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Pet Food Problem Solved, Says Menu Food CEO

But Hill's Recalls its Prescription Diet Cat Food

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

March 31, 2007

• RECALL LIST • Consumer Complaints --- News • Mars Petcare Recalls Some Pedigree Dog Food • Expert Finds Unexplained Pet Deaths 'Not Consistent' • Illness, Death Dog Nutro Pet Food • Feds Raid PETCO Warehouse in Illinois • Pet Owners Not Thrilled with Poison Food Settlement • CDC Links 2006 Salmonella Outbreak to Dog Food • FDA Orders Illinois Pet Food Maker to Clean Up Its Act • String of Illnesses Afflicts NUTRO-Fed Pets • Pet Owners Not Thrilled with Poisoning Settlement • Menu Foods Settles Pet Food Class Action • Many Pet Foods Still Missing From Store Shelves • Pet Owners Cheer Indictments in Toxic Pet Food Case • Indictments in Toxic Pet Food Case • Diamond Pet Foods Agrees To $3.1 Million Settlement • Tests Find More Toxic Pet Toys • Finding Safe Toys to Give Your Pet • China Agrees to Stepped-Up Food, Drug Inspections • Menu Foods Denies Acetaminophen Found in its Cat Food • Veterinarians Solve Pet Food Death Puzzle • Menu Foods Agrees to Test for Pain Killer in its Cat Food • Lab Tests Again Find Acetaminophen in Pet Food • Toxic Pet Toys: A Doctor's Advice • Consumers Respond to Toxic Wal-Mart Pet Toy Stories • Federal Import Safety Panel Outlines Proposals • Pet Industry Agrees on Need for Toxicity Standards • Industry Responds to Reports of Lead in Wal-Mart Pet Toys • Wal-Mart Attacks Lab Tests that Found Lead, Chromium in Pet Toys • Wal-Mart Reviewing Results of Tests on China-Made Pet Toys • Lab Tests Find Lead, Other Toxins in Pet Toys Sold at Wal-Mart • CANIDAE Denies Reports of Painkiller in its Pet Food • Lab Tests Find Painkiller in Samples of Pet Food • Purina Denies Claim on Bichon Frise Deaths • FDA Blocks Nutro Pet Food Shipment from Entering U.S. • FDA Testing Dog Treats Pulled from Wal-Mart Shelves • Wal-Mart Finds Melamine in Chinese-Made Dog Treats --- • More about Pet Food Recalls ...

Menu Food's President and CEO says his company is investigating how wheat gluten contaminated with a chemical commonly used in plastic wound up in its products.

President Paul K. Henderson also said the contaminated wheat gluten is not in any of its other product that are outside the scope of the company's massive recall of 60 millions containers of "cuts and gravy" style pet food.

Meanwhile, Hill's Pet Nutrition recalled its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food. The food included wheat gluten from the same supplier that Menu Foods used. The recall doesn't involve any other Prescription Diet or Science Diet products, the company said.

The Food and Drug Administration -- and an outside laboratory -- announced on Friday that tests found a chemical called melamine in samples of the tainted pet foods involved in the recall.

"Melamine has been found in the finished product that was the subject of recall and has not been found in other Menu Foods pet food outside of the recall," Henderson said at a press conference Friday afternoon.

Cornell University officials also confirmed they found melamine -- used in floor tiles, kitchenware, and fire retardant fabrics -- in the urine and kidney of a sick cat. New York officials say they've detected that chemical, too.

Henderson said the melamine-tainted wheat gluten came from a new supplier, who imported the ingredient from China. He said the company stopped using that supplier after dogs and cats across the country showed symptoms of kidney disease or died after eating Menu's pet foods.

"Needless to say, we have a great deal of interest in finding out why we were supplied with this kind of product," Henderson said of the tainted wheat gluten. "This is a subject of very great interest to us and our lawyers and you can expect that we will be following up."

He added: "For litigation purposes, we cannot elaborate at this time."

Grieving pet owners in the United States and Canada have filed lawsuits against Menu Foods, alleging the company was negligent and should have warned consumers about its tainted products before the March 16, 2007, recall.

Problem Solved?

Henderson said pet owners shouldn't worry about the safety of the cat and dog food the company is now producing.

"Let me be clear on this -- we have removed that (tainted wheat gluten) problem from our system," he said. "Our products are safe. We continue to engage in the highest levels of monitoring and testing in the pet food industry. These tests will be expanded as a result of this experience."

He also pointed out: "Melamine has not been found in the wheat gluten that we obtain from our other suppliers ... all of the testing that has been conducted, including the routine taste tests that were underway prior to the discovery of this problem, have demonstrated that those products not associated with the suspect wheat gluten performed very well and in a manner consistent with historic norms."

The tainted wheat gluten, however, might have been used to make dry dog food.

Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said the melamine-tainted ingredient was shipped to an unnamed company -- one that manufactures dry pet food.

The federal agency is now investigating whether that contaminated ingredient was used to make any dry pet foods.

When asked if pet owners could be feeding unsafe food to their animals, Sundlof said: "It is possible, but I think we've been following every lead that we can. My sense is that we have gotten most of it under control."

Last week, New York officials announced they discovered the toxin aminopterin -- used as rat poison in other countries and as a cancer drug in the United States -- in Menu's contaminated products.

But the FDA said its tests -- and those by the outside lab -- did not reveal the rat poison in the recalled pet food. Or in the wheat gluten.

Wheat gluten is used a thickening agent and source of protein in pet foods, but it's also used in some human foods.

The FDA said today that it has found no indication the contaminated ingredient is in any food humans eat. The agency said it would alert the public if it found melamine in any other foods.

The FDA has confirmed at least 16 deaths linked to Menu's contaminated pet foods, but officials expect that number to dramatically increase. The FDA said it has received calls from more than 8,000 veterinarians and pet owners.

Earlier this week, the Veterinarians Information Network, a Web site of 30,000 veterinarians and veterinary students, announced its members have reported 104 deaths linked to Menu Foods' contaminated products. The majority of those deaths -- 88 -- involved cats.

The Web site also received 11 reports of dogs dying after eating Menu Foods' tainted food. The remaining five deaths did not list a species.

In addition, VIN said its members have seen 471 cases of kidney failure since Menu Foods announced its massive recall on March 16, 2007.

The Web site PetConnection.com says it has -- as of March 30, 2007 -- received 2,400 unconfirmed reports of dog and cat deaths linked to Menu Foods.

Henderson offered his company's condolences to grieving pet owners.

"All of us at Menu Foods want to express our sympathy to those people who have suffered with sickness and loss of pets," he said. "We are pet-people and we have almost 1,000 caring employees who are dedicated to making food that is safe, nutritious and palatable."

He added: "We are angered that a source outside of the company has apparently adulterated the product causing this regrettable loss."

As the investigation continues, pet owners are advised to watch their dogs and cats for symptoms of kidney failure, including loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, excessive drinking and either excessive or no urination.

Veterinarians, however, warn that animals do not show symptoms until about 70 percent of the kidney function is lost.

A complete list of the recalled pet foods is available at Menu Food's Web site: www.menufoods.com/recall or contact the company at (866) 463-6738 or (866) 895-2708.

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