2007 North America pet food recall

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The 2007 North America pet food recall began on March 16, 2007 when the Associated Press reported that Menu Foods Limited was recalling dog food sold under 53 brands, and cat food sold under 42 brands, after an unknown number of animals suffered kidney failure from tainted food. Based in Streetsville, Ontario, Canada, Menu Foods is the largest maker of wet cat and dog food in North America. Menu Chief Executive and President Paul Henderson said the company had received an undisclosed number of complaints that pets were vomiting and suffering kidney failure.^[1] At least 471 cases of poisoning have been reported and 104 animals have died.^[2] Experts are concerned that the death toll could potentially reach into the thousands and the US FDA acknowledges receiving more than 8000 complaints.^[3][4] At least one human who ate the contaminated pet food became sick as well.^[5] Menu Foods set up two hot-lines for customers to call. The company also provided a complete list of the recalled products on its website.^[6]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is conducting an investigation on the Menu Foods recall and recently stated that seven out of fifty subject animals died in tests conducted on the manufacturer's suspect dog and cat foods after complaints surfaced regarding the products. The U.S. FDA investigation is focusing primarily on wheat gluten imported from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd^[7], a Chinese research and export firm, as the likely source of contamination.^[8] The wheat gluten was imported by ChemNutra and distributed to three pet food manufacturers and one pet food ingredient distributor.^[9] In press reports, wheat gluten has been characterized as a filler^[10] and as a protein source^[11]. An FDA FAQ on the recall^[12] describes it as a mixture of proteins which serves as a filler, binder, and gravy thickener. Investigations ruled out mold and toxic heavy metals as contaminants.^[3] Following the FDA's announcement, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Nestlé Purina, and Del Monte all issued recall notices for specified pet food products. These companies were criticized for responding too slowly.^[13]

Some brands affected reassured customers in other parts of the world that their pet food supplies were not harmed. For instance, Iams released a press release to Australian and Japanese customers stating that the pet food recall does not affect their pet food supplies. [1] [2]. Notices targeted to customers outside of North America also contained notices for North American customers to visit the companies' North American websites to find information about the recall.

Contents 1 Symptoms 2 Background 2.1 First recall announcement 2.2 The discovery of aminopterin 2.3 Further contaminants 2.4 FDA announcement 2.5 More wheat gluten-related recalls 2.6 Chinese manufacturer responds 3 Notes

[edit] Symptoms

Pet owners were advised to monitor their animals for the following signs of possible kidney failure that may be associated with the unknown toxicant: loss of appetite, lethargy, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, sudden changes in water consumption, and changes in the frequency or amount of urination. It was advised that pets exhibiting these symptoms should be taken for veterinary care as soon as possible, even if the animal did not eat any of the recalled pet food, as these signs may be indicative of other illnesses. ^{[14] [15]}

[edit] Background

[edit] First recall announcement

On March 16, 2007, Menu Foods issued its first press release, announcing the recall. Nestlé Purina also recalled one brand of its dog food. On March 20, a class action lawsuit in the United States was brought in federal court in Chicago"Pet owners sues over toxic food, Washington Times, March 21, 2007</ref> On March 22, the Animal Medical Center in New York City, a top veterinary hospital, said that the organization already knew of 200 cases and expect "thousands" of pets to eventually be affected. Also on March 22, a class action lawsuit was filed at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto against the company, alleging negligence. A similar suit was filed in Windsor, Ontario. By that time, the company's stock had fallen 47% since the announcement of the recall on March 15.^[16]

[edit] The discovery of aminopterin

On March 23 the compound aminopterin, used outside the United States as rat poison, was found in samples of recalled pet food by the New York State Food Laboratory. This information was announced in a joint statement by New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker and Dr. Donald Smith, dean of Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine. ^[17][18] Menu Foods announced they would begin inspections of all production facilities and ingredients, but had not confirmed the claim as of Friday. Company President Henderson said only "We've identified a correlation with a single ingredient and we've stopped using that ingredient."^[19]

Aminopterin was found in the NY tests and the Canadian tests in very low levels and the symptoms do not conform to aminopterin poisoning.

