More than six weeks after Menu Foods Inc. (Streetsville, Ontario) launched the biggest pet food recall in U.S. history, revelations about contaminated ingredients in pet foods not on the original recall list as well as the possibility that contaminants had entered the human food supply indicate that the current crisis may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Although initial recalls focused on “cuts-and-gravy”-style products containing imported wheat gluten that was tainted with melamine, subsequent recalls included dry pet food and treats made with melamine-contaminated wheat gluten (including products made by Del Monte Pet Products of San Francisco and Sunshine Mills Inc. of Red Bay, Ala.) as well as dry and canned pet foods containing melamine-contaminated rice protein concentrate.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, tainted rice protein concentrate imported from China by Wilbur-Ellis Co. (San Francisco) was distributed to five pet food companies in seven locations. Those companies, whose finished pet food products tested positive for melamine, issued recalls. Natural Balance Pet Foods Inc. (Pacoima, Calif.) recalled all Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, Venison and Brown Rice dog treats, and Venison and Green Pea dry cat food, regardless of date codes. Royal Canin USA (St. Charles, Mo.) recalled the Canine Early Cardiac EC22 and Canine Skin Support SS21 formulas of Royal Canin Veterinary Diet dry dog food; the Feline Hypoallergenic HP23 formula of Royal Canin Veterinary Diet dry cat food; and Chicken Meal & Rice Formula Senior, Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Puppy, Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Adult, Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Senior and Rice and Catfish Meal Formula Adult dry dog foods. Blue Buffalo Co. (Wilton, Conn.) recalled 3- and 7-pound bags of Spa Select Kitten dry food with the production code “Best if used by Mar 07 08 B.” SmartPak (Plymouth, Mass.) recalled a single production run of LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice dog food. (For recall updates, visit www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html and www.menufoods.com.)

On April 23, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) urged the FDA to release the name of a suspected second U.S. importer of contaminated rice protein concentrate, as well as the names of all U.S. pet food manufacturers that received shipments of the contaminated concentrate. 

On April 24, the FDA acknowledged that melamine-contaminated pet food had been fed to hogs in at least five states. According to FDA officials, 10 pet food manufacturers sent unusable dog and cat food containing the toxic chemical to hog producers in California, New York, North Carolina, Utah and possibly Ohio, and to one chicken farm in Missouri. At press time, no incidents of human illness or death from contaminated food had been reported.

Also in April, the FDA checked approximately 400 stores across the country to find that most—but not all—stores had removed recalled products. The FDA said it would continue monitoring retailers’ efforts to remove recalled foods.

“FDA’s priority is to make sure that cats and dogs have safe food to eat,” said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. “Many of us are pet owners and animal lovers, and we want pet owners to feel assured that we are doing everything we can to make sure that all contaminated food is off the shelves.”

At press time, unofficial estimates, including those by veterinarians, suggest that hundreds or thousands of pets may have sickened or died as a result of tainted pet food.

Responding to the recalls, Duane Ekedahl, president of the Pet Food Institute (Washington), announced the formation of the National Pet Food Commission. Composed of nationally recognized veterinarians, toxicologists, state and federal regulators and nutritionists, the industry-government partnership is investigating the situations that led to the recall and will recommend steps that the pet industry and the government should take to build on safety and quality standards already in place.

“The pet food industry has been working diligently with the Food and Drug Administration, which has led the investigation to understand the cause of this incident since we learned of the first recall,” Ekedahl said. “As part of this continuing effort, the commission will augment the FDA’s work and make recommendations so that consumers continue to be confident in the food they feed their pets.”

Along similar lines, the FDA is developing a risk-based Animal Feed Safety System to describe how animal feed should be made, distributed and used. The system will be designed to minimize risks to humans and animals from unsafe animal feed.

As the fallout continued, makers of pet foods touted as human-grade, organic and all-natural reassured consumers of their foods’ safety, while retailers specializing in such diets watched sales soar.

“We experienced a tremendous surge in phone calls and e-mails to our customer service team,” said Marty Grosjean, president of Only Natural Pet Store (Boulder, Colo.). “Many people have been quite shaken by the terrible news of the recall, and they are very eager to find safe food for their pets. Some of the biggest-selling brands of conventional pet food were affected by the recall, and pet owners who would not have otherwise considered natural food are suddenly quite interested. This new interest is the only good news to come from the recall, because if most people knew what is in the best-selling brands of dog and cat food, they would be shocked.”

“A recall this extensive is a very unfortunate problem, but we see it as an opportunity to introduce pet owners to a new way of looking at their pet’s health,” said Dr. Chip Cannon, chief executive officer of City Pet Cos. (Dallas). “Our phones have been ringing nonstop with calls from concerned pet owners. Fortunately, our staff is already trained and ready to help educate customers on what foods are safe.” [June 2007 PET AGE]