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About 60 million cans and foil pouches of items made by Streetsville, Canada-based Menu Foods Income Fund were being recalled on March 16, 2007. The recall is for "cuts and gravy"-style food sold in cans and foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6.
On March 30, the FDA and Cornell University identified a compound called melamine being present in the food that caused the pet illnesses and deaths. Researchers had previously thought aminopterin as the toxic contaminant, but soon after ruled it out. Melamine is a common chemical used in the manufacture of plastics, countertops, glue, fire retardants, and in some countries, fertilizer. The FDA does not allow any amount of melamine in food products.
Paul Henderson, president and chief executive of Menu Foods, told the Associated Press that his company recalled the pet food after a number of complaints from people who said their dogs or cats were vomiting and suffering kidney failure after eating Menu products. About 10 animals died, the company said.
As of April 2, the FDA reports that 15 confirmed deaths have occurred due to the food contamination (although anecdotal reports suggest hundreds of pets may have died). The FDA also reports receiving over 9,400 complaints from consumers (more than twice the complaints received regularly).
Now that melamine has been identified in the recalled food, researchers are now focusing their efforts on identifying how it entered the Menu Food supply chain. The FDA suspects the melamine entered via contaminated wheat gluten imported into the U.S. According to an FDA spokesperson, Neal Bataller, one foreign distributor is under investigation.
Meanwhile, FDA Enforcement Director, David Elder, says that consumers should purge their cupboards if necessary. Distribution of the food appears to be nationwide and not necessarily isolated to a specific region.
The recall is for "cuts and gravy"-style food sold in cans and foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6. The FDA is encouraging consumers to check the company's Web site:
http://menufoods.com/recall
and the company has set up two phone numbers for concerned pet owners:
866-463-6738 and 866-895-2708.
The recalled food may be causing kidney failure, whose symptoms include lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drinking of water and urinating more often than usual.
Menu Foods is recalling 88 brands of gravy-style dog and cat food. Specific lot numbers can be found at http://www.menufoods.com
Menu Foods has been updating their list of recalls, including a few more brands. Consumers are urged to review the list as updates become available.
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