Apr 2, 2007
Dog Food & Cat Food Recall Update - The Dog food and cat food recall has become more confusing by the minute. And now comes an alarming report that the Human food supply may have been contaminated.
The seemingly never ending pet food recall continues to expand, making dog and cat pet owners worry if there is any safe food for their pets to eat. Pet owners have been scrutinizing labels at every turn to see if any contain wheat gluten, determined to be the the culprit.
Along with Menu Foods, Nestle Purina & Hills, Del Monte was the newest to join the fray.
A release from Del Monte reveals that the company will voluntarily be recalling select product codes from the its pet treat products sold under the Jerky Treats, Gravy Train Beef Sticks and Pounce Meaty Morsels brands. Del Monte also supplies select products sold under private label brands.
The company states on its website that "No other Del Monte Pet Products treats, biscuits or wet dog food products are impacted by this recall, and no Del Monte dry cat food, dry dog food, wet cat food or pouched pet foods are subject to this voluntary recall. The affected products comprise less than one-tenth of one percent of Del Monte Pet Products' annual pet food and pet treat production."
The FDA made this finding as part of its ongoing investigation into the recent pet food recall.
Del Monte wants their customers to know that they have "proactively engaged and fully cooperated with the FDA since the start of its investigation."
Del Monte Foods has confirmed that the melamine-tainted wheat gluten was supplied as a "food grade" additive, raising the likelihood that contaminated wheat gluten could have entered the human food supply.
According to David Goldstein of the Huffington Post, a Del Monte spokesperson wrote a reply to an e-mail query in which she says "Yes, it is food grade."
David Goldstein has more:
'Wheat gluten is sold in both "food grade" and "feed grade" varieties. Either may be used in pet food, but only "food grade" gluten may be used in the manufacture of products meant for human consumption. Published reports have thus far focused on tainted pet food, but if the gluten in question entered the human food supply through a major food products supplier and processor, it could potentially contaminate thousands of products and hundreds of millions of units nationwide.
Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine said the FDA is not aware of any contaminated gluten that went into human food but said he could not confirm this "with 100 percent certainty."'
Wheat gluten, a common food additive, is used as a thickener, dough conditioner, and even as a substitute for meat. It is a common additive in commercial bakery items and special purpose flours.
It is noteworthy to mention that the FDA has not publicly identified the firm that supplied the contaminated wheat gluten to the USA. But on Friday, the agency reportedly issued an import alert -- found on its website -- saying wheat gluten from the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. of Peixian, China, could be detained without inspection until it produced results from "the firm's investigation(s) into the problem of melamine contamination" and documents showing that corrective action had been taken, writes USA Today.
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link to www.postchronicle.com]
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