Pet Food Recall: 200 New Items Added, Dog & Cat Food, Treats

The pet food recall is now shockingly large.  Many dog and cat owners are near a breaking point as they look for food and treats they can hope they can trust not to be tainted and that may kill their pets.  The latest round of recalls has added a stunning 200 items and Menu Foods currently lists at least 220 products being added today to its existing list of recalled products as of Thursday afternoon.

Pet Food Recall: 200 New Items Added, Dog & Cat Food, Treats

The latest action comes amid reports from U.S. health officials that more than 4,000 dogs and cats may have died from eating contaminated pet food. On Thursday, however, health officials said the investigation was winding down and the contamination posed little health risks to humans.  The first question is - does anyone believe that?

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U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials continue to downplay any potential human health risk, the Associated Press reports.  At a Thursday afternoon press conference, Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's assistant commissioner for food protection, said, "At Menu Foods, some of the contaminated product was cross-contaminated with other product, that is the reason for the extended recall.

"We believe the likelihood of a human illness from melamine is unlikely," Acheson said. "Only 5 to 8 percent of the wheat gluten is melamine. It is only a small percentage of the ingredients in the pet food. When it gets down to the poultry and pork it is even a smaller percentage of melamine.

"We are preventing any further contaminated protein supplements coming in from China," he added. "I am confident that the investigation into contaminated pet food has been exhausted. We have chased the contaminated wheat gluten and we are confident that it has not entered human food except through the pet food fed to animals."

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Menu Foods has previously recalled wet cat and dog food produced with adulterated wheat gluten supplied by ChemNutra Inc. Menu Foods is now expanding the recall to include cuts and gravy and select other products which do not include ChemNutra wheat gluten but which were manufactured at any of Menu Foods' plants during the period that ChemNutra wheat gluten was used at that plant, to the extent they have not already been subject to a recall, due to the possibility of cross-contamination.

Menu Foods has received a report from a customer and has received study results, both of which indicate cross-contamination.