Kroger Recalls Pet Food

http://thepetfoodlist.com/forums/ind...65.msg8153#new

The Kroger Co. said today it is recalling select packages of pet food sold in some of its retail stores because the products may contain aflatoxin, which poses a health risk to pets.

Kroger stores in the following states are included in this recall: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The recall also includes Dillons and Gerbes stores in Kansas and Missouri; Baker's stores in Nebraska; Food 4 Less stores in Nebraska, Illinois and Indiana (Chicago area); and Jay C, Hilander, Owen's, Pay Less and Scott's stores in Illinois and Indiana.

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To er is human, but it seems that these pet food recalls are becoming a routine, almost to the point of being a tradition.

Would it really be that expensive to do a little QA?

I'd like to think there have been so many recalls because quality control has been intensified since the melamine scandal, but that's probably a naive way of looking at it. I personally don't trust the FDA to do its job properly; due to a lack of sufficient govt. funding Big Industry has too much influence on it.

Darn - you beat me to it - was just about to post this (I'm sure no one in TCS feeds this, but may know a friend or neighbor that does).

However you missed the list of brands that was at the end of the article.

http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/art...aflatoxin.html

Originally Posted by jcat

I personally don't trust the FDA to do its job properly; due to a lack of sufficient govt. funding Big Industry has too much influence on it.

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I am sure they would be happy to have more money, government always is, but they have seen huge funding increases just about every year. It went up almost 20% for 2010, and is up again for 2011 from what I'm seeing online.

I'm no insider, but from what I had read, the problem is that the FDA is subject to politics and a permanent lobbying force directly on the upper decision makers, and so its in their own best interest for their office to make as few waves as possible. That usually means making the industry happy, unless there's media attention in which case they shortly swing to the other extreme, and since pet food requires no FDA pre-approval and they can use the AAFCO as a scapegoat to distance themselves from decision making, not much is done proactively.

I'd like to just see the FDA take responsibility for setting strict universal standards, police misleading advertising, and allow the industry to self-police by enacting harsher penalties for negligence and contaminated feed (cost effective and they can do it best if they know it directly impacts their bottom line).

Have to give the FDA props for this though, they have a recall list easily viewable online:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/script...etfoodrecalls/

Nutro Max and Natural Choice have had a crazy amount of recalls for example. How about...mmm... NO! *vetoed on my shopping list*

Just a FYI : 99.9% of pet food companies have had a public or the more worrisome silent recall in the last 5 years...

I do think some of the QA is actually pulling product.. Though like Jcat I also wonder if this is naive .. The FDA has Extremely limited recall ability on anything outside of baby formula and drugs... Basically it comes to manufacturers , which still seem to be doing a much better job than human food makers even if they are catching them after the fact .

I'm feeding Wellness wet and dry food mix right now, and from what I can tell they aren't included in any recall or false-advertising class action lawsuits of late.

Accidents are bound to happen, I'm just concerned with the frequency with which contaminated unsafe food makes it out of a particular manufacturer's warehouse to the public.

Originally Posted by Ducman69

I'm feeding Wellness wet and dry food mix right now, and from what I can tell they aren't included in any recall or false-advertising class action lawsuits of late.

Accidents are bound to happen, I'm just concerned with the frequency with which contaminated unsafe food makes it out of a particular manufacturer's warehouse to the public.

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wellness has its issues also ... they just do NOT fess up to them, call them a fluke or tell the person No one else has complained ... A few on here will tell you about the lovely not so true advertising

Yes, I do think more QA should happen within the plant and why the 30 , 60 day hold system is not working is a bit worrisome

Originally Posted by sharky

Just a FYI : 99.9% of pet food companies have had a public or the more worrisome silent recall in the last 5 years...

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Very very true. A lot of stuff is either destroyed before it leaves the plants (warehouse), any extended warehouses they use, or just shortly before it hits shelves.
I know the company my DH works for does not do 60 or 90 day hold, they do positive release. It's not sent out until tests are back on it. QA tests foods on production line hourly and whenever they do a change over. Grains are tested prior to adding them into their silos (wouldn't want to add in bad grain with good and waste all of it). Grains are supposed to be pretested, they retest, and if too many fail - they reject all the lots. Corn, rice, and gluten meal gets tested for alfatoxin and the other grains get tested for vomitoxin.
BUT, that company is very paranoid about this sort of thing because they have a lot to lose and are super caught up in their reputation.

I don't know how other companies handle things, though it wouldn't surprise me if some human foods go through less. Though at least I know some human snacks that are put through stricter in plant testing.

The FDA has added in some more regulations for pet food, btw, but mostly for salmonella. Most everything else is left up to the companies to determine how strict they want their testing to be.


Allowed amount for alfa/vomitoxins in pet food is 20 parts per billion, btw. Does anyone know what it is in human food?