Category: pet food

CDC Declares Diamond Pet Food Salmonella Outbreak “Over”

CDC has just released the “Final Update” covering its investigation into cases of human Salmonella Infantis illnesses caused by contaminated dry dog food.

As of today (July 18, 2012), CDC has confirmed 47 cases of Salmonella Infantis in 20 US states; two additional cases were reported in Canada, bringing the total number of known human cases to 49.

Most illnesses developed between January 4th and June 26th. Of the 24 victims for whom information was available, 10 (42%) were hospitalized. The youngest outbreak patient was less than a year old; the oldest was 82.

There is no way of knowing how many dogs and cats were infected, as no government agency in either the USA or Canada tracks reports of animal illnesses. eFoodAlert has learned of at least 54 animals who became ill after being fed a dry pet food manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods in their Gaston, SC production plant. Eight of the 54 animals died.

The 47 US illnesses were identified in Alabama (2), Arkansas (2), California (3), Connecticut (2), Georgia (2), Illinois (4), Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), Michigan (2), Minnesota (1), Missouri (3), New Jersey (2), New York (5), North Carolina (5), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (1), Pennsylvania (3), South Carolina (2), Texas (1), and Virginia (2). The two Canadian victims were residents of Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Geographic distribution of US Salmonella Infantis cases traced to Diamond Pet Foods dry pet food products

The outbreak investigation developed an interesting twist – a second strain of Salmonella Infantis was found in a dog food sample collected from the home of an ill person in Canada. This genetically different strain of Salmonella Infantis was identical to the strain recovered from sixteen human cases of salmonellosis in the USA. Those 16 cases are included in the total of 47 confirmed US cases. Ironically, the Canadian patient was infected with a strain of Salmonella that was not associated with the pet food outbreak.

As I reported on May 15th, FDA inspected Diamond’s Gaston production plant and found a number of significant deficiencies in the company’s procedures and sanitation. The Salmonella Infantis outbreak strain was recovered from samples of finished product; however, none of the environmental or ingredient samples tested by FDA were contaminated with Salmonella. Unfortunately, we’ll never know how the finished pet food became contaminated.

This outbreak of Salmonella illnesses has implications beyond the borders of the USA and Canada. Some of the recalled pet food was shipped to other countries in Europe and Asia. Neither FDA nor Diamond has been willing to provide a list of countries to which the products were shipped, although some of this information is available from recipient countries or distributors.

Additional information on the international distribution of the recalled food is likely to seep out as FDA adds the pet food recalls to its Weekly Enforcement Reports. In today’s report, we learned that the Solid Gold products affected by this recall were supplied to Singapore (confirming information released by Singapore on May 29th), as well as to Canada and the USA.

CDC has evolved a very effective system for identifying possible human disease outbreaks, and cooperates closely with other federal, state and public health agencies in the investigation of these outbreaks. Unfortunately, there is no similar system in place to detect disease outbreaks in companion animals.

FDA “accepts” reports of pet illnesses that may be associated with pet foods, treats or medications; however, there is no mechanism in place for tracking and collating these reports. Nor is reporting of these illnesses mandatory. As a result, hundreds of dogs and cats may have become ill and dozens may have died unnecessarily before this outbreak affected enough people to become visible to CDC.

It’s bad enough when human illness is the “early warning system” for contaminated human food. Why should people also be used as the mineshaft canaries for contaminated pet foods?

Chicken Jerky Pet Treats – FDA Does Data Dump

FDA did a data dump today. The agency has made available for download the results of 5 1/2 years worth of pet treat lab analyses.

This unprecedented release of (relatively) raw lab data by FDA comes on the heels of JoNel Aleccia’s July 13th article on the more than 1,000 pet illnesses and deaths being blamed on chicken jerky pet treats.

When eFoodAlert last contacted FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine on this subject in February 2012, the level of frustration felt by the agency was clear in the response we received from FDA Spokeswoman Laura Alvey.

“Testing continues and is ongoing,” Alvey said back then in reply to my questions. “We have tested samples from all over the country.”

Among the tests Alvey mentioned were Salmonella, and chemical toxicants such as melamine, melamine analogs and diethylene glycol. Alvey explained that FDA’s regulatory hands were tied until its scientists could detect a contaminant and demonstrate that a product was adulterated. “The regulations don’t allow for products to be removed based on complaints,” she emphasized.

It’s clear from today’s data dump that FDA has not made any further progress in solving the mystery. In my opinion, the absence of progress is due to two factors – lack of resources dedicated to researching the problem, and lack of a systematic approach to the problem.

Since November 18, 2011, FDA’s various District Offices have collected and analyzed a total of 48 samples of various brands and varieties of pet jerky treats in six district and regional FDA labs. That’s roughly one sample per lab per month. Twelve of the samples were tested for Salmonella; 30 were analyzed for the presence of ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol and/or propylene glycol; 12 were examined for melamine and cyanuric acid. An occasional sample was also examined for other microbial or chemical contaminants. Some samples were analyzed for multiple microbiological and chemical contaminants; others were subjected just one microbiological or chemical test.

