Menu Foods has expanded its pet food recall, and this time, it's not involving wheat gluten from ChemNutra, but cross contamination. And for the first time, pet foods sent to the European market are being recalled.
From their press release:
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.
As a result, Menu advises the public:
*Additional items in the United States and Canada have been added to the recall list as shown below. A further two varieties for Europe have been added to the recall list.
The release also includes a lengthy list of the affected prodcuts.
Seperate press releases were sent out by two retailers whose products were affected by the latest recall: Schnuck's, a grocery chain in the midwest and south, and PetSmart.
I'm trying to get more information right now on who the additional gluten supplier was, and what the implications of the claim of "cross-contamination" are as relates to that second supplier. ChemNutra did state in a media release last week that Menu had more than one wheat gluten supplier, as part of its response to a lawsuit Menu filed against the importer.
UPDATE: Although this was presented as an expansion of the existing recall, two intrepid bloggers who have done incredible work keeping track of both recalled and un-recalled foods, Kim at petfoodtracker.blogspot.com and Therese at thepetfoodlist.com (blog is at petsitusa.com/blog)have figured out that there are new, previously un-recalled products on the list. Check out their new information here and here:
Kim from Pet Food Tracker and I have worked for more than an hour to make some sense of the Menu Foods updated (yet screwed up) recalled lists. We went through the summary lists and the press releases to make sure we had one easy to read list of all NEW recalls instead of having to wade through the incomplete press release and cat & dog food lists.
A message to Menu Foods: It would have been nice if you folks would have done this work for us since it’s YOUR products that are being recalled...not ours! Where do Kim & I send the bills?
Their lists:
10 New Dog Brands - Menu Foods Recall on 5-2-07 due to cross-contamination
1. Co-Op Gold
2. Go Natural (This is NOT on their press release, but is on their "recalled Dog Product Information" page at http://www.menufoods.com/...
3. Health Diet Gourmet Cuisine
4. La Griffe
5. Master Choice
6. Nu Pet
7. Performatrin Ultra
8. Triumph
9. Truly
10. Western Family Canada (Note: Western Family US has been on the list)
20 New Cat Brands – Menu Foods Recall on 5-2-07 due to cross-contamination
1. Cat’s Choice (This is NOT on their press release, but is on their "recalled Cat Product Information" page at http://www.menufoods.com/... )
2. Co-Op Gold
3. Despar (This is NOT on their press release, but is on their "recalled Cat Product Information" page at http://www.menufoods.com/... )
4. Fame
5. Feline Classic
6. Feline Cuisine
7. Giant Eagle (This is on their press release, but is NOT on their "recalled Cat Product Information list at http://www.menufoods.com/... )
8. J.E. Mondou
9. La Griffe
10. Master Choice
11. Medi-Cal (This is NOT on their press release, but is on their "recalled Cat Product Information" page at http://www.menufoods.com/... )
12. Natural Ultramix
13. Nu Pet
14. Performatrin Ultra
15. Roche Brothers (Note: Dog food from Roche Brothers has been on the recall list)
16. Roundy’s
17. Stuzzy Gold (This is NOT on their press release, but is on their "recalled Cat Product Information" page at http://www.menufoods.com/... )
18. Triumph
19. Western Family Canada (Western Family US has been on the recall list)
20. Your Pet (Dog food from Your Pet has been on the recall list)
I expect to have additional updates later tonight - you can keep an eye on our blog at petconnection.com/blog for anything that breaks.