Category: pet food

Dogs reported sick; Kroger, King Soopers pull Abound brand from stores

This story by Phyllis Entis first appeared in Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission.

Retail supermarket chains King Soopers and Kroger’s Louisville Division are removing certain Abound dry dog food from their store shelves following a product recall initiated by Sunshine Mills Inc.

The recalled pet food has the potential to contain an elevated level of vitamin D, which can produce symptoms of vomiting, loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased urination, excessive drooling, and weight loss in dogs. In extreme cases, ingestion of food containing elevated vitamin D may result in kidney failure.

On Dec. 3, the Food and Drug Administration issued a public alert about the potential for elevated vitamin D levels in several brands of dry pet foods produced by “a common contract manufacturer.” King Soopers and Kroger identified Sunshine Mills Inc. as the manufacturer in their recall notices.

FDA received two pet illness complaints in mid- to late October and initiated an investigation at that time, according to an agency spokesperson. In late October, FDA was alerted to a similar investigation being carried out by the state of Utah.

As of Dec. 3, the FDA has received a total of six dog illness reports associated with the recalled products. The investigation is ongoing, and the number of illnesses may change.

FDA, state and private lab tests have revealed that the pet food contained as much as 70 times the intended amount of vitamin D. Consumers are warned that these levels of vitamin D are potentially toxic to dogs and may lead to kidney failure and/or death.

The products recalled by King Soopers and Kroger include:

  • Abound Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe Dog food, 4 lb. Best by November 1, 2018 through November 16, 2019; UPC 11110-83556
  • Abound Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe Dog food, 14 lb. Best by November 1, 2018 through November 16, 2019; UPC 11110-83573
  • Abound Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe Dog food, 24 lb. Best by November 1, 2018 through November 16, 2019; UPC 11110-89076

All three package sizes were sold in King Soopers and City Market stores in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming. The 4-pound size was sold in a single Kroger store at 2440 Bardstown Road in Louisville, KY.

FDA offers the following recommendations to pet owners and veterinarians.

  • If your pet is having symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, contact a veterinarian immediately. Provide a full diet history to your veterinarian. You may find it helpful to take a picture of the pet food label, including the lot number.
  • Don’t feed the recalled products to your pets or any other animal. Contact the company listed on the package for further instructions or throw the products away in a way that children, pets and wildlife cannot access them.
  • Consumers can report suspected illness to the FDA electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling your state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. It’s most helpful if you can work with your veterinarian to submit your pet’s medical records as part of your report. For an explanation of the information and level of detail that would be helpful to include in a complaint to the FDA, please see How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
  • The FDA encourages veterinarians treating vitamin D toxicity to ask their clients for a diet history. We also welcome case reports, especially those confirmed through diagnostics. You can submit these reports electronically through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling your state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. For an explanation of the information and level of detail that would be helpful to include in a complaint to the FDA, please see How to Report a Pet Food Complaint.
  • Veterinarians should also be aware that vitamin D toxicity may present as hypercalcemia, similar to dogs that have consumed rodenticide. In these cases, FDA suggests that veterinarians confirm diet history to verify whether the dog has been eating any of the recalled products.

For additional coverage of the recent Sunshine pet food recalls, please see:

“Sunshine recalls three more dog food brands for excess vitamin D; distribution international”
“Sunshine Mills recalls additional dog foods for excess vitamin D”

Recalls and Alerts: November 28 – 30, 2018

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

OUTBREAK ALERT: CDC is investigating an outbreak of 4 cases of Listeria monocytogenes infections in Louisiana, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas. The illnesses are linked to ready-to-eat pork products manufactured by 165368 C. Corporation, doing business as Long Phung Food Products in Houston, TX.

OUTBREAK ALERT: CDC is investigating an outbreak of 5 cases of Salmonella Concord infections in Michigan and New York. The illnesses are linked to tahini from Achdut Ltd. (Israel).

OUTBREAK ALERT (UPDATE): FDA traceback investigation has identified the following California counties as possible sources of E. coli O157:H7-contaminated lettuce: Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Ventura. Consumers are advised to avoid purchasing or consuming Romaine lettuce unless the geographic origin of the product is clearly marked.

Allergy Alert: Gemini Food Corporation recalls Imperial Taste Fried Red Onion and Imperial Taste Fried Garlic due to undeclared wheat. Please refer to the recall notice for complete details on the recalled products.

Allergy Alert: Kwik Trip, Inc. recalls Kitchen Cravings Strawberry and Mixed Berry Parfaits (8.25-oz cup; Sell by 12/6/2018) due to undeclared traces of cashews or almonds. The recalled products were sold at Kwik Trip convenience stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa (Kwik Star).

Food Safety Recall: Sprout Creek Farm recalls “Kinkead” raw semi-firm, washed natural rind cheese (Manufactured 5-10-18) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for information on where the recalled product was sold.

Food Safety Recall: F&S Produce Co., Inc recalls SAMS TAHINI CARROT SALAD (BULK – 1 LB; All batch codes; UPC 024064800000) and SAMS TAHINI CARROT SALAD (PPK – 1 LB; All batch codes; UPC 024066100000) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Pet Food Safety Recall: ANF Pet Inc. recalls specific production lots of ANF Lamb and Rice Dry Dog Food due to elevated levels of vitamin D. Please refer to the recall notice for complete information on the recalled product.

Pet Food Safety Recall: ELM Pet Foods, Inc. recalls specific production lots of ELM CHICKEN AND CHICKPEA RECIPE Dry Dog Food due to elevated levels of vitamin D. Please refer to the recall notice for complete information on the recalled product.

Canada

Allergy Alert: Marché Sénécal inc. recalls pork filet and Italian sausage due to undeclared soy and milk. Please refer to the recall notice for additional details.