In fairness, the data released today by FDA may not be complete. They include only those product samples for which the word “Jerky” appeared on the product label or in the product description. A product labeled simply as a “Pet Treat” or “Pet Chew” would not be part of these data.

There is no way to tell what motivated the selection of tests to be run on a given sample; that information is not included in the data dump. Nor do we know why these samples were collected. Were they part of routine surveillance? Were they the result of a consumer complaint or “adverse event” report? Were they taken during a pet food production plant inspection? This information, too, is lacking.

So far, all of the tests results have been negative, except for the finding of undeclared propylene glycol in twelve samples. Propylene glycol is on FDA’s Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) list of food chemicals and ingredients, both for human and animal consumption. Thus, even though the ingredient was not listed on the package label, no regulatory action was “indicated” according to FDA.

Propylene glycol is a humectant – it keeps a food soft, moist and chewy. It also is an antifreeze, although it is far less toxic than other common antifreezes, namely, ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol. But propylene glycol, at certain exposure levels, can be toxic to dogs and cats. And I have not been able to find any studies that evaluate the effect of propylene glycol in combination with other possible pet food ingredients.

Furthermore, has anyone at FDA thought to examine the chemical reactions involving propylene glycol that may take place during the manufacture of pet treats? Dow Chemical lists several reactions that could occur under favorable conditions of heat and oxidation. Has anyone investigated the effects of irradiation on propylene glycol? Some manufacturers irradiate their pet treats to ensure microbiological safety. There are, no doubt, several possible avenues of research here.

Come on, FDA! It’s time to pause, breathe, and start thinking outside the treat bag.

Recalls and Alerts: July 1, 2012

Here is today’s list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals, allergy alerts and miscellaneous compliance issues. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.

If you would like to receive automatic email alerts for all new articles posted on eFoodAlert, please submit your request using the sidebar link.

United States

  • Pet Food Safety Recall: Mars Petcare US recalls PEDIGREE+® Healthy Weight Premium Ground Entree in Meaty Juices, PEDIGREE® Weight Management Meaty Ground Dinner Beef & Liver Dinner in Meaty Juices, and PEDIGREE® Weight management Meaty Ground Dinner Chicken & Rice Dinner in Meaty Juices canned dog foods (13.2-oz cans; Lot codes beginning with 209, 210, 211 or 212; Best before dates between 2/24/2014 and 3/23/2014), because the products may contain small pieces of blue plastic. The recalled canned dog foods were distributed to retail customers throughout the USA, including through Food City and Walmart stores.
  • Boil Water Advisory (New Jersey): A Boil Water advisory remains in effect for 22 towns in Monmouth County following the collapse of three large water pipes at the New Jersey American Water Co. water treatment plant at Swimming River Reservoir. An outdoor water ban remains in place for all of Monmouth County.
  • Outbreak Alert Update (New York State): The number of outbreak victims in Onondaga County has increased to 34, according to The Post-Standard. Twenty-one people are confirmed to have been infected with Shigella, and an additional 13 probable cases are awaiting confirmation. The source of the outbreak has not been established. About one-half of the victims are children under 10 years of age.

Canada

HAPPY CANADA DAY TO ALL OF OUR CANADIAN READERS!

Europe

  • Outbreak Alert (UK): Thirty people contracted food poisoning after consuming a four-course meal at the Boundary Rooms suite at PROBIZ County Ground in Hove while while attending a cricket match. The Sussex County Cricket Club believes that the victims may have become ill from contaminated chicken parfait.
  • Outbreak Alert (UK): Four people were hospitalized with salmonellosis after eating at the Copper Beech pub in Darlington between June 2nd and 19th. An additional 15 people also became ill, but did not require hospitalization. The pub has closed its kitchens until the source of the contamination can be identified.

Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands

  • Food Safety News (Japan): A nationwide ban on serving raw beef liver in restaurants takes effect today (July 1st). The ban was decided upon following an outbreak of E. coli O157 killed five people and sickened approximately 180. The outbreak victims became ill after consuming raw beef serviced at a yakiniku barbecue chain. The outbreak victims did not eat dishes that contained liver, but E. coli O157 was found in beef liver during the outbreak investigation.

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Outbreak Alert (Cuba): Journalists are reporting the death of two people and the hospitalization of 50 due to an outbreak of cholera in Manzanillo. Government officials have not commented on the outbreak, but the municipality has been declared to be in “quarantine.”

Some supermarket chains post recall notices on their web sites for the convenience of customers. To see whether a recalled food was carried by your favorite supermarket, follow the live link to the supermarket’s recall web site.

*The Kroger umbrella encompasses numerous supermarket, marketplace and convenience store chains, listed on the Kroger corporate home page.
**Includes Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs and Pak N’ Save.