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut, palm kernel and sesame crushing facilities and related vegetable oil refineries and packaging facilities; an oleochemical plant that produces fatty acids, glycerin and soap noodles; a soy protein plant; wheat flour mills; rice mills; feed mills; fertilizer operations, and related silos and storage facilities.”
Source: http://stocks.us.reuters.com/stocks/fullDescription.asp?symbol=ADM.N&WTmodLoc=HybArt-C1-ArticlePage1
April 1, 2007 at 4:27 pm
SoCalMuchacha
Well I just had a DUH moment while responding to a comment on the post I did yesterday, and it goes back to the 18th comment post above where Max Beck said, “The FDA knows the identity of the American supplier of the tainted wheat glutin and notes the city where it is located, but refuses to give the American public the name of this company. Disgusting.” Color me stupid!
It was in rereading the Nestlé Purina PetCare Company press release just now that I saw what Max was saying staring me RIGHT IN THE FACE!!
ARGH, so at least Menu Foods and Nestlé Purina PetCare Company are FULLY AWARE of who the supplier is (there HAVE to be many others who know, too!) but they are NOT divulging it to us? Why? Are we, as consumers, not afforded the right to know who this supplier is, who the other companies they supplied wheat gluten to are, with all of this being information which would allow us to decide which products we feel comfortable using or not using?!?! Goodness gracious, I’m getting peeved all over again. You just know this all has to boil down to the almight dollar, right? Ugh.
April 1, 2007 at 4:53 pm
SoCalMuchacha
Literally JUST found this under a “wheat gluten” search on the FDA’s web site. Will do a post on it, too! Soooo, is THIS the company?
April 1, 2007 at 9:47 pm
Jasmine Travis
I’ve been following this case because my sister’s cat suffered from kidney failure from Menu Foods’ pet food.
The melamine found in the wheat-gluten was actually traced back to a company in China who supplied this to Menu Foods.
Apparently, pet owners may not get much out of suing the company because of how pets are only seen as personal property.
here are a few articles I found would be of interest:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/01/AR2007040100409.html
http://www.class-action-finder.com/consumer-products/49/
April 2, 2007 at 1:19 am
SoCalMuchacha
Thanks for those links, Jasmine, and so sorry to hear about your sister’s cat. It always amazes me when our beloved pets are considered “just property” since any animal lover knows full well the emotional bond we share with our four-footed friends. I certainly hope that victims will band together in a lawsuit and have their voices heard.
April 2, 2007 at 10:37 am
fridaymorningafter
This was sent to my Dad who is a vet:
“A note from my Dad that he sent me in email tonight (he is an analytical chemist):
“The latest news is that researchers have found melamine (a compound found in plastics) in cat urine. They don’t know what it means yet, but they will soon find out that it comes from the flea sprays used by home owners. These flea sprays contain cyromazine at about 3% by volume. When ingested, the body quickly converts cyromazine to melamine which in turn is rapidly excreted from the body in urine.”
Not sure if the conversion is the same in cats, but it is interesting! Doesn’t explain why it was found in teh foods, either :P”
————-
It seems they are completely trying to cover-up the wheat gluten aspect. An independent reporter confirmed this morning that the wheat gluten (almost certainly AMD) was “FOOD GRADE” and NOT “Feed Grade”.
>>”Tainted wheat gluten sold as “food grade””
“Del Monte Foods has confirmed that the melamine-tainted wheat gluten used in several of its recalled pet food products was supplied as a “food grade” additive, raising the likelihood that contaminated wheat gluten might have entered the human food supply.
“Yes, it is food grade,” Del Monte spokesperson Melissa Murphy-Brown wrote in reply to an e-mail query. Del Monte issued a voluntary recall Saturday for several products under the Gravy Train, Jerky Treats, Pounce, Ol’ Roy, Dollar General and Happy Trails brands.
Wheat gluten is sold in both “food grade” and “feed grade” varieties. Either may be used in pet food, but only “food grade” gluten may be used in the manufacture of products meant for human consumption. Published reports have thus far focused on tainted pet food, but if the gluten in question entered the human food supply through a major food products supplier and processor, it could potentially contaminate thousands of products and hundreds of millions of units nationwide.”
