Another Wysong recall

The recalls keep rolling. A notice sent by Wysong to its distributors and retailers today, identifying additional foods that are being recalled:

To: Wysong Distributors and Retailers

10.27.2009



Dear Valued Wysong Distributors and Retailers,



In light of our recent recall, we have been conducting thorough retesting on all dry products.



Some additional products have been found to be suspect in terms of moisture and water activity and we wish to recall them just to be on the safe side. These lots include:



Maintenance™ (lot#090817)

Senior™ (lot#090811)

Synorgon™ (lot#090629)



The in-house examination of many bags from these batches has turned up no sign of mold. But we believe there is that potential and so we would like you to help us recall these as a precaution.



As with our previous recalled batches of product, we have no reason to believe that these products present an imminent hazard to animals.



Nevertheless, please do not sell any of these products that you have in stock, and withdraw the products from store shelves as soon as possible.



A credit for all such product that you have in stock and withdrawn from stores will be issued. As possible, customers should be told not to feed the product.



We ask that you please act promptly. Let us know if we may be of any assistance contacting stores. The number one complaint we have received thus far is from customers who were not notified.



It is important to note that although the issuance of further recalls may give the impression that this is a current or going to be an ongoing problem, please understand that the subject of all of these recalls are past Wysong batches of product from a defined time period. And although we cannot be certain, we are confident that this will be the last of our recalls pursuant to this past summer’s mold problem. With the measures we have put in place we have no reason to believe there will be problems moving forward, just as there have not been for the past 25 years at our facility.



We know this is a great inconvenience and certainly not something you need with the current economic state of affairs. We are devastated in the thought that we have troubled and disappointed you. As we move forward and this is behind us, we will figure out a way to make it up to you.



Thank you for your continued efforts.



Sincerely,



Linda Sue and staff,

Wysong Corporation

Looks like they took down their original recall notice, but never fear... on the Internets, everything is forever. The update to that page is still there, but I couldn't find this new one even with a lot of poking around the site. It might be there, but if a recall notice is posted in the woods and there are no bears there to see it... does it make a sound?



[UPDATE:] There is a link to info on the new recall on the front page of their site now -- it goes to an expanded version of their last update.

Comments

[Kim]

I have to give Wysong credit for acknowledging their shortfall in notifying customers, as well as their failure to recall ALL the affected product immediately.



However, much concern over the fact that not one notice has suggested just how this oversight is even possible (moisture content is among the most basic testing that kibble goes through) and what they are doing to ensure that it will NOT happen again.

[Susan Fox]

They should have hired you to do some copy editing on that little missive. Hope their in-house examination was more accurate than their grammar.

[Christie Keith]

LOL!



I just updated, as there is a link to the expanded recall info on their main page now.

[Carol V]

I wish their tweet today about this made it apparent this was to expand the recalled products...It was their first tweet about the recall...

[Carol V]

And...I wish they would date their notices!!

[notasdumbaswysong]

Oh, fabulous, the heartrending appeals to Oprah are beginning again, see the thread at itchmo.

Sigh.



The early alert system is already being lied to by Wysong, the very Wysong with shills all over twitter, as well as other places, next the FDA will hold a press conference and find some way to aid the pfc while insulting taxpaying pet owners.

There may well be Friday news drops in the offing.

Call it a hunch.

It all seems so familiar, somehow.

[Leslie K]

While I agree that pfc's should have to notify the FDA & publish everywhere possible any problems with their food,right now it just doesn't happen. At least with this project people signed up will be notified by email or phone. It won't make me trust them much more than I do now[which is not at all],but at least hopefully more people will stop feeding problem food more quickly. At the very least it shows which companies are even paying attention to the fact that silent recalls aren't so silent anymore & destroy our trust in them.If enough people,including vets & pf stores get involved,there should be enough attention that maybe the next recall will be publicized.I can hope anyway.

[EmilyS]

astroturfing shills? and they think this makes them look better????????



Here's an idea: how about you make food that is SAFE?

[Carol V]

If Wysong did not tell Susan Thixton that they were expanding the prior recall when they were conversing about the First Alert Program then it speaks for itself...we still won't know without someone other than the PFC's spilling the beans...

[notasdumbaswysong]

While I appreciate and admire the work Susan Thixton is doing, this idea of allowing the pet food companies yet another way to lie to pet owners and get free advertising for doing so seems ill advised, at best.

Dog knows the last thing anyone needs is more advertising by the festering cesspit that is the pet food industry.

Giving liars more venues to to lie in, when lives are on the line, is counter productive, at best.

Pet food companies have always had the opportunity to be open and transparent, that is not how they chose to treat the pet owners.

They chose to keep killing and keep lying.

They are not going to stop lying and killing because you ask nice or bribe with free advertising.



Almost three years now of begging and calling have achieved what?

Silent recalls.

Voluntary product withdrawals.

Lie after lie by company after company.

Nothing has changed.

Pets are still eating food that sickens and kills and pet owners still have no recourse at all, no hope for help from government agencies,

no protection from the economic ruin that is just one bag or can away.



A poorly thought out plan that depends on input from pet food companies is doomed from the start. That Wysong jumped on board is a sure sign of two things. First, it is a really bad plan and the CEO of Wysong really needs to get those anti-psychotic meds adjusted, urgently.

[Christie Keith]

I think that there should be a law requiring public disclosure of recalls. Central reporting on FDA website, notification of distributors and anyone to whom you sell directly, signs at point of sale, and prominent posting on company websites. For ALL recalls.

