Pet food recall: Costco speaks

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A reader of this blog told us yesterday that her local Costco was pulling pet food off its shelves, and an employee said it was because the food was "bad." None of the Costco Kirkland brand foods had been recalled at that time.

I contacted Costco but received a "no comment" response, along with a statement that someone else could contact me who could answer my questions.

Today at around 4 PM Pacific Time, I heard from Craig Wilson, Vice President, Food Safety and Quality Assurance for Costco.

He said Costco was informed last Friday at around 4 PM by American Nutrition, which manufactures their canned dog food (they do not make a canned cat food), that some of the Wilbur-Ellis melamine-contaminated rice protein powder had been used to manufacture some foods in Costco's Kirkland Signatures pet food line. He said Costco did not suspect their foods might have a problem prior to this because they were unaware that any ingredients in their food came from China, or that there was rice protein powder in any of their foods. Rice protein powder is not listed on the label; the label ingredient in question is "rice flour."

After hearing from American Nutrition, he immediately ordered all suspect foods removed from the shelves in all Costco stores nationwide. "Even with no test results yet from American Nutrition, I pulled it nationwide," he said.

During this afternoon's FDA press conference, CBS News' Debbye Turner, a veterinarian, asked the FDA's David Elder if there were any more recalls planned or pending. Elder answered no, he wasn't aware of any further pet food recalls that were planned at this time. He stressed the investigation was still open, and that they'd keep following the trail.

While Costco did not officially notify the FDA it was recalling the food until around 3 PM Pacific Time today, well after the press conference had ended, according to Wilson the FDA had already tested Kirkland pet foods, not subject at this time to any recalls whatsoever, and discovered one of them contained melamine.

Wilson stressed that Costco acted with caution to prevent harm to any pets who might eat the food. They believed their food was safe, and American Nutrition's own tests did not detect melamine in the food. It was FDA testing that detected the contamination. Wilson said that American Nutrition is working with the FDA, and that "many" other brands are involved, "not just Costco."

"The affected dates are from August '06-April '07," he said. "I'm sending a letter out to each and every person who purchased the dog food during the recall period and to make sure they get a full refund. There have been no out of the ordinary reports of illnesses on any of our Kirkland dogs."

Costco, he said, is not relying on outside testing to assure the safety of their pet foods. "We are testing everything, absolutely everything, internally. Pet food's under tremendous scrutiny right now." He said this includes their dry pet foods as well as canned, although they do not contain rice flour.

The recalled food is Kirkland Signature Super Premium Canned Food, item # 38436, best buy dates of Aug. 21 08 to April 15 of 09.

I wrote the FDA immediately after the press conference asking about the statement Capt. Elder made about there being no planned further recalls, and pointing out the Costco recall that had been announced that day. In an email at 2:34 pm PT this afternoon, the FDA's Michael Herndon said, "As Captain Elder said on the call we are not aware of any other recalls at this time."

I wrote back asking for clarification, and at 3:03 pm PT, received another email, stating, "We have not received any information from Costco regarding a recall so far today." He did not respond to further emails.

The question of how the FDA could state that they were not aware of any pending recalls in their afternoon press conference when they had already detected melamine in un-recalled foods - and as Wilson said, apparently not just in the Costco foods - remains an open one.

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Comments

[CatLady]

Natural balance canned recalled. On their web site now:



Breaking Recall News: Thursday, April 26th, 2007



Our canned manufacturer, American Nutrition, from Ogden Utah just informed us that they are recalling all canned products made in their plant that contain rice protein concentrate. American Nutrition continued by telling us that they added this ingredient to four of our canned products without informing us. The four products involved are:



Chicken Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz

Lamb Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz

Beef Formula Canned Dog Food 13 oz

Ocean Fish Formula Canned Cat Food 3 oz & 6 oz



To make sure that this does not happen in the future, we are demanding from each of our co-packers daily production record of all of our formulas before they are shipped to us. We have reviewed all of our other products and determined that they are free of rice protein concentrate and that all of our other product labels are accurate.