Stay away from fast and frozen foods and much more. This stuff is in LOTS of things.
joe
April 2, 2007 at 10:40 am
fridaymorningafter
This also came in which is interesting:
“As noted in post #61, Cyromazine is an IGR commonly used, not just in flea sprays, but in livestock as a larvacide, insecticide, miticide–UNRESTRICTED USE. It is also fed to poultry (product name Larvadex) to kill flies in the manure. No withdrawal time for eggs, meat or meat by-products. There’s even a pelleted form advertised as a “top dressing” for horse feed.
It’s also widely used as a crop insecticide, including one made by Novartis Animal Health. The Toxicity info cautions “By U.S. law, only active ingredients (AIs) are reported. In addition to active ingredients, pesticide products may contain one or more “inert” ingredients. Many “inert” ingredients in current use have known adverse human and environmental effects.”
We may indeed be looking at an additive or cumulative problem, or perhaps a vast overdose of the stuff somewhere along the line. But there are many places it could have come from, including the by-products used in all of these foods; and Chinese wheat isn’t necessarily in the equation.
Jean Hofve DVM
Boulder CO
April 2, 2007 at 6:47 pm
SoCalMuchacha
Good to see you back, Joe, and full of information, too! I really DO believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding what REALLY goes on in not only the pet food industry, but the human as well. I know that I’m learning a lot more about the FDA, suppliers, importers, etc., than I EVER thought I would.
Speaking of info, Joe, I went to your site and tried to listen to the Ann Martin interview on pet diets, but couldn’t get it to go past the “hello” portion…help! 🙂
April 3, 2007 at 2:06 pm
fridaymorningafter
Hey SoCalMuchacha,
Looks like the host, radio4all.net, is having problems. I have to run out but I will post all three files I did last Friday to another server tomorrow morning and then post the links here. You can try back at the original link later tonight and it might work. If people are downloading lots of stuff, the server tends to get slow quick.
Hope you saw this posted this morning:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/03/business/pets.php
“Tainted wheat gluten found in U.S. food plants”
“ROCKVILLE, Maryland: The tainted wheat gluten that triggered a massive pet food recall also ended up in processing plants that prepare food consumed by people, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.
While agency leaders offered assurances Monday that the U.S. food supply remains safe, they said they cannot yet completely rule out contamination of human food by the suspect wheat gluten, which contained melamine, a chemical found in plastics and pesticides.”
peace
Joe
April 3, 2007 at 3:09 pm
SoCalMuchacha
Wow, Joe, I did NOT see that…off to post about it! Thanks!
—Okay, just did some digging based on what you posted, and found some interesting stuff. Here’s the link.
And again, I’d just really like to thank ALL OF YOU who have not only posted your own stories, but also done some investigating and posted your findings. I think it’s been great the way EVERYONE is coming together to help figure this all out.
April 4, 2007 at 12:29 am
USSRelativity
You know as bad as this is…and it IS BAD, this Chinese exporter has got to have distributed to Other companies (maybe not in the US but perhaps elsewhere in the world). I wonder if there are any indications of where else this wheat gluten may have ended up?
And could it be included in animal foods or human foods produced in other countries (and possibly then imported into the U.S. as a finished product or in other means or ingredients that are not specifically noted as to the ingredient’s origin?
I know it’s thinking a bit global and a little paranoid…but then again the is always a certain amount of acceptable things that can turn up in any grain that’s considered “safe” and perhaps this was just the time that a “Perfect Storm” of conditions brought this order into the U.S. and that order was sent to one primary pet food manufacturer who makes product that happen all (the wet) use a gravy thickener for more than 100 brands that cover both dog and cat foods from top tier to budget varieties.
Unfortunately, this has now become a public nightmare for all the companies involved…including the FDA. They try testing and get rat posion…oops! then another test indicates a chemical that is used to make plastics–not quite as bad sounding as rat posion–so that is the spin. Then Menu Foods promises that their current food is completely safe. (Possibly so…but that’s a lot of brands in a short amount of time to turn around on 60 million units recalled).
At what point does this all “go away” on the next big news cycle??
What impact will consumers be able to make on the future?
