Pet food recall-LOOK HERE FOR UPDATES BEFORE REPEATING

I haven't seen this anywhere yet; Del Monte just issued a recall of some stuff, including dog and cat treats:
 
[linkhttp://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070331005023&newsLang=en]http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070331005023&newsLang=en[/link]

RE: mad as hell yet?
 
Well I'm irritated.
 
In my professional opinion, this is not an editorial.  This letter (for want of a better term) serves no purpose except to stir up fear and makes no "call to action" or suggestion of what can be done.
 
The coy "what if I told you" device is a slippery way of introducing and implying things the author cannot prove and has no intention of proving and will leave many people with the mistaken belief that all of us are being poisoned.
 
If the writer did this just to stir up emotions, then they used bad judgement.
 
If the writer truly believes all we hold dear is being murdered while the government and corporations stand by and watch, then I say show me the proof.
 
As a former journalist I found this personally repugnant. Aren't enough people terrified for legitmate reasons?
 
What we need is the truth---not conspiracy theories, half-truths and boogie man stories.
 
What we need is a course of action---not an open-ended question designed to provoke fear.
 
 
 
P.S. For the record, my professional writing credits include two press association awards for investigative reporting. I'm not boasting, just stating my credentials.

Oh lord you guys are making me REALLY consider switching to homecooked.
 
My mom had fed Alpo to her dogs, luckily I did not add any of it Raja's.
I am wondering if the cans were affected.
 
Also I used those jerkey treats, the ones that were recalled by del Monte. About a month or 2 ago as treats to get Raja in her crate
 
And now Raja has been eating grass each day, and acting like she is going to vomit. Now I am worried about her

Raja is probably fine.  But, according to my vet (and this was just her and I talking it wasn't about Willow) any animal that's eaten the food should probably get a blood test and maybe urine test done to make sure everything is OK.  That's all, just as a pre-caution. 
 
Edited to add--And, I'd personally do it for sure since she's got some symptoms going on.  It could be completely unrelated but better just to be sure.  I'm sure she's fine though.  []

ORIGINAL: badrap

i think ron2 has the right idea.  if we were all to switch to homecooked/raw, if we were to all buy our supplies from the local famer's market instead of walmart, and if we were to convince a significant amount of other dog lovers to do the same, we could have an effect on the supply chain by changing the demand.  i will repeat "could".

i think that as americans, we have responsibility to respond civically when something strikes us as wrong.  because we are a market driven society, the best weapon we can wield is the dollar.  i think that as dog lovers, we have a responsibility to our pets to demand a change.

i have worked in manufacturing for many years.  i know that products are moved from production line to line to satisfy demand, sometimes at the expense of product quality.  if natura uses wheat, you cannot convince me that even the "grain free" products have never chanced an encounter with machinery that may have previously run a suspect product.  because of this, i can no longer trust natura to provide me with the product i previously expected from them.

although i find raw food and homecooking to be positively mind boggling, i think i owe it to my dogs, and to my country (insert waving flag and national anthem here) to try it anyway.

plus, i have all you guys to help me[] 

 
Now this is a call to arms[sm=clapping%20hands%20smiley.gif].
 
The power of the dollar is the only "higher" power these corporations recognize---so you're right we should hit them in the wallets.
 
But we do have authority over another group of people---our elected representives.
 
Every state has two senators---but seats in the House are proportional which means a House member respresents a much smaller group of people. House members also have shorter terms---let's lean on these folks to keep the heat on ongoing investigations and maybe start some new ones.
 
Let's get our state legistatures and local governments involved.
 
I bet if it were the law that every CEO who sat on information about tainted pet food would go to jail for 25 years, they would be MORE concerned about their product and LESS concerned about profit.
 
Enron changed the way companies are audited and scruntized by shareholders and the government, let's make this the "Enron" of pet food safety and use this moment of crisis to make sure long-term changes are made to protect the lives of our companion animals.
 

let's make this the "Enron" of pet food safety and use this moment of crisis to make sure long-term changes are made to protect the lives of our companion animals.

 
And bravo to you, too. This puts it in a nutshell.

ORIGINAL: polarexpress

Now this is a call to arms[sm=clapping%20hands%20smiley.gif].

 
[]
 
 
[sm=soap%20box.gif]

In my professional opinion, this is not an editorial. This letter (for want of a better term) serves no purpose except to stir up fear and makes no "call to action" or suggestion of what can be done.

I think any reasonably educated person understands that our elected officials are the ones to whom to address our concerns.

too bad our elected officials are often on the speed dials of lobbyists.
 
to keep this comment on topic, i would add this:
 
i would be very, very interested to see who lobbies for menu foods, and to whom they are lobbying.  perhaps someone who's more internet saavy than myself can post a link to such?  is it possible to find that out?

i would be very, very interested to see who lobbies for menu foods, and to whom they are lobbying. perhaps

 
I have found that most any question can be answered by money. How much and who gets it.
 