There have been no illnesses reported related to feeding these formulas, however, to comply with the American Nutrition recall of the four products, we will pull all dates and batches of these four formulas. We also ask that our customers return unused product for a full credit to their store.

[Frank]

There is a serious ethical question which doesn't seem to be raised by mainstream media. How is it that these unscrupulous pet food companies were allowed to sell tainted product to hog farmers for human consumption? I'm not questioning the pet food industry, we all know there isn't a shred of dignity there, but why did the FDA allow this crud to be sold as hog feed?

[CatLady]

I have not yet seen anything substantiating that the hog farmers were sold recalled pet food. I have seen articles that said that hog farmers are sold "sweepings", which seemed to imply that they were sold pet food that was waste from the manufacturing process. I suspect that the hog farmers victims in this, too.



The difference is that someone is paying the hog farmers for the loss of their livestock. Grieving pet parents aren't necessarily getting any compensation.

[Courtney]

The Royal Canin Calorie Control Canned for Felines lists rice flour as an ingredient. According to their website, this is a different ingredient from RPC. I sure hope that remains the case as I've been feeding it to my cats (without incident) for over a month. SIGH! This recall seems like it will never, ever end.

[E. Hamilton]

So the FDA baldfaced LIED, color me shocked.

Paging Senator Durbin.

[Ann]

Frank, I get the impression there is some kind of behind the scenes maneuvering. By it being sold as stock feed, more of the government agencies & media hopped up and started working, FSIS even!



I had written them (FERP, FSIS.usda) and suggested that now would be an excellent time to see if their theories worked in a real exercise of the programs-surely they didn't want to look like FEMA or the FDA! Doubt my comments did any good, but it should work better with more enforcement power and abiity to back some of the PFI into a corner with them all involved.



Or, I could just be trying to make myself feel better about the whole situation by thinking that :)



Ann

[michelle]

and yet the American Nutrition website http://www.anibrands.com/index.html still says "AMERICAN NUTRITION AND ITS PRODUCTS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECENT NATIONWIDE

PET FOOD RECALL!"



UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!! I said in frustration the other day that I was ready to just start throwing mice in the blender for my cats, today I would, but now I'd be afraid of what the mice have been fed.....



Will this ever end?

[shelly]

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul IS recalled - although they don't even list it as an ingredient, it's rice protein that is tainted? What the Heck?

Go to ITCHMO.com

[shelly]

Diamond is Recalling their own food now, too-

Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula cans



Same place- ITCHMO.com

[Steve]

Lawsuit City



http://news.justia.com/cases/menu-foods/

[Jenny]

Courtney - is that the same as the vet diet? I don't see it listed?

ROYAL CANIN Veterinary Diet™ feline CALORIE CONTROL CC™ HIGH PROTEIN IN GEL Can

Water, meat by-products, chicken by-products, minerals [calcium carbonate, sodium tripolyphosphate, calcium sulfate, potassium chloride, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, calcium iodate], carrageenan, guar gum, carob gum, vegetable oil, natural flavors, taurine, DL-methionine, vitamins [choline chloride, DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), biotin, D-calcium pantothenate, niacin supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement (vitamin B2), vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid].

[Boopadaboo]

Diamond Pet Foods has announced it is withdrawing a limited number of canned products manufactured by American Nutrition. This action is limited to three specific canned products: Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Kitten Formula 5.5 oz. cans, and Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul Puppy Formula 13 oz. cans, and Diamond Lamb & Rice Formula for Dogs 13 oz. cans.

[Sharon]

Can someone help please?



Someone, somewhere posted a list of suspect ingredients including wheat gluten, corn gluten and rice protein concentrate. There are others and I just can't remember what they were.



I'm trying to pass this information on to another board that I post on and I want to make sure I'm not forgetting an ingredient.



