Lessons Learned from th Pet Food Recall of March ‘07

It’s hard to believe that a whole year has past since the pet-food recall announced by Menu Foods in March of 2007.

Spurring a slew slew of additional recalls issued by industry big-wigs such as Del Monte Pet Products, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc., Nestle Purina PetCare Company, & Sunshine Mills, accounted for a jaw-dropping percentage of pet foods manufactured & still found in stores today.

The magnitude & impact these announcements has held over the past year has been indisputably understated.

Since then, pet owners across the country (including myself) have found themselves disconcertedly at a loss- destined to spend more and more time reading labels in the pet food isle. Those still wondering which foods are safe are not alone. Below, you’ll find a re-cap of lessons learned from the pet food recall of 2007, along with, a few insider tips from our friends in the pet food industry. (use anchor to link this text to section below!)

Deciphering which pet food ingredients to steer clear of hasn’t been made easy. The top culprits found in the pet food recalled last year include wheat gluten, melamine, aminopterin, & folic acid. (You can click on each of these ingredients to view a summary of their role in the pet-food industry today.)

Wheat gluten is ingredient found in many commercial, major brand cat & dog foods. It is commonly used as an inexpensive protein filler, and as a thickener in the wet, canned, & pouched varieties.

Aminopterin, another chemical initially reported as a possible contamination source of the recalled foods, is derivative of folic acid (an ingredient found in the majority of pet foods). Commonly used to make rat poison, updates on clinical tests or reports that link aminopterin to an involvement with such recalled foods seems to be in queue.
Melamine is a widely used chemical, found throughout the U.S. plastic manufacturing industry, and as a fertilizer in several Asian and European countries. A large number of products testing positive for melamine have been removed from store shelves, but tests on many brands still continues today.

Breeders, unlike individual pet owners, have a higher likelihood of financial restitution. Individuals who have experienced losses caused by an animal’s ingestion of the recalled food stand a better chance of collecting compensation, based on a loss of potential earnings. Various food manufacturers have promised compensation to individual pet owners suffering the loss of a pet in the amount of the value, plus any resulting vet bills such occurred, for the affected pet.

Expected soon to come from this unjust debacle is a reform in pet food production.

With the dog and cat food industry pulling in $15 billion a year, the names at the top of the pet food industry scramble to cash in on rising demands for organic pet foods.

Nutrition plays a significant role in any animal’s overall health & behavior.

For pet owners, this means we can no longer trust that the contents of a pet-food bag will mirror what is advertised on its’ packaging. We must investigate the source of any questionable ingredients found in your pet’s food by contacting its manufacturer to inquire about further details.

For the time being, pet foods obtained from smaller, low-scale productions are proving to be a pet owner’s safest and most reliable bet- foods labeled “natural”, “organic”, or “holistic” are more likely to remain the reliably healthier option in the long-run.

To report a negative reaction to a pet food, contact: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html

For up-to-date information regarding recalls, visit: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html