Recalled Pet Food Products Shake Up the Pet Food Industry

"The pet food industry is still reeling from the recent scare of recalled pet food products"

The pet food industry is still reeling from the recent scare of recalled pet food products.

The recalled pet food alert sent dog and cat owners into a panic, swamping veterinary offices with phone calls. The tainted pet food caused countless numbers of cats and dogs, as well as their owners, pain and suffering. Some cases of the pet food poisonings resulted in death.

A few of the symptoms caused by the contaminated food have been vomiting, renal and kidney failure.

It is not yet known, and may take some time to gather the information, in order to discover exactly how many animals have been affected. Lawsuits with regards to the contaminated food are still pending and have been widely publicized.

On March 16, 2007, the FDA announced the first case of recalled pet food products and within days, other recalls were made public.

Recalled pet food has prompted lobbyists and lawmakers to call for stricter safety standards for pet food manufacturers as consumers question the manufacturer’s adherence to current guidelines.

At the present time, the FDA is investigating how the manufacturers conducted their food safety testing.

The Source of the Contamination

The recalled pet food was suspected to have been tainted from a rice protein concentrate contaminated with a chemical called melamine. A San Francisco-based company, Wilbur-Ellis, had sold the ingredient to five pet food manufacturers. As the rice concentrate was the only new additive introduced to the food, the evidence pointed directly to the impure ingredient. Wilbur-Ellis had purchased the rice concentrate from a source in China. Of particular interest is that previously, during the same year, there was a similar occurrence with a Chinese wheat gluten additive which was found to have been contaminated with melamine as well. Melamine when combined with a rice protein additive can cause cyanuric acid. In turn, crystals can form in the kidneys and shut them down. There is possibly a reason that the Chinese manufacturers could have spiked the food with the contaminate. In testing the pet food to determine breakdown of its nutrients, melamine makes the test results show a higher protein content. Some analysts say that the introduction of melamine was a deliberate attempt by the Chinese manufacturers to boost their claims that their additive added value to the pet food protein contents.

The FDA has said they would like to inspect the Chinese manufacturing plants, however, China will not allow them access.

Currently the FDA is conducting tests on pet food samples, approximately 400 samples have been tested and 21 of the 400 contained melamine.

With regards to recalled pet food products, the FDA is so concerned about the crisis that is has posted its own website which has advice for pet owners and comprehensive information about the latest product recalls.

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