ORIGINAL: badrap

too bad our elected officials are often on the speed dials of lobbyists.

to keep this comment on topic, i would add this:

i would be very, very interested to see who lobbies for menu foods, and to whom they are lobbying.  perhaps someone who's more internet saavy than myself can post a link to such?  is it possible to find that out?

 
An interesting question ---and I'll admit it sounds like a fun thing to track down[sm=lol.gif].
 
Here's what I have so far:
 
Menu Foods is a company from outside the US but under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, if they hire a lobbyist the lobbyist only has to comply with the Lobbying Disclosure Act and NOT the Foreign Agents Registration Act.  (Link: [linkhttp://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL31126.pdf]http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL31126.pdf[/link])
 
So they have to register like a regular lobbyist.
 
I have been unable to find them listed as hiring a lobbyist on their own---doesn't mean they haven't, just means that I haven't found it yet.
 
HOWEVER I have found a group they probably belong to which does lobby Congress on behalf of pet food companies: The American Feed Industry Association.
From their website at: [linkhttp://www.afia.org/about.html]http://www.afia.org/about.html[/link]

What is AFIA?
AFIA is the world#%92s largest organization devoted exclusively to representing the business, legislative and regulatory interests of the animal feed industry and its suppliers. Membership includes 550 domestic and international companies; state, national and regional associations. Firms are feed and pet food manufacturers, integrators, pharmaceutical companies, ingredient suppliers, equipment manufacturers and companies which supply other products, services and supplies to feed manufacturers. The feed industry makes a major contribution to food safety, nutrition and the environment. It plays a critical role in the production of meat, milk and eggs and provides abundant food at the lowest cost. Over 75% of the commercial feed in the United States is manufactured by AFIA members. 

 
I am guessing that Menu and most of these other companies belong to AFIA.
 
AFIA has hired at least three different lobbying firms since 2000 and has also used in house lobbyists according to listings at [linkhttp://www.campaignmoney.com]www.campaignmoney.com[/link]
 
So far it looks like they spend $40,000 a year (at most) on lobbying efforts.
 
I will keep snooping tomorrow or Monday--right now it is time to walk the dog[sm=dance.gif] which is code for "throw tennis balls until my arms falls off."
 
Anyone else want to dig on this, be my guest!

Our TV news just announced that Purina recalled some of their food...prime cuts and a few others.

From the Associated Press:

Testing by the FDA and Cornell University has found melamine in samples of recalled pet food as well as in crystal form in the urine and kidney tissue of dead cats. They've also found the chemical, in apparently raw form in concentrations as high as 6.6 percent, in wheat gluten used as ingredient of the recalled cat and dog foods, said Stephen Sundlof, the FDA's chief veterinarian.

in searching the AFIA website, a few things jump out at me:
 
first and foremost: i am unable to find a membership list.
 
second, their main page has various versions of mission statements, and not one of those mission statements list "safety of the animals"

What is AFIA's Mission?
AFIA represents the total feed industry, as a key segment of the food chain, and member companies#%92 interests, with one industry leadership voice on matters involving federal/state legislation and regulation; keeping members informed of developments important to them; creating opportunities to network and address common issues; and interacting with key stakeholders essential to the success of the feed and animal agricultural industries.
What are AFIA's Objectives?
-Provide leadership, representation and communicate the U.S. feed industry#%92s best interests on federal and state legislation and regulation
-Keep members informed on regulatory and legislative issues, developments and requirements, providing a forum for member action and appropriate education
-Offer a meaningful platform of industry services to help enhance individual member company success
-Interact with government, regulators, educators, and other organizations on crucial feed and animal agricultural issues
-Influence global relationships and expand international trade opportunities for the industry
-Communicate AFIA#%92s purpose and membership value to all internal and external audiences
The total feed industry encompasses commercial feed manufacturers, integrated producers, pet food companies, ingredient suppliers, equipment manufacturers, pharmaceutical firms, industry support services, related associations and international firms.

 
 
to me, this is a red flag.  there is something on the site about safety, and an alleged list of "approved manufacturing plants". there is no approved plant in new jersey, which, unless i'm mistaken (and please correct me if i am), is where natura manufactures some of it's foods.  i also clicked on north carolina, and found several links to articles but no approved plants.  not that being approved by the AIFA is big in my book.  if menu foods is a member of AIFA, it wouldn't suprise me.  to the casual observer, it sure seems like AIFA is the definition of the evil lobby machine. 
 
thanks polarexpress, for posting the links.  nothing like an investigative journalist to weed out the dirt...

[font=verdana][size=2]From a post in the nutrition section:[/size][/font]
[font=verdana][size=2]WHAT THE FDA ISN'T TELLING US ABOUT MELAMINE [/size][/font]
[linkhttp://www.quikonnex.com/channel/page/Jeanesholistics-WholeDogNews]http://www.quikonnex.com/channel/page/Jeanesholistics-WholeDogNews[/link]