Menu Foods: ¿Degrees of Separation?
Tuesday March 27, 2007
I have seen many comments, both in my own blogs and in others around the Web, that folks will "never again buy cat foods from a company associated in any way with Menu Foods." Some even mention boycotts against parent corporations of those companies, a word that strikes terror in the hearts of CEOs around the globe. The question in my mind is "How many degrees of separation do you require with your purchasing power?" Do you stop at one (foods actually listed in the recall), or do you dig deeper? Would you stop buying toothpaste from Tom's of Maine, owned by Colgate-Palmolive, parent corporation of Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., which has foods listed in the pet food recall?
Personally, I think that pet food companies are another set of victims of this recall. The sad fact is that in this time of globalization, none of us have guarantees that the food we eat, or the food we feed our cats and dogs will ever be completely safe. We've had recent recalls of spinach and other leafy greens grown practically in our own back yards, as an example. The pet food recall backlash will be long-lasting, and no one can predict what the end result will be for the pet food company. In any case, I do not personally believe in excessive application of the tar brush, nor in throwing out the baby with the bath water, to quote two tired cliches.
What do you think? Compare your vote in this poll, then post your comments.
Comments
At the moment I am not (knowingly) buying any foods manufactured by Menu, especially any with wheat gluten. Once the process by which the contaminant entered the food supply has been identified, I will return to buying foods produced by Menu though. While I am unhappy with the way Menu handled the recall, I have been happy with the way most of the brands handled it, I cannot hold the fact that the brands use a central manufacturing plant against them, given that they wouldn’t be able to afford to produce those foods otherwise. However, I am concerned about trace amounts getting into other products, since we’re not even sure which ingredient was contaminated, so I’m waiting on further test results before I make a final decision about what I’m willing to feed.
Being a food safety professional myself (food for humans), I certainly would question the quality systems of Menu Foods. Was testing for poisonous residuals part of their acceptance sampling for ingredients that has the potential to be contaminated with pesticides, etc.? I am not aware how it is done with pet foods because for human foods we follow ISO 9000 guidelines and other well-known standards like AIB etc. I do know that in both industries a certification from Better Process Control school is important for reputable companies like Purina to ensure the canned/pouched products are safe to eat. I am glad I always bought Purina products both dry and wet since it was not part of the recall however I do have concerns in the long run whether these companies would take the easy way out and do away with lengthy and expensive procedures to ensure safety of the foods they manufacture for our pets. Hopefully with the recent recall everybody would be cautious enough not to have a repeat incidence.
I am continuing to feed Nutro & Wellness because they are foods that Tiri does well on and I realize that every last food processor can have a problem no matter how diligent they are.
I will take heed from my veterinarian: >Just wanted to let everyone know the following website has been set up by the AVMA for the pet food recall. I know most of my clients feed more natural foods, but a spectrum of foods was affected so just in case am letting everyone know. Definitely a lesson about pet foods here and hope it brings more awareness of how things are manufactured and the potential risks.
I will heed my vet’s warning:
Just wanted to let everyone know the following website has been set up
by the AVMA for the pet food recall. I know most of my clients feed more natural foods, but a spectrum of foods was affected so just in case am letting everyone know. Definitely a lesson about pet foods here and hope it brings more awareness of how things are manufactured and the potential risks.
Since the vowels don’t like any of the foods made by Menu, I can’t really vote in the poll. However, I don’t think I will be *trying* any of those foods again any time soon. I would prefer to buy from smaller companies that are still doing in-house manufacturing, or that have control over their manufacturing facilities. I am a little concerned about Fromm right now, as it is made in a human food plant in China, but I’m really following it up with them.
I feed several canned foods, one of which (Wellness) is made by Menu Foods but is not part of the recall and does not use grains. I’m currently setting it aside and feeding the other non-Menu brands, at least until more info surfaces. I’m assuming that I will continue to have Wellness in my rotation, but right now there are just too many questions in my mind.
E: This statement might help ease your concerns about Fromms.
I have been feeding my cat very small amounts Nutro Max tinned foods for some years. Her main diet is dry food, but she looks forward to the moist food as a daily treat. But I think we’ve reached the end of that diet.
A couple of factors contribute to this decision: I am troubled by the report that as many as half the animal fatalities were among animals that Menu Foods used for testing purposes. While I may sound like a bleeding heart feeling bothered by this practice, I have to point out that we don’t test baby foods on babies. At least I don’t think we do.
And I am a cat person. Testing suspected toxic ingredients on cats is very troubling to a cat person.
Another factor in my decision is the fact that, since the morning that I stopped feeding my cat tinned food she has enjoyed an unprecedented holiday from the symptoms of asthma that have plagued her for several years. That is a very big thing.