[Christie Keith]

By the way, pet food company astroturfing shills... do you think Gina and I are stooopid? Not.



And your posts? Deleted.

[Sandra]

LOL I saw that comment and wondered, thanks for revealing that Christie. I agree with you, I the law requiring public disclsoures of all recalls should happen, I hope it will someday. Another thing I find very frustrating is for example, I just checked CNN and MSNBC websites and there is no mention of the one cat food recall that FDA did put notification out on thru their automated system and that is the Diamond cat food recall that had the thiamine deficiency. So even when public notice gets put out, these major networks arent running it on TV nor even just on their websites. Do they feel its not important unless its a huge recall like in 2007? Not everyone is signed up for the FDA automated notice system so if these larger media outlets dont run the public notices, how will people learn about them. Sigh...its all very discouraging.

[Sandra]

Yikes and I apologize for my spelling!

[Sandra]

I guess Im confused, is there a system now? Because if there is one, its not working. I totally agree that a public notice is what is needed but what can we do to help that to happen? I have seen people commenting and posting about silent pet food recalls since at least last year but I see no changes by the companies happening yet. FDA doesnt require them to do so, so what can we do? The companies already have cover and are using it, the last two recalls with Diamond and Wysong, were recalls that we would not have learned about had it not been for consumers hearing of it, we cant be lucky enough to hear of these everytime...and I wonder how many recalls we have already not been told about. What can we do to help get companies to send out public notices?

[Eucritta]

Christie, that's what I fear about this program - that all it will do is unintentionally provide the pet food companies with cover.

[The OTHER Pat]

I had to hunt a little, but I found what you are talking about:



http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/pages/Pet-Food-Recall-First-Alert.html

[Christie Keith]

Ummmm, this is JUST MORE SILENCE. What about all the people who buy a food and would never in ten million years think of participating in something like this, or even know it existed? I'm sorry, but this is massive pet food industry CYA and, unless I'm missing something, I think it's actually worse than the system we have now, because it creates a false sense of security and allows pet food companies to pat themselves on the back for doing something when in fact, they've done nothing to alert the general public of a health threat to their pets.

[Kathy]

Wysong has readily agreed to participate in Susan Thixton's new "Pet Food Recall First Alert" program. Yay for Wysong, sounds like they're for real...

[Sandi K]

They say "The number one complaint we have received thus far is from customers who were not notified." Gee, I know a way that might help their customers get notified....a public notice! One thing we've been saying all along that they just dont seem to hear. So the products started with June and July and now their notice includes August...guess much wasnt learned from the 2007 pet food recalls.



I agree Kim, Ive wondered for a long time how their moisture detection device quit working without them noticing....or did they notice but put the food out for sale anyway?

[Gina Spadafori]

If I weren't packing to go see Christie this afternoon in SF and Dr. Patty K in Miami tomorrow I'd run the IP address. Who among us would be shocked, shocked I tell you! if it traces to someone with a company tie?



Fun for later. Gotta go.

[Leslie K]

Gee, sounds like Wysong is following the Evangers method of dealing with bloggers bad opinions of them. Maybe if they are lucky they'll get noticed by the FDA too.

[Gina Spadafori]

If this blog allows libelous posting as in #16, you have lost credibility with me.



Comment by NotSoDumbMyself — October 29, 2009



Imagine our horror, losing credibility with someone who won't admit to a real name and who doesn't know that when it comes to "libel," truth is the ultimate defense.



The pet food industry needs to ramp up its game and stop with the hidden recalls. Any manufactured product can have defects, and when you're talking about food -- human or animal -- those defects can sicken or kill. These problems are rare, but they do happen.



An ethical, responsible company will do its damndest to get the word out when there's a problem.



We're still not seeing that. The laws need to change to force recalls and communications, because clearly the pet food industry is not unified in its interest in protecting the consumer when there are food problems.

[NotSoDumbMyself]

If this blog allows libelous posting as in #16, you have lost credibility with me.

[Kathy Thompson]

The so-called shills have won. No one is on topic any more, everyone is just worried about shills. No wonder nothing ever is accomplished. I won't be back to this site.

[diedmarch172007]

The shills for pet food companies are certainly making the pet forums and twitter ugly.

There is a lot of that going around.

It is ugly that pet food companies are putting vast amounts of time and money into lies and cover up instead of producing a non lethal product.

It is extremely ugly that the FDA has consistently lied and actively assisted food companies in the poisoning of hundreds of thousands of pets and as it turns out, most of the human population, too.

I cannot tell you how ugly it is that after nearly three years of sickness , I just put down yet another greatly loved cat.



This is, no doubt, one ugly situation.

Shills make it uglier.



I have no idea why the pet food companies are determined to make things uglier. Who knew that selling poison labeled as food was both legal and profitable here in the USA?

Or that treating the people who buy your products with unqualified contempt is a successful business plan?



But I don't blame the blogs that get hit with shills for the ugly.

And blaming pet owners for fighting against the shills? That, too, is ugly.

I know something that is not ugly though. Despite overwhelming ugly on all sides, people who love pets are still here, still fighting

and that is very beautiful.

[Laura Holum]

I've always believed in the quality of Wysong products. This respect has only increased because of this recent incident.

Wysong has shown tremendous integrity. It's products in this even have bacteria present. Yet, Wysong did the testing and has reported results.

My respect for Wysong has only increased over this.