Pet Food Recall: Buyer, beware

Pet Connection blogger Kim Campbell Thornton warns that not much has changed since last year's massive series of pet food recalls. In a piece on MSNBC.com about the one year anniversary of the first recall:

One year after contaminated pet food killed potentially thousands of dogs and cats, few safety measures have gone into effect.

While pet food safety legislation has been passed and an industry commission has made recommendations to improve the safety and quality standards for pet food, some critics say the efforts, even when they are fully implemented, may not amount to much more than the fox guarding the hen house.

The federal legislation, for instance, relies on manufacturers to voluntarily recall contaminated pet food. “As long as it’s voluntary, there will always be breaches,” says Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University and author of the forthcoming book “Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine,” due out in September. “There will be breaches anyway, but voluntary doesn’t work as well as regulated.”

Because there is no national tracking system that monitors pet deaths, there is no definitive tally of animals that died from consuming pet food made with imported Chinese ingredients tainted with the chemical melamine.

The full article is here.

And from Dr. Becker, a note that the AP finally -- and hey, just about a year too late! -- acknowledged that thousands of pets died from eating contaminated food. Way to go, AP. /sarcasm

Findings from the investigation into last year's pet food scare, in which the toxic chemical melamine was found in pet food imported from China. Thousands of dogs and cats died, and two Chinese businesses and a U.S. company were later indicted.

Full story, which is actually about a meeting of the Society of Toxicologists, here.

Last, the web interface for citizen comments on the upcoming FDA meeting on pet food safety isn't working. FDA has some tips on how you can make your voices heard:

Please include the docket #2007N-0487 along with your comments. The available means of submitting comments to this docket are:

(1) via FAX at 1-301-827-6870;



(2) mailing hard copy to the Dockets Management Division:



Walt D. Osborne, M.S., J.D.

Regulatory Policy Analyst & Ass't. Editor, FDA Veterinarian

Policy & Regulations Staff (HFV-6)

Center for Veterinary Medicine

7519 Standish Place, Rm. 174

Rockville, Maryland 20855



(3) hand-delivery of hard-copy comments; or



(4) e-mailing them to [email protected].

Comments

[Dorene]

To The OTHER Pat:



I read the article and I think it depends on your legislator. My state rep knows me, so even when I send an e-mail as part of a 'campaign', she still e-mails me back becuase she knows it's what I am interested in. My state senator changed staff people, so I'm not getting the feedback I used to -- it will take time for the new guy to know who I am.



Now, the Congress folks can be a whole other bag -- Senator Spector tends to be on top of things (I got a letter of condolence for Lindsey during the "My Pet Counts" campaign), my Congressman is reaching out through e-mail because he's in a tough re-election fight and Senator Casey is hopeless -- never heard from him.



If you can get a relationship with a staffer, you can e-mail them and get results with Congress.



The bottom line is -- know your audience -- some folks will deal with e-mail, especially once you've built a relationship through phone calls, showing up at the office, etc.

[gotchapfi]

If the PFI members lose money from being PFI members, that and only that, will kill the PFI.

The PFI must die.

[Alasandra]

Thank you for the update.

[slt]

"FDA has some tips on how you can make your voices heard"



Right. Sorry but this *unscheduled* meeting, if it ever happens, is going to be a bunch of pencil pushers having croissants and exchanging business cards. What point is there in having a meeting of those whose systems have failed and whose greed exceeds their ethics to discuss how to make things better? If I want to brainstorm on how to run a business, I'm certainly not going to consult with Enron.

[The OTHER Pat]

Those of you contemplating emailing your legislator rather than using snail (paper) mail might find this article to be useful food for thought:



http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/03/11/shirkey_obrien/index.html

(If you get an ad, wait for "Enter Salon" to appear in the upper righthand corner and then click on it)

[Colorado Transplant]

The Canadians are at it again--trying to mine for uranium that will affection 30,000 people in this area as well as pets, "livestock" and planted vegetables.



I got a letter to the editor printed today in the local paper, www.coloradoan, I wrote a long e-mail to my U.S. Senator, I called my state senator. Scientists have warned our local government about the leakage to our water affecting the people here.



Getting things changed in a local or national level is something so hard to do, but I am grateful to the owners of this blog for giving me the courage to speak out. I would have been too scared before. Thanks from the bottom of my soul.

[The OTHER Pat]

And what's the deadline date for those comments to be received by FDA?

[Christie Keith]

As far as I know and can find out, they haven't set one, nor a date for the meeting.

[lynne]

I appreciate that there are others that are concerned with this as I am. What is interesting is that I have read and written several articles in this field and have noticed quite a peak in the home-made dog food area. It appears that there are more and more people that are electing to make their pets food at home versus taking the chances in the stores. There has definitely been an increase in the amount of my articles that are being picked, bookmarked, viewed etc. that give tips and recipe's for making pets food.



I have not had any luck trying to contact representatives to take a stand on threatening issues, however there is a noticeable impact in buyers moving away from the source of the problem.

[Marcy]

I went to the supermarket tonight...and happened to look down the aisle at the pet food section (I don't notice it that much, now that I don't buy there). The pet food section is smaller! Wow, I guess people really have cut down on buying their pet foods there. Has anyone else noticed the same at their store?



By the way Kim, very good article!

[The OTHER Pat]

Article on CNN about the fact that probably 1% or less of flights have air marshalls onboard for protection:



http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/03/25/siu.air.marshals/index.html



That 1% figure sounds SO familiar, doesn't it? And then it's enlightening to read the comments and find out how many people are angry over this information being published. Somehow they think we're safer if we hold our Federal Government LESS accountable?



Sheesh! No wonder things are in such a mess . . . . . .