Category: pet food

Recalls and Alerts: May 9, 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.

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United States

  • Food Safety Recall: Moon Fishery (India) Pty Ltd. recalls Tuna Strips (Product of India; AA or AAA Grade; Imported by Moon Marine USA Corporation), because the product has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The recalled product was supplied to four wholesalers – one each in Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. Distribution has been suspended while FDA and the company investigate the scope of the problem.
  • Food Safety Recall/Outbreak Alert: The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has closed a Terrebonne Parish molluscan shellfish harvesting area located in Basin 12, Area 23 and also ordered a recall of all oysters harvested from that area since April 26, 2012 including shucked, frozen, breaded, post- harvest processed and oysters for the half shell market. Fourteen people became ill with stomach viruses (norovirus) after eating the Louisiana oysters at a New Orleans area restaurant on April 28 or 29.

Canada

  • Allergy Alert: Omega Food Importers Co. Ltd. (Mississauga, ON) recalls Imperial Wafer Cocoa Rolls (280g; UPC 64166 01705), Imperial Wafer Coco Rolls (280g; UPC 64166 01710) and Imperial Wafer Chocolate Rolls (140g; UPC 64166 01700) due to the presence of undeclared peanut. The recall products were distributed in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
  • Allergy Alert: Tokushin Enterprises Ltd. (Vancouver, BC) recalls S & B brand The Mediterranean Sea Beef Curry Sauce (200g; UPC 4 901002 116330; Lot code up to and including 2012.12.17), because the product contains undeclared fish and milk. The recalled product was distributed in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and may have been distributed nationally.
  • Pet Food Safety Recall: Costco advises its customers of the recall by the US company, Diamond Pet Foods, of the following dry pet food products, due to potential Salmonella contamination: KS Lamb & Rice (18.14KG; item #29504), KS Chicken & Rice (18.14KG Dog Food, item #29506), KS Dry Cat Food (9.07KG, item #190379), KS Natures Domain Salmon & Sweet Potato (item #295700), KS Healthy Weight Dog Food (item #430541), Natures Domain Salmon & Sweet Potato (item #470974), and KS Mature Adult 7-18.14KG Lamb, Rice & Egg (item #779829). Recalled production codes have a  “3” in the 9th position AND an “X” in the 11th position. The best-before dates for all of the recalled products are December 9, 2012 through January 31, 2013.
  • Food Safety Alert: Toronto Public Health reminds consumers to thoroughly wash and cook fiddleheads to avoid illness. Five recent cases of illness associated with fiddleheads have been reported recently to the city’s Public Health department.

Europe

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.

Diamond Pet Foods Recalls: Consumers Want Answers

What pet owners don’t know about the details of the Diamond Pet Foods recalls is a lot! And they are now demanding answers – from the manufacturer, from companies like Natural Balance, and from retailers.

One frustrated animal lover – Erich Riesenberg of Iowa Pet Adoptions – has created a petition on Change.org, seeking answers to the following questions:

  • How did Diamond’s quality assurance program fail to prevent, or at least detect, the Salmonella contamination?
  • When did Diamond first learn of the failure?
  • Did Diamond withhold information?
  • How does Diamond track reports of adverse reactions to its food?

The petition also asks for the release of plant inspection records, food test results, correspondence between Diamond and public officials, and a timeline of notifications.

To read the petition and, if you are so inclined, to add your name to the list of signees, follow this link.

Meanwhile, what do we know?

1. We know that at least 14 people have become ill with Salmonella Infantis infections. All 14 individuals were infected with a single genetic strain; that same strain was found in samples of dry dog food manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods in Gaston, South Carolina.

2. We know that a massive quantity of dry pet food – including some cat food, by the way – was recalled. Please follow this link for a consolidated list of recalled products.

3. We know, courtesy of Laura Alvey, spokesperson for FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, that there have not been any confirmed cases of Salmonella-related dog illness associated with the recalled products. Alvey has acknowledged that FDA received an unspecified number of complaints of dog illnesses related to recalled product; however, these cases were not medically confirmed.

4. We know, thanks to an eFoodAlert reader, that at least one batch of recalled Taste of the Wild dry dog food was distributed in France. Alvey also confirmed that Diamond Pet Foods ships product “all over the world.”

What consumers can do:

  • Check your supply of pet food to see whether it is affected by the recall. If it is on the recall list, either throw it away or return the unused portion to the retailer.
  • If you have handled one of the recalled products and you develop symptoms of Salmonella (stomach ache, diarrhea, etc), seek immediate medical attention and mention the possible link to pet food.
  • If your dog or cat was fed one of the recalled products and develops symptoms of gastrointestinal illness (vomiting or diarrhea), seek immediate veterinary attention. Ask your veterinarian to test your pet for Salmonella. If the test is positive, you or your veterinarian should contact FDA immediately to have the unused portion of the pet food tested.
  • Review the FDA Tips for Preventing Foodborne Illness Associated with Pet Food and Pet Treats, and follow its recommendations to keep your family and your pets safe.
  • Monitor eFoodAlert’s Diamond Pet Foods, Etc. Recalls – 2012 page. It will be updated as more information becomes available.