I will probably shop around for a new source of tinned food – but I will look closely at ingredients and at the manufacturer’s practices.
In the past, whenever I ran out of Nutro, I would feed my 2 cats Iams for a day or 2 until I could get to PetSmart. This happened a week before the recall and I swear…..we had some bad Iams. Ben turned his nose up at it and he is a 20 lbs cat and a pig. Muffy would eat it and then throw up. This went on for 2 days and just as I was starting to wonder what was going on, THE RECALL……….. I don’t like the way Menu Foods handled the situation and will never buy from them again. Right now it’s Pet Promise or Pro Plan. My sympthy to anyone who lost a beloved pet.
I feed four indoor cats at different life stages and a variety of outdoor visiting “guests.” I am profoundly grateful that none of the foods I provide for them were involved in the recall. I feel deeply for those whose pets were sickened or worse. What I have found revealing and rather disturbing, is that both premium and so-called cheaper brands were produced by the same manufacturer.
My oldest cat (12 years old) ate one of the listed Menu Foods cat food and died on March 1st from kidney failure. Otherwise he was in great health. I had bought the listed food just for him because he couldn’t eat the dry food like my other cats because over the years he had lost most of his teeth. Thankfully my other cats never ate the bad food. I just wanted to thank you for listing recipes to make my own cat food which I am doing now. And I now realize that like human food, you can’t trust the food you buy for pets.
As a pet owner I don’t think I will be buying any menu foods brand , because you can not trust the company because of the poioning of innocent dogs and cats that ate the food the food that was supposeabble suppose to be health and also recomended by vets.But from know on I am going to stick with the Purain brands of cat food because they are more healthier for the pets and purnia has not been on the recall list and it is the safer choice i think .
Sincerly ,
Caroline
The new story about possible dry food contamination has pushed me over the edge.
I have been collecting recipes, and will begin making my own this weekend. It isn’t hard – my dog is subject to colitis and dermatitis, so I have been cooking hers for over a year. A slow cooker, food processor, and vitamin supplements are all you need. Freeze it in meal-sized portions, and defrost a few at a time.
I feel so sorry for anyone who has lost a pet or pets to this.
Just avoid foods dangerous to cats, and follow recipe proportions -cats need more protein than dogs.
At this point of time, I am still feeding Wellness canned. But this is another push toward raw feeding. A bit dissapointed with OMH, but that seems to be the price for expansion. Interesting is Franny mentioning the planned takover of Tom’s of Maine by Colgate. Itself as a big shock as the cat food poisoning. What is going on ? we all know the answer.
I don’t want Menu Foods getting my money, directly or through any pet food manufacturer. So, I’ll be feeding Pet Promise from now on. They manufacture in their own plants, and actually name the sources of their meats and grains. Some of their ingredients are sourced near where I live, so this is one way of fighting globalization. The best thing that could come out of this would be for Menu Foods Income Fund to go bankrupt.
I just got off the phone with my own vet. She is madder than “a wet hen” that Hills DID NOT NOTIFY her office or her emergency practice of the recall, or any other vet office within our metro area. She heard it from a patient and then again from her mother-in-law, who got it from television. No fax, no phone call, no e-mails. Evidently she was not alone as when she went onto the national veterinary site, VIN, and other vets from around the country had the same complaints.
Most curious is the fact that Hills did not ship orders of the affected product, Hills Dry Feline M/D, with regular orders this week. When vets called to ask where the shipment was, they were told “it is on backorder, it will be delivered soon.” The implication is that Hills had more than an idea that there may have been a problem and waited to disclose the information until they had no recourse.
I am wondering why there is no public service announcement from Menu Foods with instuctions for pet owners, no PSAs from Hills, Purina, Iams, or any other affected company. Where is their sense of obligation to their customers?
My vet is dropping every single line from Hills, as she stated that she recommended their foods to the owners of her patients, but will no longer deal with a company who does not put the welfare of her patients above their own interests. She feels they knew there was a problem at least as early as this week, and failed to make proper notification to veterinarians who may have actually prescribed and sold tainted foods to their clients.
If this turns out to be the case, I would say that ethics from certain pet food executives may be as questionable as their products.
I hope this puts Menu out of business. It’s my understanding the company was on shaky ground prior to this calamity.
Such cavalier quality control should not go unpunished. The major brand names that source out the manufacture of their product should be on notice also. We pay a premium for some of these products and should expect a premium product in return. We can effect changes if only we get them where it hurts, in their pocket.
This is unexcusable in the max.
