[HelptheAnimals] AP: Recall expands to include rice protein // PR: Natural Balance Recall (2 Items)
AnimalVoicesNews Natural Balance recall covers the following items for all dates: Venison and Brown Rice Treats for Dogs Venison and Brown Rice Canned Formula for Dogs Venison and Brown Rice Dry Food for Dogs Venison and Green Pea Dry Food for Cats Consumer Inquiries: 1-800-829-4493 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/press_release.html ~ Source: AP Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18173908/ Chemical found in second pet-food ingredient Nationwide recall expands to include rice protein, FDA says Slide show\ Updated: 5:06 p.m. MT April 18, 2007 WASHINGTON - An industrial chemical that led to the nationwide recall of more than 100 brands of cat and dog food has turned up in a second pet food ingredient imported from China. The discovery expands the monthlong cascade of recalls to include more brands and varieties of pet foods and treats tainted by the chemical. ³This has exposed that the safety standards for pet foods are not in place in any significant way and the kind of drumbeat, day after day, of recalls has shaken consumers¹ confidence in the pet food industry¹s adherence to food safety standards,² said Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States. The chemical, melamine, is believed to have contaminated rice protein concentrate used to make a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. The FDA has there is no evidence so far to suggest any of the rice protein went to companies that make human food, said Michael Rogers, director of the agency¹s division of field investigations. But the FDA has not accounted for all the imported ingredient. Previously, the chemical was found to contaminate wheat gluten used by at least six other pet food and treat manufacturers. Both ingredients were imported from China, though by different companies and from different manufacturers. The FDA on Wednesday began reviewing and sampling all rice protein concentrate imported from China, much as the agency has been doing for wheat gluten, Rogers said. A lawmaker said Wednesday the Chinese have refused to grant visas to FDA inspectors seeking to visit the plants where the ingredients were made. An FDA spokesman later said the visas were not refused but that the agency had not received the necessary invitation letter to get visas. ³It troubles me greatly the Chinese are making it more difficult to understand what led to this pet food crisis,² Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told The Associated Press after meeting with the FDA commissioner, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach. A message left Wednesday with the Chinese Embassy in Washington was not immediately returned. Natural Balance announces recall Natural Balance said it was recalling all its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, its Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and its Venison and Green Pea dry cat food. The recalls now include products made by at least seven companies and sold under more than 100 brands. The Pacoima, Calif., company said recent laboratory tests showed its recalled products contain melamine. Natural Balance believes the source of the contaminant was rice protein concentrate, which the company recently added to the dry venison formulas. A San Francisco company, Wilbur-Ellis Co., began importing the ingredient in July from a Chinese company, Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., according to Wilbur-Ellis president and chief executive John Thacher. It resold the ingredient to five pet food manufacturers, including Diamond Pet Foods Inc. of Meta, Mo. Diamond manufactured the dry dog and cat foods recalled by Natural Balance, Diamond Pet Foods spokesman Jim Fallon said. Thacher declined to identify his company¹s other four customers, except to say two tested the ingredient and found no melamine. Wilbur-Ellis has not heard from the other two, both of whom received limited amounts of the ingredient, Thacher said. The FDA¹s tests detected melamine in a rice protein sample; the agency would not disclose the sample¹s origin. The source of the melamine remains unclear. It may have contaminated the rice protein through the reuse of dirty bags used to ship the products. Shipment was isolated Thacher said an April 4 delivery from Futian Biology included 146 1-ton bags of rice protein concentrate. All were white except for a single pink bag, which was stenciled ³melamine.² Wilbur-Ellis isolated the entire shipment at a Portland, Ore. warehouse and sent out samples for testing. The pink bag¹s contents tested positive for melamine while the two white bags tested were negative, Thacher said. Futian Biology later told Wilbur-Ellis that a damaged bag was replaced with a clean one, Thacher said. The company then ³certified the product was all fine,² he added. The Las Vegas importer of the contaminated Chinese wheat gluten, ChemNutra Inc., that led to the original pet
