Senator Calls FDA tragically slow on pet food recall

[catgirl]

Source: CNN.com

The Senate will hold hearings on the Food and Drug Administration's handling of the growing recall of contaminated pet food, the chamber's No. 2 Democrat said Thursday.

"The FDA's response to this situation has been tragically slow," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, told reporters in Chicago. "Pet owners deserve answers. The uncertainty about what is safe to feed their pets has gone on far too long."

The recalled food has been linked to kidney failure in an undetermined number of dogs and cats. (Watch people whose pets died describe what happened )

The original recall, which began March 16, included more than 60 million cans of "cuts and gravy-style" wet cat food and dog food made by Menu Foods, the first manufacturer involved.

Since then, the recall has broadened to include some pet foods produced by Nestlé Purina PetCare Co., Del Monte Pet Products and Hill's Pet Nutrition.

And on Thursday, Sunshine Mills in Red Bay, Alabama, said 20 types of large dog biscuits are contaminated with potentially toxic wheat gluten from China. The dog-treat maker said it has received no reports of death or illness related to the products.

Company spokesman Conrad Pitts told CNN it purchased the tainted wheat gluten from The Scoular Co. of Minneapolis. Scoular officials said they bought the product from ChemNutra Inc. in Las Vegas, which recalled the tainted wheat gluten on Monday.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/06/pet.deaths/index.html?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo

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Thank you Dick Durbin.

[catgirl]

1. The chinese co. claimes it has never exported wheat gluten to the US

A vet claims melamine is "relatively non toxic", yet the delay in finding
some answers. There have been over 3000 complaints from pet owners
who have sick or dying/dead pets with related symptoms to this mysterious
cause. Now the chinese co. is looking into it as well. Is the FDA covering this
up, or are they just completely incompetent?

[aquart]

2. And still no investigation into how much has gone in OUR food.

[tanyev]

3. That's because our governmental regulatory agencies have been completely gutted.

If they do anything at all anymore, it's to serve as a concierge for their respective industries. Thanks, George.