The pet food recall has expanded to include dog biscuits sold by Wal-Mart under the Ol’ Roy brand; legislators are beginning to take note. From The Chicago Tribune:
The recall of contaminated pet foods and treats expanded Thursday to include dog biscuits made by an Alabama company and sold by Wal-Mart.
As the pet food recall grows, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and others are calling for stricter regulation of the pet food industry in America, where cats or dogs live in more than 80 million households.
“Our pets have no voice, but we do, so we must speak out,” Durbin said during a stop Thursday in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. “What happened in the last couple months is unacceptable.”
Sunshine Mills Inc. is recalling dog biscuits made with imported Chinese wheat gluten. Testing has shown that the wheat gluten, a protein source, was contaminated with melamine, a chemical used to make plastics, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday. In a report, China denied any role in the poisoning.
Also Thursday, Menu Foods Inc., a major manufacturer of pet foods, expanded its original recall to include a broader range of dates and varieties.
The additional dates and varieties are here.
The first class action suit filed as a consequence of the contaminated pet foods has been filed in California:
Pet Food Recall – Representing pet owners nationwide, Sacramento law firms Kershaw Cutter & Ratinoff, LLP and Wexler Toriseva Wallace, LLP, have filed the first Class Action lawsuit against Del Monte Foods (U.S. District Court, Central District of California, CV 07-1958-GHK AJWx) arising from its alleged sale of contaminated dog food and other pet foods to the public.
The pet food class action lawsuit alleges that Del Monte’s Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks, and Pounce Meaty Morsels are contaminated with chemicals that can cause fatal kidney failure in animals that consume it. All of these brands were the subject of a recent nationwide recall and are believed to be contaminated by tainted wheat gluten from China. The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for all veterinary bills that were paid by affected pet owners.
Where things stand now
As of this writing according to PetConnection.com 3,242 pets have died as a result of contaminated food recalled by Menu Foods (and other manufacturers); the FDA has reported 12,000 consumer complaints in this matter.
We still can’t identify the cause of the pet deaths that have been observed over the last several months. It is believed that contaminated or adulterated wheat gluten is the vector by which whatever caused the deaths entered the food supply. So far there are two substances identified in the wheat gluten in question which shouldn’t have been there: aminopterin, a rat poison, and melamine, a substance used in plastics and fertilizer. It is unknown at what point in the supply chain either of these substances or the toxin was introduced. It’s a reasonable hypothesis that it was at some point prior to Menu Foods, since two different Menu Foods locations have been implicated.
If you believe that your pet was killed or injured by eating any of the affected pet food notify the FDA directly.
