NASC Adverse-Event Reporting System minimizes pet, human contamination risks

The US Food and Drug Administration issued a recall on October 6 for Salmonella contamination in Thumb Oilseed’s soy flour, which is used to manufacture certain animal foods. But, the National Animal Supplement Council's ability to scan thousands of products and ingredients in its NASC Adverse-Event Reporting System allowed NASC to identify 27 products containing soy flour and notify the eight companies selling these products with specific instructions on how to check the ingredient with raw material suppliers.  

“Entering products and ingredients into NAERS is required for all NASC members,” said Bill Bookout, president of NASC. “All member products are entered into the system so both products and ingredients can be specifically tracked to individual companies. If there is an issue, we can help specifically identify potential problems directly to the individual product SKUs.”
NASC says responses were received from all eight companies with updates and next steps within the same day, helping to minimize the risk to humans and animals.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for the animal health supplement industry, but it’s also one of our most important achievements,” Bookout said. “At NASC we believe we should embrace a philosophy of continuous improvement and we constantly strive to improve the quality of animal health supplements sold to consumers for the benefit of their companion animals.”  

Contaminated pet food may sicken pets, humans, veterinarian warns

In the last few years, an increasing number of pet foods and pet treats have been recalled due to Salmonella contamination concerns, showing it is not just human food that is subject to food poisoning. In a New York Times article, a veterinarian at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that pet food contaminated with Salmonella can sicken not only pets that consume it but also humans that handle the petfood.
“The problem of Salmonella in pet foods and pet treats, even in pet supplements like vitamins, is something people should be aware of,” said Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, a veterinary epidemiologist at the CDC. “It’s important for people to know that after they feed their pets or give them treats, they should wash their hands, particularly before they prepare food or baby bottles or before they eat.” 
In 2010, the CDC reported that from 2006 to 2008, nearly 80 people, including 32 children under two, were infected with Salmonella after coming into contact with dry dog or cat food, which was also the first time dry petfood was found to be contaminated.
Dried pet food is often heated to high temperatures that kill bacteria before the product is formed into kibble shapes, though the contamination can occur at various production stages if the food is not produced under sterile conditions, veterinarians say. Wet petfood is vacuum-sealed and sterilized but can be contaminated after opening if handled and stored improperly. Pig ears and raw meat may be contaminated from the original animal carcass since these products are not cooked. 
In the documented outbreaks involving humans, pets that are fed the contaminated food or treats often showed no visible signs of food poisoning, and the pet's contamination may not ever be diagnosed by a veterinarian. Symptoms of food poisoning in pets are similar to those in people, including lethargy, fever, vomiting and bloody diarrhea.

21 Dog deaths linked in South Africa petfood scare

The Pet Institute of South Africa reported that at least 21 dogs have died from eating contaminated dry dog food. 
The dogs were diagnosed by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute in Gauteng, South Africa, as having died of aflatoxocosis. Three brands linked with the contaminated petfood are Hi-Pro, Legends and Buddies.
The Pet Food Industry Association and the South African Veterinary Association are working together to try to stop the deaths. If a dog is showing signs of being unhappy, uncomfortable, depressed, off its food, nauseous and/or vomiting, pet owners are urged to immediately withdraw its food and take the dog to the nearest veterinarian. Pet owners are advised to take the original packaging of the dog's food along with them.

Australia withdraws irradiation option for petfood treatment

Australia will not allow importers to irradiate imported cat food to reduce microbial hazards, according to a news report. The decision follows reports of possible links between irradiated food and neurological damage.
Though studies have found food irradiation safe, it can reduce vitamin content. In November 2008, University of Sydney’s Dr. Georgina Child reportedly found an association between irradiated cat food and neurological damage in cats, according to Sydney Morning Herald.
In June, Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service stated it would withdraw the irradiation option for imported cat food but not imported dog food.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved irradiation for several types of food, including petfood, but the process is not widespread in the US.