On March 24, Menu Foods requested all of the recalled brands and products, regardless of date, be removed from store shelves, according to the Food and Drug Administration. This procedural change was meant to ensure that contaminated products are not inadvertently left on the shelves. This action does not represent an expansion of the recall; the list of brands and products being recalled remains the same.^[20]

[edit] Further contaminants

On March 27, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center expressed concern that the problem may not yet be fully understood and that other contaminants may be involved, noting that "clinical signs reported in cats affected by the contaminated foods are not fully consistent with the ingestion of rat poison containing aminopterin".^[21]

Melamine remains the lead contaminant of pet foods because the cooking in the preparation causes the loss of nitrogen leaving ammonia, a poison, and guanidine, a muscle stimulant used as a pharmaceutical.

The symptoms pet owners report in their animals conform to those of ammonia poisoning.

[edit] FDA announcement

On March 30, the FDA announced that a form of the chemical melamine, used as a fertilizer in China, has been found by multiple researchers in the food, in samples of the suspect wheat gluten used to make it, and the kidneys and urine of affected animals. They could not confirm the presence of aminopterin — which may have been confused with folic acid.^[4][22] The FDA also stated that the contaminated wheat gluten had been shipped to a second, unnamed manufacturer of dry pet foods, but was unsure whether it had made its way into any dry food. “We are in the plant right now,” said Michael Rogers, director of the division of field investigations in the office of regulatory affairs for the F.D.A. “At this time, we’re not certain any dry food was made with that wheat gluten. As soon as we find out what dry food, if any, was manufactured, we will announce it publicly.”^[23]

The FDA also issued an alert to its field personnel that they should block import of wheat gluten from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company Ltd., and subject wheat gluten from China and the Netherlands to increased scrutiny.^[24]

On the same day, Menu Foods confirmed the FDA's findings about melamine and many other previously reported details, and asserted that newly produced food made without the suspect wheat gluten was "safe and healthy", and that, unlike the recalled food, it was testing "very well and in a manner consistent with historic norms". However, newly produced food would not be shipped immediately, as the company's priority was completing the recall of the implicated pet food.

[edit] More wheat gluten-related recalls

Later on March 30, Hill's Pet Nutrition announced that it was recalling a specialized dry cat food, Prescription Diet "m/d", because it also contained the suspect gluten.^[25] The recalled food is sold through veterinarians for cats with obesity or diabetes. Additionally, Nestlé Purina issued a late-night press release announcing its recall of all sizes and varieties of its Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food.^[26] These two companies came in for harsh criticism in the blogosphere for making their announcements late on Friday (and, in Nestlé's case, long after close of business), leaving concerned pet owners unable to contact them until the following Monday.^[13]

On Saturday, March 31, Del Monte Pet Products issued a recall for dog and cat food and treats containing wheat gluten after determining that the suspect gluten had been used in some of the food.^[27] A Del Monte representative told Huffington Post blogger David Goldstein that the gluten was sold as "food grade" rather than "feed grade", raising the likelihood that it had ended up in human food as well. ^[28] Also, the FDA revealed more findings during a Saturday news conference. Some samples of the gluten contained as much as 6.6% melamine, and "you could see crystals in the wheat gluten". Melamine had previously been considered low risk, with previous studies showing low toxicity in rats and dogs, but its effect on cats had not been studied. Researchers speculate that cats may be unusually sensitive to the chemical.^[29]

On April 3, 2007 the FDA announced that ChemNutra was recalling wheat gluten that it had imported from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development -- one of ChemNutra's three Chinese wheat gluten suppliers. Shipments of the recalled grain were made between November 9, 2006 and March 8, 2007 when ChemNutra was contacted by a pet food manufacturer about suspected contamination. Contaminated grain had been shipped to three different manufacturers of pet food and one distributor who only supplies the pet food industry, indicating that the contaminated gluten did not reach the human food supply.^[9]

[edit] Chinese manufacturer responds

On April 2, a representative of Xuzhou Anying responded to inquiries about FDA notice, stating that they were investigating the complaints but were unsure why they had been singled out, stating that they had purchased the gluten from other suppliers in China and had sold it to another Chinese company before it was exported.^[30] A report on the official Chinese People's Daily website from the Chinese General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine stated that "The poisoning of American pets has nothing to do with China," but the report focussed on aminopterin, not melamine. ^[31]

[edit] Notes