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Tainted pet food still on shelves, FDA says
Contaminated pet food is still being sold at some stores, U.S. health officials warned on Thursday after checking hundreds of retail outlets.
The Food and Drug Administration said it had inspected about 400 stores nationwide and still found some dog and cat food products affected by last month's recall by Canada-based pet food maker Menu Foods Income Fund and other manufacturers.
"FDA believes most companies have removed the recalled product; however, some have not," the agency said in a statement.
The announcement comes two days after Menu Foods expanded its recall to include more types of cat food. Last week it also widened its alert to include products with earlier production dates as well as dozens of more varieties.
Initially, the company recalled 60 million cans and pouches of wet pet food sold under various brands including Procter & Gamble Co.'s Iams and Eukanuba as well as store brands sold at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Safeway Inc..
A number of other companies including Colgate-Palmolive Co.'s Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., Nestle SA's Purina PetCare Co. and Del Monte Pet Products have also recalled certain products.
FDA officials have said the affected foods contained wheat gluten contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical used in plastics and fertilizer. But the agency is still investigating what caused the confirmed death of 16 cats and dogs. About 12,000 pets have been reported ill.
The ingredient was shipped by China-based Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd. to ChemNutra Inc. of Las Vegas, which then sold it to Menu Foods and other makers, according to the FDA. The Chinese company has denied involvement.
"FDA's priority is to make sure that cats and dogs have safe food to eat," Dr. Stephen Sundlof, head of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in the statement.
Sundlof is scheduled to appear before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee later on Thursday to discuss the pet food scare.
Sen. Richard Durbin (news, bio, voting record), the Illinois Democrat who announced the hearing, has said he wants the FDA to work with U.S. states to improve manufacturing inspections as well as create a new database for veterinarians and pet owners to report concerns.
Representative for Menu Foods will not appear before lawmakers. Senators had invited Menu Foods to testify at the hearing, according to congressional staff, but the company instead asked to be represented by the Pet Food Institute, an industry group.
The Food and Drug Administration said it had inspected about 400 stores nationwide and still found some dog and cat food products affected by last month's recall by Canada-based pet food maker Menu Foods Income Fund and other manufacturers.
"FDA believes most companies have removed the recalled product; however, some have not," the agency said in a statement.
The announcement comes two days after Menu Foods expanded its recall to include more types of cat food. Last week it also widened its alert to include products with earlier production dates as well as dozens of more varieties.
Initially, the company recalled 60 million cans and pouches of wet pet food sold under various brands including Procter & Gamble Co.'s Iams and Eukanuba as well as store brands sold at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Safeway Inc..
A number of other companies including Colgate-Palmolive Co.'s Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., Nestle SA's Purina PetCare Co. and Del Monte Pet Products have also recalled certain products.
FDA officials have said the affected foods contained wheat gluten contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical used in plastics and fertilizer. But the agency is still investigating what caused the confirmed death of 16 cats and dogs. About 12,000 pets have been reported ill.
The ingredient was shipped by China-based Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd. to ChemNutra Inc. of Las Vegas, which then sold it to Menu Foods and other makers, according to the FDA. The Chinese company has denied involvement.
"FDA's priority is to make sure that cats and dogs have safe food to eat," Dr. Stephen Sundlof, head of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in the statement.
Sundlof is scheduled to appear before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee later on Thursday to discuss the pet food scare.
Sen. Richard Durbin (news, bio, voting record), the Illinois Democrat who announced the hearing, has said he wants the FDA to work with U.S. states to improve manufacturing inspections as well as create a new database for veterinarians and pet owners to report concerns.
Representative for Menu Foods will not appear before lawmakers. Senators had invited Menu Foods to testify at the hearing, according to congressional staff, but the company instead asked to be represented by the Pet Food Institute, an industry group.
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