Thanks in advance.

[michelle]

Comment by shelly — April 26, 2007 @ 5:47 pm



Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul IS recalled



So can someone explain to me what the difference is between just "withdrawing" a product, as it says on the Chicken Soup website http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/, versus a "voluntary recall"???



No wonder I feel like a lost and confused mushroom.

[Jenny]

OK - see it now on the high fiber one.

[Jenny]

So - is there anyone else American Nutrition manufactures for?

[Ann]

Ok, I'm trying to think of positives...



The packers/manufacturers are making the Brands look really, really bad.



That is really, really good for pet owners because the Brands look like turkeys in the rain. (you know, they look up and they drown in the rain)



These "surprises" about rice protein being in their product and their "surprise" at ingredients sourcing from China appears to be making the "Brand" end of the business feel one hefty awareness of their lack of monitoring their products.



They aren't in control of their Brand - this whole mess has pointed that out to many of them and they are surely aware their target market thinks less highly of them.



(Or, that's what they'd like us to think, that the Brands are victims of the packer/manufacturer).



How can a Brand pound their chest after all the "our food is completely safe", "our food is NOT part of the recall", "you can recommend our food to others as being safe".. duh.. that PR is bludgeoned to death thru all this.



The "Brands" look as impotent as the FDA.



Right now, IAMS actually gave them all pointers on how to address this at the beginning instead of the last to know and now you look like an Igit.



Now they HAVE to work at their product quality and how they clean this mess off their labels & reputations.



That's positive, right?



Ann

[shelly]

Michelle-(aka Confused Mushroom :) )

I actually looked it up just now- the difference between a recall and withdrawal. A withdrawal is a Category 1 Recall. Ha. Learned somethin'.

Here's my source: (How do I make this shorter?)



I googled "difference between recall and withdrawal" to get to it.

That's one heck of a link.

[michelle]

Sharon -



Wheat gluten, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein, rice bran, and rice protein concentrate. From the FDA website transcripts of April 24 news conference, page 3 http://tinyurl.com/yokqt8.

[Nadine Long]

Comment by Sharon — April 26, 2007 @ 5:53 pm



ANY plant protein would be suspicious. Soy, pea, etc.

[Nadine Long]

Comment by shelly — April 26, 2007 @ 6:07 pm



Shelly, in future, use Tiny URL to shorten the link so it doesn't put the blog out of whack.



Here: http://tinyurl.com/create.php?url=

[Boopadaboo]

sharon - this might be what you are looking for:



The South Africa report brings to three the number of Chinese products with melamine contamination — wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate and corn gluten.

Veterinarians and nutritionists said that other potential targets for tampering could include whey protein isolate, soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, soy grits and soy lecithin.All are pet food ingredients valued for the protein punch that they pack.

[Sharon]

thanks nadine :)

[Nadine Long]

The world will wake up when Pizza is recalled.

[Steve]

Comment by Nadine Long — April 26, 2007 @ 6:13 pm



And Beer

[slt]

OK, now let's all say it together and this time WITH FEELING:



All the pet foods currently on the shelves are perfectly safe...

[Gracie]

Did anyone notice another shoe dropped and we went backward on recall manufacturing dates???



I just reread Gina's above blog and clipped this quote by the Costco representative, Greg Wilson.“The affected dates are from August ‘06-April ‘07,”



AUGUST 06



We have gone well past the November 06 mark of the Menu wheat gluten recalls here. Wilber-Ellis mentioned July 06 but this is the first that I remember seeing of a pet food company going back this far...

[Jenny]

Yeah Gracie - I noticed that too!

[Bonni]

Ichmo has an interesting new piece about the second supplier

[Sharon]

thanks michelle :)

[Bonni]

I'm now keep wondering if tainted food may have killed my 16 year old kitty. . . it was months before the recall but he was healthy and fine at his vet checkup. Then he just had convulsions and died. I fed him mostly dry but also various brands of wet and don't even remember what brands as I just added them a few days a weeks as 'treat' :-(

[michelle]

Shelly -



Thanks for the look up. The link isn't showing, think I have a glitch, it was working a minute ago. I'll google your search and get it that way.