Food Safety Recall: Chef’s Warehouse recalls Soom brand tahini products due to possible Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which were distributed to consumers nationwide. 

Food Safety Recall: Altra Foods Inc. and S & F Food Importers Inc. recall Achva and S&F brand tahini products due to possible Salmonella contamination. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products, which weresold in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec and maybe have been distributed in other provinces.

Europe

Allergy Alert (Netherlands): PLUS recalls PLUS Meal salad chicken madras (Best before 05-12-2018) due to undeclared mustard, sesame, sulphite and / or wheat (gluten).

Allergy Alert (UK – England specific): English Heritage recalls Cherry Brandy, Ginger Liqueur, Elderberry & Port and Scrumpy Cider due to undeclared sulfites. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Allergy Alert (UK): Nestlé recalls La Laitière Clafoutis Aux Cerises (340g 4-pack; Use by 03 December 2018) due to undeclared milk, egg, wheat (gluten) and nuts.

Allergy Alert (UK): Poundstretcher recalls Aldiva Mosaik Cake Break (100g; All batch codes and use-by dates) due to undeclared egg, wheat (gluten), hazelnuts, milk, peanuts, sesame and sulphite.

Allergy Alert (UK): Poundstretcher recalls Aldiva Waffo Roll (250g; All batch codes and use-by dates) due to undeclared egg, wheat (gluten), hazelnuts, peanuts, sesame, soya, and milk.

Food Safety Recall (Denmark): Carlsberg Danmark recalls Carlsberg pilsner (330 ml bottles; Best before 12-07-2019) due to foreign matter (glass particles and label residue) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (France): Le GAEC Ferme Chapuis recalls La Ferme Chapuis brand Fromages de vache au lait cru due to highly pathogenic E. coli. Please refer to the recall notice for a complete list of affected products.

Food Safety Recall (France): Carrefour recalls Reflets de France brand Cidre Fermier de Bretagne Brut (75 cl; Lot #E11AD/18 MEB 236/18) due to foreign matter (glass particles) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): EDEKA recalls EDEKA chocolate gingerbread, hearts, stars and pretzels bittersweet (500g; Batch #748; Best before 30/05/2019) due to foreign matter (green plastic pieces) contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Germany): FROMAGERIE LA TOURNETTE recalls REBLOCHON DE SAVOIE cheese (450g; Best before 25/11/18 and 01/12/18) due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Food Safety Recall (Italy): Foods of Scotland SRL recalls Scottish Pride brand Smoked Salmon (100g; Lot #504903; Best before 12/01/2019, 13/01/2019 and 09/11/2019) due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

Australia and New Zealand

Allergy Alert (Australia): Al Mina recalls Al Mina brand Almond Baklava Triangle (250g; Best Before 25 Apr 19) and Al Mina brand Four Finger Baklava (200g; Best Before All dates) due to undeclared pistachios.

Pentobarbital continues to ‘dog’ pet food industry; beef tallow blamed

This story by Phyllis Entis first appeared in Food Safety News and is reposted here with permission.

On May 8 Champion Petfoods USA Inc. was informed that three shipments of beef tallow delivered by their supplier were contaminated with pentobarbital, a tranquilizer often used to euthanize sick or fatally injured animals.

Ingestion of the barbiturate can cause drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, or nausea, or in extreme cases, possibly death of dogs and cats. Beef tallow is promoted as an inexpensive, palatable, and stable source of energy, with a nutritional profile “sufficient for safe use as a pet food ingredient,” according to an industry website, BeefTallow.com.

Champion, a Canadian pet food company whose U.S. production facility is in Auburn, KY, manufactures Acana and Orijen brands of dry dog food.

The company ceased manufacturing products that require beef tallow, and quarantined the three pentobarbital-contaminated lots of tallow. However, by the time the company learned of the problem, some of the tallow already had been used.

Champion initiated pentobarbital testing on the retained samples from the beginning, middle and end of the affected production lots, and retrieved finished product from its third-party distributors.

The retained samples tested for pentobarbital were found to be negative. Some of the finished products containing contaminated tallow were distributed to the store/consumer level, but no retail-level product recall was initiated.

On May 16 the Food and Drug Administration initiated an inspection of Champion’s facility, according to information contained in the agency’s Establishment Inspection Report (EIR), which was obtained by Food Safety News in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

During the inspection, the company informed FDA that Champion was no longer doing business with the Pennsylvania supplier of beef tallow and consulted with the agency on how to properly dispose of the pentobarbital-contaminated tallow.

The name of Champion’s tallow supplier was blacked out in the EIR.

Champion advised FDA inspectors that it will require its new supplier of tallow to include test results for pentobarbital on Certificates of Analysis accompanying all shipments of the ingredient. FDA investigators appeared satisfied with Champion’s response to the contaminated tallow episode, classifying the outcome of the investigation as “No Action Indicated.”

Since the beginning of 2017, pentobarbital contamination has triggered the recall of canned pet foods manufactured by Evanger’s Dog and Cat Food Co. and Big Heart Brands.

The source of pentobarbital contamination in the Evanger’s products was never established.

Beef tallow was the apparent source of pentobarbital contamination in Big Heart Brands’ canned pet foods. According to information contained in a class action complaint filed against the manufacturer of Gravy Train and other canned dog foods, Big Heart’s tallow supplier was MOPAC, a Pennsylvania rendering facility belonging to JBS USA Holding Inc.

Big Heart Brands packs several popular brands of pet food that are distributed nationwide. Those brands include Gravy Train, Kibbles ’N Bits, Skippy and Ol’ Roy brands. Big Heart Pet Brands distributed the Gravy Train, Kibbles ’N Bits and Skippy dog food to retailers nationwide. Walmart Stores Inc. distributed the Ol’ Roy dog food.