How will the pet owners who have lost pets be treated like dogs when push comes to shove in the courtroom when “personal property” compensation turns out to be pocket change for their loss. How exactly will they have to “prove” their pets died from the product, dig up their pets and have a lab test each and every death??
And heaven forbid anything cross-contaminates anything humans eat, then “national security” will drive this underground!
Yes, we are a lazy nation who like to have inexpensive products for our pets and hope the ones we purchase have the ingredients that will benefit our pets. And on the whole, convenience rules, not dogs.
As soon as some announces that the scare is over, people will begin getting their Wal-Mart or Premium brands again, because although there WAS a scare and pets DID die, it must now be OK…because they said it was…What did we learn?? Did it really make a difference??
Only time will tell…
April 4, 2007 at 11:22 am
SoCalMuchacha
AWESOME post, USSRelativity! I totally agree with you on all counts: the concern for regulation, how easily folks will “forget” it all and go back to “normal”, the continued frustration pet owners will feel when trying to receive ANY compensation (class action suit seems to be the ONLY way to go!), and I have NO DOUBT this tainted product has made it’s way to more than just pet food.
Thanks for your post! 🙂
April 4, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Eric
Has anyone considered that the contamination was more likely caused in shipping…. improper cleaning of the ship, boxcar or container for carraige of food grade products after carraige of chemicals?
Rgds:
Eric
April 4, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Eric
Looks like from the press release if it was shipping contamination it occured in China before the product was bagged.
A more interesting question is why is Kansas importing wheat products from Red China, and how can they be cheaper than the locally produced wheat products?
It’s evident they are not as safe.
April 4, 2007 at 3:04 pm
SoCalMuchacha
Hi, Eric. I’d read elsewhere that folks were considering the possibility of contamination in transport, but a response was that there was too much contaminant in the samples of food tested to have only been in transport. But in my opinion anything is possible, so who knows…
And unfortunately we go outside our country for far too many things because folks want the cheap “Wal-Mart type” prices, not taking into consideration how/why those prices are so cheap. Maybe this will all be not only a wake-up call for food industry regulation and checking labels, but also for taking a look at the return to manufacturing in our own backyard instead of in other countries. Pipe dreams, right? 😉
April 9, 2007 at 6:29 pm
PCW
We all need to wake up and pay attention to food. This is NOTHING new. Food has been traded around the world for centuries, just as it is today. People get sick and die from contaminated food every year, but nobody cares. Maybe it makes headlines for only a few days. And worse yet, the companies that produce deadly foods are still in business today, in some cases after three outbreaks that killed dozens of people (Foxy brands).
Our food does not come from a box store, truck, train, or boat. IT COMES FROM A FARM.
Government food production stabilization programs are all but gone now, and we have allowed American farms to disappear. These programs are important because they provide market price stabilization for commodities. Without them, farmers are subject to harsh price swings that can be the result of poor weather conditions.
Since 1950, the number of American farms in production has declined by HALF. Production output has remained the same thanks to technology like GMO’s. And for those of you think this is awful, GMO’s are everywhere, in ALL FOODS. We have a little known event called gene flow to thank for this. (GMO free labels are bogus and unregulated, nice thought though)
This year, the US will become a net importer of agricultural goods for the first time in generations. This trend in deadly food products will continue to increase as our food production becomes evermore concentrated and consolidated. Increasing world demand for food and ethanol production will exacerbate this problem as well.
Lastly, NO, we do not produce enough food to feed ourselves, but we could. Worse yet, we will need to DOUBLE our food production to sustain the world population over the next 40 years (UN report). Unfortunately, it would take the better part of a decade to recover the fallow fields across the US. And even then, we will be battling over resources required to produce our crops. Resources such as water, soil nutrients, and open space are already in short supply.
I am not a farmer, only educated.
I suggest you all start with “Merchants of Grain” by Dan Morgan to get acquainted with how your food arrives at your dinner plate. This is the ONLY book I have found that details the movement of nutrients around the world.
Then check out the USDA and National Agricultural Statistics Service website. It is loaded with information about US food.