Should have invested in Kleenex, I'd be rich by now for crying and allergies, gotta love Spring and cats. NOT Menu foods or the Chinese, though.



:-) The Mushroom

[Steve]

BREAKING NEWS: Natural Balance Expands Recall to Canned Foods



Natural Balance recalls more products — this time canned. Same ingredient (rice protein concentrate) different manufacturer (American Nutrition). However “rice protein”, or any variation there of, is not listed in the ingredients for any of these recalled products.



http://www.itchmo.com

[Valerie]

Okay, I want to know about the possible potential targets for tampering...I read the previous post. How about corn grits (Eukanuba dry)? I had never heard of corn grits in pet food.

[michelle]

Sharon -



Try this to get to the FDA transcript - I couldn't get the other one to work.



http://preview.tinyurl.com/2g5gqb

[Issy]

Rice protein isn't listed as an ingredient because it is allergentically neutral and if people saw it they would think, oh no my pets allergic to rice and not buy the product (that's my guess) that and pet companies are pulling a fast one, maybe both.

[MFEMFEM]

The FDA, aren't they the folks that are still saying that officially only 16 pets have died?



I guess my beautiful, loving, dead best friend doesn't count, and the same holds for hundreds or thousands of other victims. Have they NO SHAME?

[shelly]

Lortscher Agri Service, Inc. Got ahold of some tainted protein concentrate. Besides selling it to Lasi dog food,



http://tinyurl.com/ywe6g7



They also supply:

http://www.lasibern.com/

[Andrea 2CatMom]

This is nuts.



When this first started with Menu Foods I was tellng my friends to try something like Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance or Wellness. Everyone of these companies have had at least one product recalled.



Ok - how about Innova - well MF makes some of their wet - how can we know something 'extra' wasn't added to that?



Merrick - on this site or Itchmo I read that they are basically food renderers. Chicken Soup fts has product recalled.



25 years ago, when I was a poverty striken student - I fed my cats Meow Mix (hey I was eating generic Mac & Cheese at 6 boxes/$1). We were all perfectly healthy.

[Robin]

MFEMFEM,



Your loving friend counts and myself and many on this board will never support any company involved in this mess/cover-up again. So far I have been lucky, but only lucky, it easily could have been my best friends. I am so sorry for your loss. We all counted on the food to be safe, that our government was a safety net. All wrong but not our or your fault.

[Marilyn]

MFEMFEM: Join the My Pet Counts! Post Card Blitz this saturday. The death of your best friend *does* count. Let the world know.

[maddy]

I am disgusted. My cat, after the recalls, ate New Balance containing rice flour. Not recalled but a statement given says used without knowledge the rice protein for the rice flour in the prouducts recalled.

How would one know if not labeled and used anyway that it was not in another as well?!



Checked another brand given after the recall and Potato Protein is used - is this another form of Protein concentrate? Seems like it is and should be tested- Pet Promise



Used Organix canned (menu foods)turkey with RPC and Soybean meal, extruded soy seeds.They are currently testing again if not complete their dry and wet. Haven't others tested and not shown when FDA has?



Other importer? other brands (5 more)? foods Prion tested? RPC in other brands? All of new balance as not listed and flour is on label? Potato protein?



I do not believe there are not many more and that the ones not tested are ok if use concentrate powder,potato/any source protein. Any brand by any of the mfg. with a suspect source needs testing-and FDA testing as well.



I think my cat is lucky to be here right now - or as I have said, simply "graced" as surely am I today.







How do we know that the rest of the foods from CJ foods, Diamond and the companies involved do not include more companies from these mfgs.?

