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FDA Blocks Imports from Chinese Supplier Suspected of Producing Tainted Wheat Gluten

Company Denies It's Responsible for the Deaths of Cats and Dogs

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

April 2, 2007

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The Food and Drug Administration has blocked the Chinese manufacturer suspected of producing melamine-tainted wheat gluten -- and linked to scores of kidney-related illnesses and deaths in pets across the country -- from importing the product into the United States.

In an import alert dated March 31, 2007, the FDA identified the Chinese manufacturer as Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company -- www.xzay.com -- of Peixian, China.

"In March, 2007, the FDA became aware of the illness and death of cats and dogs associated with certain pet foods," the alert states, referring to the massive recall of 60 million containers of wet pet food produced by Menu Foods of Canada.

"Subsequently, samples of the implicated pet food were analyzed and found to contain melamine. The consumption of pet food containing melamine may be associated with acute renal failure in cats. Investigations have revealed that the source of the melamine was wheat gluten, which is an ingredient in the pet food.

The alert adds: "Appropriate screening criteria have been set for wheat gluten from China and the Netherlands, as a country through which trans-shipping of Chinese wheat gluten may occur. "

A sales manager for Xuzhou Anying told MSNBC the company was aware of the FDA's import alert. But manager Geng Ziujuan said her company had not made the contaminated wheat gluten, claiming it purchased the product from companies in neighboring provinces of China.

The sales manager also said Xuzhou Anying sold the wheat gluten to another company called Suzhou Textile Import and Export Company.

"There are many other exporters and I don't see why they would just blame us," Geng told MSNBC, adding the company was inspecting its products. It's too early, she said, to announce any results.

Massive Recall

Menu Foods' massive recall affects 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.

Other pet food companies, including Del Monte Pet Products and Hill's Pet Nutrition, are now recalling products made with the same melamine-tainted wheat gluten imported from China.

Del Monte Pet Products recalled some of its wet pet foods and pet treats sold under the Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Stick and Pounce Meaty Morsel brands.

It also recalled some of its dog snacks sold under private label brands. The company said it took that action after learning from the FDA that wheat gluten supplied to Del Monte Pet Products -- from a manufacturing plant in China -- contained melamine.

That's the chemical FDA officials discovered in samples of the "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat now being recalled by Menu Foods. The company's recall involves millions of containers produced at its Emporia, Kansas, plant between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007.

Other Brands

Hill's Pet Nutrition has also recalled its Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry cat food because it contained the melamine-tainted wheat gluten. Hill's recall doesn't involve any other Prescription Diet or Science Diet products, the company said.

In Del Monte's case, the company said it used the adulterated ingredient on a limited basis over the past three months. And only in specific products that have certain product codes.

"The affected products comprise less than one-tenth of one percent of Del Monte Pet Products' annual pet food and pet treat production," the company said in a press release. "Del Monte Pet Products has not used wheat gluten from this manufacturing facility in China in any other pet products… (except those being recalled)."

Del Monte's recalled products include Ol' Roy Bark'n'Bac'n Beef & Bacon flavor dog treats, Ol'Roy with Beef Hearty Cuts in Gravy dog food, Dollar General Beef Flavored Jerky Strips, and Pounce Meaty Morsels moist chicken flavored cat treats. A complete list of the recalled products can be found on Del Monte's Web site: www.delmonte.com/petfoodrecall.html.

Del Monte said none of its other treats, biscuits, or wet dog food --- or dry cat food, dry dog food, wet cat food, or pouched pet foods -- are involved in the recall.

The company says pet owners should immediately stop using these products and contact Del Monte Pet Products' hotline at 1-800-949-3799.

Irate Pet Owners

Sandy Boy

Meanwhile, an Arizona pet owner told ConsumerAffairs.com that Menu Foods is not responding to customers' calls, and said she has anecdotal evidence to suggest the company knew its pet food was tainted long before it announced the recall.

Jerri L. of Goodyear, Arizona, says she's called Menu Foods' hotline four times with concerns about her dog's sudden death after eating Nutra Max, one of the foods included in the recall.

Jerri says her 13-year-old Sheltie, Sandy Boy, was in perfect health before she fed him Nutra Max wet food.

"And then boom, suddenly he was gone," Jerri says, adding Sandy Boy died last Memorial Day, but had symptoms that mirror those in dogs and cats who have become sick or died after eating Menu's tainted food. "Three days after he started eating that food, he was in complete kidney failure. We had to make the difficult choice to put him down."

She adds: "It kind of makes me sick to think that I killed my dog. I could barely live with the decision to put him down…and now to think that I may have killed him inadvertently."

Jerri is convinced Menu Foods knew its products were contaminated months before its March 16, 2007, recall.

"I know how large corporations work and how they hide problems with products until they're forced to go public," she says. "I want the truth. I think they knew about this thing a long time before it was made public. It's too coincidental that my dog passed away from the same symptoms that dogs are having now. We had just switched dog foods and none of my other dogs (that didn't eat Nutra Max) got sick."

Jerri is also outraged that Menu Food's has not responded to repeated calls to its hotline.

"I've made four calls since the recall was announced," she says, adding she placed her fourth call last week and Menu Foods still hasn't responded. "One lady hung up on me when I questioned her about why I was not getting any calls back.

"Menu Foods needs to train its people how to handle calls like this. These are from people with sick pets or people who've lost a pet. I'm just heartsick over this whole thing."

Menu Foods spokeswoman Sarah Tuite says the company has hired an outside firm to respond pet owners calls. The company's hotline, she says, has received more than 300,000 calls since it announced its massive recall.

"We're asking people to be patient," Tuite says. "We've engaged a third-party that will be calling everyone back."

Tuite also denied Jerri's suggestion that Menu Foods knew its products were tainted months ago.

"We are completely confident the problem is related to an ingredient (wheat gluten) that was introduced by a new supplier," she says. "That product was used from December 3, 2006 through March 6, 2007. And we've stopped using that supplier."

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."

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