Evanger's files with FDA to resume petfood shipments

Evanger's Dog and Cat Food Co. filed a formal request with the FDA seeking a reinstatement order allowing it to resume interstate shipping of its canned petfood products, according to the company’s blog.
Earlier in June, the FDA ordered the firm to halt interstate distribution of the products, saying it was not in compliance with some food processing rules.
“Our company has been working closely with the FDA and we have already addressed many of their questions,” says Joel Sher, vice president of Evanger’s. “No Evanger’s product has been recalled, nor is there any indication that Evanger’s products are unsafe or contaminated in any way.”

Couple, company plead guilty in melamine case

Husband and wife Stephen and Sally Miller, along with their company, ChemNutra Inc., pleaded guilty June 16 to distributing a tainted ingredient used to make petfood that reportedly sickened or killed thousands of pets, according to The Associated Press.
The federal indictment alleged they knowingly brought wheat gluten tainted with melamine into the US and proceeded to sell it to petfood manufacturers.

Scientists discover quicker test for melamine

A group of scientists from Purdue University have discovered a faster way to detect melamine levels by utilizing infrared spectroscopy in laboratory tests, according to a report in The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
The Food and Drug Administration currently utilizes a time-consuming analysis to detect melamine levels, so researchers have been trying to find a more efficient way to spot melamine contamination.
Last year and in 2007, cases of melamine contamination emerged from Chinese-produced infant formula and pet food, due to its properties as a cheap but illegal substitute for protein.

Australian animal health company issues voluntary recall

Australian animal health pharmaceutical company Virbac has voluntarily pulled its VeggieDent treats off the shelves after they were possibly linked to several cases of mysterious illnesses in dogs.
A Virbac spokesperson said that the products in question were pulled as a precautionary measure and no causal link has been established for the VeggieDent product line, which is only commercially available through veterinarians.
This is the third petfood contamination case in Australia in the past six months. In light of the situation, critics of Australia’s regulatory system overseeing petfood safety are calling for stronger measures to ensure the safety of Australia’s dogs and cats.

Company to plead guilty in melamine case

ChemNutra Inc., a feed ingredient company, and its owners Stephen and Sally Miller intend to plead guilty in connection to 2007’s melamine-tainted petfood case, according to an article from The Associated Press.
In 2008, the Millers and ChemNutra were charged with selling contaminated ingredients to petfood manufacturers after pets fell ill or died from eating the contaminated petfood.
The Millers’ attorney recently filed legal documents in Kansas City, Mo., which stated the Millers agreed to plead guilty after negotiating with prosecutors. The company will also enter a guilty plea at a hearing June 16, according to the documents.

Menu Foods stocks, sales increase

Menu Foods Income Fund reported its first gain in profits since its petfood contamination lawsuit in 2007, according to a Canadian Press article.
The company’s stocks increased by 25% in the first quarter of 2009 to a 52-week high of CAN$1.68 (US$1.44) on the TSX.
Sales also increased from CAN $55.6 million (US $47.75 million) to CAN $84.1 million (US $72.2 million), which the company attributed to three price increases as well as a 6.7% rise in the volume of can and pouch sales, according to the article.

FDA seizes ingredients from herb supplier

The American Mercantile Corporation was raided May 7 after FDA investigators discovered evidence of rodent and insect infestation throughout the company's warehouse in March, according to a statement from the FDA.
The FDA proceeded to seize $1.5 million worth of ingredients from the company after it failed to correct the contamination problems. The seized articles include food products such as sarsaparilla, spearmint leaves, cornstarch, sweet orange peels powder, licorice powder, sassafras, and salt, according to the statement.
American Mercantile is the parent company of Herbs for Horses, according to a press release on the Herbs for Horses Web site, which is an herbal product company for the equine and pet market. The ownership affiliation between the company and American Mercantile may prompt questions about whether contaminated ingredients are in finished pet products.
The FDA said there are no reports of illness associated with consumption of the products containing American Mercantile-sourced ingredients.

Possible carcinogen found in Chinese products

Hydrolyzed leather protein, known as a possible carcinogen, was found in batches of dairy products in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, according to an article from The Epoch Times.
An anonymous letter was sent to authorities exposing the illegal practice to boost the apparent protein content of its product, according to the article, and was later confirmed by tests that the products contained the protein.
Morning Garden, the company who produces the dairy products, is a food manufacturing company based in Lanxi City.
Experts said that leather protein is similar to melamine but different in that leather protein is harder to detect because it is a real protein that is also toxic, according to the article.