April 10, 2007 at 2:29 am
If I only knew then… Changing AP story on Pet Food Recall deaths AND "Go Orange for Animals" with the ASPCA today! «
[…] food recall: Companies named & tainted wheat gluten reported in human food manufacturing plantPet Food Recall: Who provided Menu Foods wheat gluten?Pet food recall: FDA memo naming recalled food WHEAT GLUTEN […]
April 19, 2007 at 3:48 pm
fridaymorningafter
this just came out today, April 19th
FDA Asks if Pet Food Tainted on Purpose
By ANDREW BRIDGES Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Imported ingredients used in recalled pet food may have been intentionally spiked with an industrial chemical to boost their apparent protein content, federal officials said Thursday.
That’s one theory being pursued by the Food and Drug Administration as it investigates how the chemical, melamine, contaminated at least two ingredients used to make more than 100 brands of dog and cat foods.
So far, melamine’s been found in both wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate imported from China. Media reports from South Africa suggest a third pet food ingredient, corn gluten, used in that country also was contaminated with melamine. That tainted ingredient has not been found in the United States, the FDA said.
FDA investigators, meanwhile, are awaiting visas that would allow them to visit the Chinese plants where the vegetable protein ingredients were produced.
“Melamine was found in all three of those _ it would certainly lend credibility to the theory that it may be intentional. That will be one of the theories we will pursue when we get into the plants in China,” Stephen Sundlof, the FDA’s chief veterinarian, told reporters.
Chinese authorities have told the FDA that the wheat gluten was an industrial product not meant for pet food, Sundlof said. Still, melamine can skew test results to make a product appear more protein-rich than it really is, he added. That raises the possibility the contamination was deliberate.
“What we expect to do with our inspections in China will answer some of those questions,” said Michael Rogers, director of the division of field investigations within the FDA’s office of regulatory affairs.
Wilbur-Ellis Co., the U.S. importer of the tainted rice protein, said Thursday it was recalling all the ingredient it had distributed to five U.S. pet food manufacturers. The San Francisco company in turn urged its customers to recall any products that may be on store shelves.
So far, just two of those companies have done so: Natural Balance Pet Foods and Blue Buffalo Co.
Natural Balance, of Pacoima, Calif., announced a limited recall Monday of its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and Venison and Green Pea dry cat food.
Blue Buffalo, of Wilton, Conn., followed Thursday by recalling 5,044 bags of its Spa Select Kitten dry food. The company intercepted most of the kitten food before it reached distribution centers, company co-founder Billy Bishop said.
FDA officials would not release the names of the other two manufacturers that Wilbur-Ellis supplied, citing its ongoing investigation.
The FDA and Agriculture Department also were investigating whether some pet food made by one of the five companies supplied by Wilbur-Ellis was diverted for use as hog feed after it was found unsuitable for pet consumption.
“We understand it did make it into some hog feed and we are following up on that as well,” Sundlof said.
The FDA could not provide updated numbers of pet deaths or injuries due to the contaminated pet food. The agency has received more than 15,000 calls since the first recall was announced more than a month ago.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4731552.html
April 30, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Anthony C.
May as well post something semi-authoritative.
I am glad to say, the gluten supplier was not domestic, it was Chinese. But I am horrified to note that ALL chinese gluten suppliers have been adding melamine to their products to fudge protein content tests… for years. It is hard to know how many pets have died because of this over the last decade.
I am proud to report, that the FDA has just issued an Import Alert ordering the seizure of ALL vegetable protein products originating from China due to systemic and intentional melamine contamination.
April 30, 2007 at 8:17 pm
SoCalMuchacha
I’d been reading the latest regarding the truth about how prevalent adding melamine to practically EVERYTHING in China is, but didn’t have time to post, so thanks for that Anthony. 🙂 Also saw a report on CBS Evening News tonight and it just turns my stomach. Going to find some time right now to at least post some links in a blog entry.
July 7, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Sandy
Whizzer’s Mom
My dog Whizzer just died and other dog Toby ill with kidney problems all related to killer pet food. We need to pressure congress to address these pet food related deaths and enact a law to force the FDA to regulate the pet food industry and especially imports from China.
July 10, 2007 at 9:55 am
SoCalMuchacha
I’m sorry to read about the loss of Whizzer, Sandy, as well as the kidney problems Toby is facing.
And I totally agree that we need to continue putting pressure on our government to hold them AND the pet food industry accountable for effective and stringent regulation of products imported AND produced stateside for our pets.