As a long time, [fleeced] Eukanaba (P&G) customer, I have reviewed P&G’s web site and will not be buying their products. In addition to no more, Eukanaba there will be no more Crest, Charmin, Gillete, Bounty, Duracell, or Tide in our house.
Now that Colgate-Palmolive is implicated, well, I’m doing more research on toothpaste.
I’ve already pitched my Gillete razor system and switched to Schick. And let’s face it, I’m sure Energizer wouldn’t want to feed it’s bunny tainted food!
I’m sure these CEOs were gleefully telling the Wall Street analysts how they were boosting margins while simultaneously approving the sourcing of cheap wheat from China.
I hold P&G executives as accountable as Menu Foods.
They and the others knew exactly what they were doing and what was happening all with the approving nod of Wall Street analysts. I wonder if Justin Hott at Bear Stearns saw the presentation when he issued his out-perform rating in mid-march? Cheap wheat from China, that will boost margins and let them keep growing earnings per share.
Brilliant!
I see no reason to bring another P&G product into our house.
I consider the original contamination to have been an accident. Menu Foods sourced wheat gluten from China, but at least they were using human grade gluten, not the cheapest feed grade.
What does upset me is the way the recall was handled. If you test the food on live animals and one in seven die, why do you wait so long to announce it? How many pets died from the delays?
I feel that many of the parties involved have behaved irresponsibly, and I feel that both the FDA and the media have downplayed the extrent of the problem. The FDA may have only 15 ‘confirmed’ cases, but they have no doubt that this is a widespread problem and should be delt with agressively. Where were the alterts to vets or to the public?
My little cat is still alive, but she spent a miserable week getting fluid injections twice a day, and I don’t yet know how much long-term damage her kidneys might have. She had been eating Nutro Natural Choice packets, ironically I feed her a premium wet food to try to avoid some of the long-term renal problems cats are prone to.
I will not deal with Nutro again. They were one of the last major companies to post info about the recall on their website or admit a problem, and their PR has been smarmy and misleading. The last straw for me was the santimonious letter from Nutro’s CEO posted at petconnection.com – “We love pets. We are sorry your pets got sick. Buy our dry food.”
For the short term, I’m absolutely avoiding anything from Menu Foods – it would be tragic to take any chance of re-poisoning her. I only wish this little cat would eat (she’s 2 years old, under eight pounds). I’ve cooked for her, and tried many of the smaller. non-Menu brands of canned food, but she doesn’t have much appetite.
My 16 yr old cat died last winter after eating a menu dry food. He had a thyroid problem that was well under control as his blood values were good. He acted as if he’d been poisoned. We had no idea of this–obviously–and had a backyard funeral. I will never be convinced that the dry food was not affected.
Having watched a beloved healthy cat die due to the greed of Menu Foods I will never use any brand associated with them.
Menu Foods knew they were selling poisoned pet food as early as Feb 20th they delayed their recall until March 16th and THEIR CFO DUMPED HALF HIS STOCK FEB 26TH & 27TH. Whiskers DIED MARCH 9TH, if these ________ had announced the recall Feb. 20th when they first knew something was wrong my beloved Whiskers would still be alive.
We are boycotting P&G too, I announced it on my blog and I have gotten one email from P&G directly and a “employee” left a comment on my blog.
PetConnection.com has tons of info about the recall and they are reporting close to 4,000 pets killed.
I won’t buy anything from any company that continues to do business with Menu Foods. Menu Foods had to be forced by Iams into doing the first recall at least 3 months after the first complaints.
Menu Foods even after repeated recalls did not do testing themselves – they waited for the FDA and others to tell them more melamine, cyanuric acid, & the rest was found.
Menu Foods by neglecting clean manufacturing processes caused cross contamination of pet foods that did not add grains. They did not properly clean equipment between runs of different wet food and as a result several types of Nutro cat food was recalled amongst others after a pet owner paid to test the food after her cat became ill ( http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_5631579 )
Menu Food tested suspect food on actual animals instead of analyzing the food for chemcials killing several cats and a dog – and did this months after the first reports of illness.
Because of all of this I am boycotting anything made by Menu Foods and any company that continues to do business with them. I will also avoid any company that stonewalled revealing problems such as Nutro. After multiple recalls an ethical company would have tested their own products to ensure safety. I won’t give them my money and I won’t put the health of my furkids in their hands.
at least one company I know for sure is leaving Menu Foods as soon as they can get their own canning factory and in the mean time are testing everything. Natura which makes Evo, California Naturals, innova and others is doing this plus promises to only buy American ingredients! I will buy from them and I will buy from other companies if I find they are doing the same. ( http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070514/20070514006019.html?.v=2 )