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Del Monte the Latest to Recall Pet Food

Melamine Hazard in Dog Snacks, Wet Dog Food

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

April 2, 2007

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Del Monte is the latest to recall some of its pet food products. The company said it's recalling pet treats sold under the Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels brands as well as select dog snack and wet dog food products sold under private label brands.

A full list of the recalled products appears below.

The company said it learned from the FDA that wheat gluten supplied to Del Monte Pet Products from a specific manufacturing facility in China contained melamine. Melamine is a substance used in floor tiles, kitchenware, and fire retardant fabrics, blamed for the massive recall of Menu Foods and other pet products.

The company said the recall affects less than one-tenth of one percent of Del Monte Pet Products' annual pet food and pet treat production. It said the adulterated ingredients were used over the last three months.

Earlier, and Nestle Purina added some of their products to the growing recall of products blamed for a wave of dog and cat deaths throughout North America.

Nestle Purina recalled all sizes and varieties of Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy dog food marked with specific date codes. The company said some of the cans might be contaminated with melamine, the toxin suspected of causing the pet illnesses.

"We're very confident that we've isolated this problem," said Keith Schopp, a spokesman for Nestle Purina. "This is just one canned variety of Alpo, and it's one of many varieties of Alpo canned products. No dry products are involved. No cat products are involved."

But soothing corporate statements come as little comfort to affected pet owners, like Nicole of Key West, Fla.

"I have two small chihuahuas that ate Alpo Prime Cuts dog food. One of my dogs is currently in the hospital because her kidneys are failing. Sophie is only 6 months old and is very ill," she told ConsumerAffairs.com. "My other dog Charlie is beginning to show signs as well. This has caused me a great deal of stress, time off work, money and possibly the lives of my animals."

Del Monte Recall

Here are the products recalled by Del Monte, according to the company's Web site:

Del Monte said customers can call (800) 949-3799 for more information about the recall and for instructions on obtaining a product refund. The information isalso on the company's Web site at www.delmonte.com/petfoodrecall.html.

Recall Began Two Weeks Ago

The massive recall began two weeks ago, when Canada-based Menu Foods recalled 60 millions cans and pouches of "cuts and gravy" moist dog and cat food produced at its plant in Emporia, Kan., between Dec. 3 and March 6. It has since affected such national brands as Procter & Gamble's Iams and Eukanuba, Nestle SA's Purina Mighty Dog and others, including some sold at Wal-Mart and Safeway.

Joanne of Bentleyville, Penn., was an Iams customer. When her cat refused to eat the Iams Select Bites pouches Joanne brough home, she let her border collie eat them. The dog died a slow death from kidney failure.

"She loved cat food ... so I gave it to (her) as a treat she never gets. The following day I tried the food again with the cat but again he would not eat it so again I gave it to the dog. I had no idea that I thought the food was a treat for my dog was actually poison."

"My life will never be the same. I feel I poisoned one of my family," Joanne said in a complaint to ConsumerAffairs.com. "I trusted a company. I will never do that again."

Menu Food's President and CEO says his company still doesn't know 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 Menu 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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