Thursday, April 5, 2007

BREAKING - Menu Foods Expands Dates of Products Recalled

There are NO new brands added to the Menu Foods recall. Menu Foods in this release says "20 varieties have been added". This is misleading in more ways than one. (what a shock) And AGAIN with the 'Not for release over US newswire services'. What is WRONG with them?

http://www.menufoods.com/recall/PRESS%20RELEASE%2004052007%20CAN.htm
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - April 5, 2007) - Menu Foods Income Fund (TSX:MEW.UN) - NOT FOR RELEASE OVER US NEWSWIRE SERVICES
Attention Business/Financial Editors

In response to a news release - issued by ChemNutra Inc. during the evening of April 3, 2007 - Menu Foods today voluntarily expanded its pet food recall for selected "cuts and gravy" pet food products, manufactured back to November 8, 2006.

ChemNutra Inc., a former supplier of wheat gluten to Menu Foods, announced a recall of all wheat gluten it imported from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. in Wangdien, China. As a result, Menu Foods today announced an expansion of its recall to include all products manufactured with wheat gluten purchased from ChemNutra Inc. which Menu Foods' records show was first used on November 8, 2006 and last used on March 6, 2007.

As a result of actions previously taken by Menu Foods, the vast majority of the products affected by this expansion are already off retailers' shelves. No new brands have been added. A total of 20 varieties in the United States and Canada have been added to the recall list and the additional varieties are listed below. A further seven varieties for Europe have been added to the recall list. All Menu Foods products not made with the recalled wheat gluten are safe to consume.
There are additional dates added, and there *might* be a new flavor added on 3 of the brands. See below in purple for those details.

Most of these are for Kroger and PetSmart brands, and both those companies have already pulled all dates! (Hats off to them)

BUT, this list does not include every brand that is marked as updated on April 5th on the Menu Foods website.

So, what does this 'expanded recall' mean for you? Well - unless there really are 3 new flavors added to the lists and you've been feeding your pet one of those flavors - it won't mean much. The foods to be pulled off the shelves should have already been pulled off the shelves. Doesn't mean they have been, but they should have been.

Of course, these additional dates mean everything if you have a pet that became sick or died between November and February and ate any of the foods on the recall list, you now know why, and have a better chance of your pet 'counting'.

My personal opinion based on hours (weeks) of frustration: The information provided by Menu Foods is so difficult to interpret (and at risk of errors) , in my there's only one realistic response. Don't feed your pets ANY 'cuts and gravy' food on the list, whether the flavor or size or date is listed or not. DON'T RISK IT. (PetSmart, Kroger and regional retailer Pet Food Express pulled all flavors regardless of the date early on, some of those products and/or dates are now on the recall list.)

Updated List - results of my checking (based on the 20 'new varieties' from the above link)
CAT Food (15 changes):
NO New Flavors/UPC, just expanded dates (14)
2 Nutro Max Cat Gourmet Classics
4 Pet Pride (Kroger)
Note: Kroger had already pulled ALL dates.
4 Sophisticat (PetSmart) Note: PetSmart had already pulled ALL dates.
4 Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans


Possible new Flavor/UPC
1 Authority (PetSmart) - The flavor listed is not on the PetSmart summary, though my guess is it was accidentally left off the original PetSmart report, and that they already pulled it. It's Adult Sliced Chicken/Sauce Formula 3 oz UPC 37257-37359. (UPCs ending 358 and 360 are on the original list)


DOG FOOD (5 changes):
NO New Flavors/UPC, just expanded dates (3)
2 Pet Pride (Kroger) - Note: Kroger had already pulled all dates
1 Great Choice (PetSmart) Note: This UPC is on the original PetSmart list as Award brand.

Possible new Flavor/UPC (2)
1 Springfield Prize Chicken Cuts/Gravy 13.20z UPC 41380-13901 *looks* new, but I don't have their original list. There is only 1 other item recalled for them, it's Beef Cuts/Gravy and has later dates than the Chicken.

1 - Stater Bros Chicken Cuts/Gravy 13.20z UPC 74175-12240 *looks* new, but I don't have their original list. There is only 1 other item recalled for them, it's Beef Cuts/Gravy and has later dates than the Chicken.