Above all, be aware that dogs may be infected with Salmonella – and may shed the bacteria in their stool – without showing any outward symptoms of illness. If your pet has consumed a Diamond Pet Foods dry dog food, be especially careful to wash your hands after handling the animal, and supervise closely any interaction between children and your pet.

Contaminated Kibble Sickens 14 People

Multiple brands of dry pet food produced by Diamond Pet Foods at their Gaston, South Carolina manufacturing facility has been linked to fourteen Salmonella infections in nine states, according to CDC. Five people were hospitalized.

There is no indication as to how many dogs may have become infected.

The 14 confirmed outbreak cases were reported by Alabama (1), Connecticut (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (3), North Carolina (3), New Jersey (1), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (1), and Virginia (1). More than three-fourths (77%) of the victims are female. The outbreak patients range in age from less than one year to 82 years old (median 48 years).

All 14 individuals were infected with a single rare strain of Salmonella Infantis. The outbreak strain was found in unopened bags of three different dry dog foods manufactured at the Gaston facility.

It was a routine test carried out by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development that first pointed the finger at Diamond Pet Foods. On April 2nd, the agency’s lab found Salmonella in an unopened bag of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food that had been collected from a retail location on march 14th. CDC’s PulseNet system made the connection between the genetic strain recovered from the dog food and the strain of Salmonella Infantis that had sickened a number of people.

Interviews of the outbreak patients established that 70% of them had been in contact with a dog in the week before becoming ill. Four out of five people who could remember the type of dog food they had contacted identified a dog food produced by Diamond Pet Foods.

Ohio, which reported two outbreak cases, was responsible for finding the outbreak strain from an opened package of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food collected from a patient’s home, and from an unopened bag of the same product obtained from a retail store. FDA found Salmonella in a sample of Diamond Puppy Formula obtained during an inspection of the Gaston manufacturing plant.

On April 6th, Diamond Pet Foods recalled a single production batch of Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice, due to “potential” contamination with Salmonella. The recall notice assured consumers that “[n]o illnesses have been reported and no other Diamond manufactured products are affected.”

The company expanded its recall on April 26th to include one production run of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula. This time, the company acknowledged that one bag of the dry dog food had tested positive for Salmonella. And instead of its previous blanket assurance, Diamond told consumers that “[n]o dog illnesses have been reported.” Four days later, Diamond added a limited number of production codes of Diamond Puppy Formula to the recall list, again assuring that no dog illnesses had been reported.

Delivery of products manufactured at Diamond Pet Food’s Gaston location has been suspended since April 8th. Although the company hasn’t specifically said so, it’s likely that production also has been suspended while FDA carries out its plant investigation. That investigation will include environmental sampling in the production and warehouse areas, as well as additional finished product and ingredient tests. I would be very surprised if the recall is not expanded to include all dry dog food manufactured at the Gaston plant over the last several months.

This is not the first time that Salmonella-contaminated dry dog food has been the source of human illnesses. Pet food produced in the Pennsylvania manufacturing plant of Mars Petcare US was responsible for a three-year long outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund infections, beginning in 2006.

Dry dog food – kibble – is not a sterile product. As we have been reminded by this outbreak, it can be contaminated with Salmonella and should be handled with the same care as is used when handling other potentially contaminated foods, such as raw meats and poultry.

CDC offers this advice to pet owners:

  • Consumers should check their homes for recalled dog food products and discard them promptly. Consumers with questions about recalled dog food may contact Diamond Pet Foods at telephone number (800) 442-0402 or visit http://www.diamondpetrecall.com.
  • Follow the tips listed on Salmonella from Dry Pet Food and Treats to help prevent an infection with Salmonella from handling dry pet food and treats.
  • People who think they might have become ill after contact with dry pet food or with an animal that has eaten dry pet food should consult their health care providers. Infants, older adults, and persons with impaired immune systems are more likely than others to develop severe illness.
  • People who think their animal might have become ill after eating dry pet food should consult their veterinary-care providers.
  • Read Additional Information for Pet Owners to learn the signs and symptoms of salmonellosis in dogs and cats, and to understand how to deal with possible Salmonella illness in your pet.

Also, be aware that dogs may be infected with Salmonella – and may shed the bacteria in their stool – without showing any outward symptoms of illness. If your pet has consumed a Diamond Pet Foods dry dog food, be especially careful to wash your hands after handling it, and supervise closely any interaction between children and your pet.