[catlover]

Andrea 2CatMom - regarding "Merrick - on this site or Itchmo I read that they are basically food renderers." alot of people post rumors and hearsay and such, so I don't necessarily believe everything I see on the internet. You need to do research. Merrick may be one of the few pet food companies left that is safe, for the time being anyway. They make all of their own food. They answer my emails. And they have many varieties of Merrick 5 Star canned food for dogs & cats - so you don't have to feed them the same flavors every day. I am going to post 2 emails I received from them. I encourage you to call or email them directly if you have any questions, this is the best way to gauge the type of company you are dealing with. Hope this helps! I know how difficult it is to find food to feed our pets these days.

[catlover]

1st email from Merrick:



Thank you for your email and sorry for the delay, we have been extremely busy due to the recent recalls.







We do not use any Wheat Gluten or rice protein concentrate in any of our foods. Our ingredients are from a USDA sourced facility. We do buy or Venison and Lamb from New Zealand and Australia; nothing from China.







We do update our website so you can watch for any updates concerning the recalls.







Thank you,



Toni



Merrick Pet Care

[cerridwen]

Catpeople: is it time to consider these alternatives?



http://www.themousefactory.com/



http://www.frozendirect.com/shop/home.php

(warning - this site has photos of teeny tiny frozen mice)



Don't think you need the blender - I think you just thaw 'em and toss 'em to the cat.



If I didn't have to watch the cats play with them before they ate them, or have to clean up the bits and pieces left behind, I might consider this.



Heck, I might consider it anyway, especially if we have another recall marathon like we did over the past few hours.

[catlover]

2nd email from Merrick:



Hello,







I apologize for the delayed response, as you can imagine, due to the recent Pet Food recalls, we have been inundated with e-mails, phone calls and voice messages. By the way, none of our products are affected by these recalls.







I can assure you that we only use Human grade ingredients in our Merrick 5 Star products (and always have) and we 100% do not use any rendered meats or by-products in any pet food products that we manufacture. Merrick offers the largest line of natural holistic dog cans in the industry (18 canned varieties).







Merrick Pet Care does not own a rendering facility. There is a Merrick family member who is an investor in an outside rendering facility; however, the facility is not located in the same city as our manufacturing facilities. It is totally illegal for any dog food company to use rendered materials in their products. The main purpose of the rendering facility is to remove the hides from the cows and then sell them to leather manufacturing companies.







Merrick Pet Care is the only award winner that has won three consecutive years in a row Best Pet Foods of The Year from the Glycemic Research Institute. These diets are made to help diabetic, older and overweight dogs.







We absolutely 100% strictly adhere to our corporate philosophy as stated above and no rendered parts are used in our premium products. Please keep in mind that our line consists of various protein sources other than beef such as chicken, turkey, duck, quail, lamb, trout, venison and buffalo.











If I can be of further assistance let me know.







Sincerely,







Toni



Merrick Pet Care

[Donna]

To CatLady,

Your question about contaminated pet food going to hog farms --

the information was part of an article I saw on MSNBC.com. It stated "Salvaged pet food from companies known or suspected of using a tainted ingredient was shipped to hog farms in seven states for use as feed." It did not specify a source.

[David]

The bottom line (and that is all that matters to these gollums) is that there is NO PENALTY other than "market forces" to punish producers that fail to recall poisoned pet food. That simple fact explains why there are so many holdouts. And there are no penalties for retailers who fail to pull recalled food.



What is wrong with this picture?

[Lynn]

A week ago I, too, called Costco, as I had heard that a friend buys their dog food. I was told all their food was perfectly fine. I asked, "How do you know?" Of course I was treated like an alien from Mars.



Please listen up everyone: Forget about recall dates and stamped dates or codes on packaging. If A FOOD IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST but you're in doubt that a food is safe DON'T BUY IT. Think about it. Is it worth the gamble?

[Issy]

I took some of the NB fish canned cat food over to a friend - as a favor. I just called her. She hadn't used it yet thank goodness.