Brands listed as updated 4/5/07 on the Menu Foods website but that aren't included on the above press release. I don't have many of the original lists, so in most cases I couldn't tell whether or not there was an addition other than additional dates. This is UNACCEPTABLE!

I called Menu Foods and they can't tell me if additional flavors were added or not, and referred me to fda.gov. Um, yeah, thanks. The FDA links go right back to Menu Foods! Come on Menu Foods - how hard would it have been to put an asterisk next to what you updated??! I've spent hours on this, and done the best I can. If any of you printed out original lists and can tell if a new flavor/product was added, please email me.

CATS
Best Choice (looks like just dates added)
Companion (
looks like just dates added)
Compliments (can't tell, looks like just dates added)
Eukanuba (nothing new)
Giant Companion
(can't tell, looks like just dates added)
Hill Country Fare (can't tell, might be a flavor or two added. Lots of Variety Pack info)
Iams (nothing new)
Nutro Natural Choice (no new flavors, lots of Variety Pack info added)
Presidents Choice (can't tell, looks like just new dates and Variety Pack info added)
Special Kitty Canada (can't tell)
Special Kitty US (can't tell, lots of Variety Pack info there)
Stop & Shop Companion (can't tell)
Tops Companion (can't tell)
Wegmans (can't tell)

DOGS
Companion (can't tell, looks like just dates added)
Eukanuba (nothing other than dates added)
Giant Companion
(can't tell, looks like just dates added)
Hill Country Fare (can't tell, looks like just dates added)
Iams (nothing added)
Mixables (can't tell)
Nutro Natural Choice (nothing other than dates added)
Nutro Ultra (nothing other than dates added)
Ol' Roy Canada (can't tell, looks like dates and some variety pack info added)
Ol' Roy US (can't tell, looks like just dates added)
Presidents Choice (can't tell, looks like just dates added)
Stop & Shop Companion (can't tell, looks like just dates added)
Tops Companion (can't tell)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

okay so kim is kibbles and chuck or kibbles and bits on the list or no. cause my dog eats kibbles and bit and , kibbles and chunk

Kim said...

Nope, no 'kibbles' on the list at all.

Anonymous said...

Kim,
thanks for all of your hard work and efforts !!! m

Unknown said...

I found the link to this site on PetConnection.com. I have only begun to read, but I have to say thanks for all the research and hard work. It's people like me who love people like you. BTW, I stopped feeding my little darling anything wet. My chihuahua lost a pound, so I started mixing plain rice with hamburger, then mixing dry dog food. I don't know if that's good or bad, but I used to feed Nutro or Science Diet loaves, and decided I just don't trust the manufacturers.

Volunteers Needed! Get food off shelves...

howl911.com, itchmo.com, thepetfoodlist.com, petconnection.com, petfoodtracker.com and spockosbrain.com have joined together to ask for your help.
Update 6-10: Recalled food was purchased from a
California store on 5-29th – this stuff is still out there!
We need Volunteers to help get recalled food off store shelves. Read this post at Spocko’s Brain for instructions. Print a list (or two) on this site. Visit stores, then report safe stores here at Itchmo.com.

Printing Information:
1. Print the main FDA Pet Food Recall page http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html – this will be handy to show retailers who haven’t heard anything about the recall. (3 pages)

2. Print the list of 14 Major National Brands - it includes flavors and date information where applicable so you can tell if specific products for these brands have been recalled. The brands are: Alpo Prime Cuts, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Doctors Foster and Smith, Eukanuba, Gravy Train, Hill’s Science Diet, Iams, Jerky Treats, Lick Your Chops, Mighty Dog Pouches, Natural Balance, Nutro, Pounce, Royal Canin. (It’s 7 pages and includes FDA contact information.)

3. Print the List of All Brands – it will remind you what products have been recalled - but it does not give you date and flavor information, there is just too much to put in one document. (7 pages, but the 7th page is links to more detailed information so you don’t need to print it)

If you want, and are going to a store that you know has store brands that have been recalled (such as Walmart), go to that recall information at the links on the summary or at the FDA site and print it out. Some of the information is formatted in ways that make it difficult to read (one of the main reasons for this site), but it’s better than nothing.

Note: The FDA is the official source for all recall information and recalled products. This is an unofficial volunteer effort to help get the word out and get recalled foods off of shelves. We’re doing the best we can but can’t guarantee these lists are completely accurate. Again, here is the official recall site: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html