Nutro, FDA deny investigation

Nutro Products Inc. has denied that the company is being investigated by the FDA despite an anonymous FDA official affirming the investigation, according to an article on www.consumeraffairs.com.
But a spokesperson from the FDA denied the investigation as well, according to an article from Action News Detroit.
“Normally, we do not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation,” the spokesperson said to Action News. “In this situation, though, it's unfair to the company to leave the implication out there, so I want to state that there is no investigation currently underway into Nutro products."Rumors have been circulating on the Internet claiming that Nutro made pets sick, but Nutro is assuring consumers that its petfood is safe.

CPI article prompts EPA to evaluate pet pesticides

The Environmental Protection Agency's announcement April 16, 2009 that it would intensify evaluation of spot-on pesticide products for pets comes on the heels of the Center for Public Integrity's Perils of the New Pesticides project, according to a CPI press release.
One of the project stories, Pets and Pesticides: Let's Be Careful Out There, reported that at least 1,600 pet deaths linked to spot-on pesticide treatments had been reported to the EPA over the previous five years.
The number of deaths linked to such treatments was about double the number of fatalities reportedly tied to similar treatments without these pesticides, according to the CPI article.

Evidence destruction claim rejected in Menu Foods case

Allegations that Menu Foods destroyed evidence are the basis of motions in several court cases, according to an article on www.consumeraffairs.com.
Menu Foods settled a $24 million lawsuit last year that grew from the largest petfood recall in US history. The case was heard in New Jersey, and parties are still wrapping up various items on the docket, but now a Washington state litigant is charging that the company illegally destroyed thousands of samples of food, potentially leaving him without evidence to pursue his claim.
During discovery for the New Jersey suit, the defendants collected thousands of cases of petfood — both recalled and non-recalled — in their warehouse. In December 2007, the defendants claimed that preserving all of these samples was an unnecessary waste of time and money. The court agreed, and allowed the defendants to destroy all but 500 units of recalled petfood.
Donald Earl, a plaintiff in a Washington state suit, filed a motion objecting to the orders in January 2008. Earl’s suit involved “cake style” cat food, which does not contain gluten and was not implicated in the March 2007 recall.
Laboratory tests of Earl’s food showed that it was contaminated with acetaminophen and cyanuric acid, nitrogen-based chemicals often used to artificially boost a food’s apparent protein content. Neither chemical was discovered in the recalled food. Despite his allegations, the court dismissed Earl’s objection without comment in February 2008.
Earl also filed a motion in Washington state court, where his own suit was pending. That court rejected his claim in February 2008.
Undeterred, Earl filed a second objection and motion to intervene in January 2009.
In a two-page order issued in February, Judge Noel Hillman denied Earl’s motion to intervene, holding that Earl “has not demonstrated that he has an interest in the ‘unorganized inventory’ requiring that this Court vacate its prior orders regarding that inventory.”

Chinese government urged to formulate petfood regulations

In the wake of the recent deaths of more than 300 dogs due to aflatoxin-contaminated food, the Animal Protection Association of the Republic of China called for the government to formulate regulations to ensure the safety of petfood.
Huang Ching-jung, secretary-general of the association, says that tests on aflatoxin, melamine and pesticide should be part of the regulation. In response, Hsu Tien-lai, chief of the Council of Agriculture (COA) Animal Husbandry Department, replied that the council will draft a bill to be submitted to the Legislative Yuan to consider adopting.

WHO sets tolerable melamine levels

The tolerable daily intake for melamine is 0.2 mg per kg of body weight, a level set by international experts at a meeting organized by the World Health Organization.
The level is lower than previously suggested and is meant to help national authorities set safe limits in food for withdraw purposes if melamine is detected as the result of intentional contamination. This level represents the tolerable amount of unavoidable contaminant in food that may be ingested on a daily basis without appreciable health risk.
Melamine, a chemical compound, was the contaminant implicated in the 2007 petfood recalls.