[HelptheAnimals] AP: Recall expands to include rice protein // PR: Natural Balance Recall (2 Items)
Resending: Natural Balance is a Wilber-Ellis Company Product Contact Wilbur-Ellis Company 345 California Street 27th Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 U.S.A. Phone 415/772-4000 Fax 415/772-4011 Email contactus @ wecon.com Regarding Recall: questions @ wilburellis.com Recall: http://webprod.wecon.com/WECOWeb/WECO/newsevents.htm on 4/19/07 9:20 PM, Judy Reed at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: AnimalVoicesNews Natural Balance recall covers the following items for all dates: Venison and Brown Rice Treats for Dogs Venison and Brown Rice Canned Formula for Dogs Venison and Brown Rice Dry Food for Dogs Venison and Green Pea Dry Food for Cats Consumer Inquiries: 1-800-829-4493 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/press_release.html ~ Source: AP Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18173908/ Chemical found in second pet-food ingredient Nationwide recall expands to include rice protein, FDA says Slide show\ Updated: 5:06 p.m. MT April 18, 2007 WASHINGTON - An industrial chemical that led to the nationwide recall of more than 100 brands of cat and dog food has turned up in a second pet food ingredient imported from China. The discovery expands the monthlong cascade of recalls to include more brands and varieties of pet foods and treats tainted by the chemical. ³This has exposed that the safety standards for pet foods are not in place in any significant way and the kind of drumbeat, day after day, of recalls has shaken consumers¹ confidence in the pet food industry¹s adherence to food safety standards,² said Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States. The chemical, melamine, is believed to have contaminated rice protein concentrate used to make a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. The FDA has there is no evidence so far to suggest any of the rice protein went to companies that make human food, said Michael Rogers, director of the agency¹s division of field investigations. But the FDA has not accounted for all the imported ingredient. Previously, the chemical was found to contaminate wheat gluten used by at least six other pet food and treat manufacturers. Both ingredients were imported from China, though by different companies and from different manufacturers. The FDA on Wednesday began reviewing and sampling all rice protein concentrate imported from China, much as the agency has been doing for wheat gluten, Rogers said. A lawmaker said Wednesday the Chinese have refused to grant visas to FDA inspectors seeking to visit the plants where the ingredients were made. An FDA spokesman later said the visas were not refused but that the agency had not received the necessary invitation letter to get visas. ³It troubles me greatly the Chinese are making it more difficult to understand what led to this pet food crisis,² Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told The Associated Press after meeting with the FDA commissioner, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach. A message left Wednesday with the Chinese Embassy in Washington was not immediately returned. Natural Balance announces recall Natural Balance said it was recalling all its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, its Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and its Venison and Green Pea dry cat food. The recalls now include products made by at least seven companies and sold under more than 100 brands. The Pacoima, Calif., company said recent laboratory tests showed its recalled products contain melamine. Natural Balance believes the source of the contaminant was rice protein concentrate, which the company recently added to the dry venison formulas. A San Francisco company, Wilbur-Ellis Co., began importing the ingredient in July from a Chinese company, Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., according to Wilbur-Ellis president and chief executive John Thacher. It resold the ingredient to five pet food manufacturers, including Diamond Pet Foods Inc. of Meta, Mo. Diamond manufactured the dry dog and cat foods recalled by Natural Balance, Diamond Pet Foods spokesman Jim Fallon said. Thacher declined to identify his company¹s other four customers, except to say two tested the ingredient and found no melamine. Wilbur-Ellis has not heard from the other two, both of whom received limited amounts of the ingredient, Thacher said. The FDA¹s tests detected melamine in a rice protein sample; the agency would not disclose the sample¹s origin. The source of the melamine remains unclear. It may have contaminated the rice protein through the reuse of dirty bags used to ship the products. Shipment was isolated Thacher said an April 4 delivery from Futian Biology included 146 1-ton bags of rice protein concentrate. All were white except for a single pink bag, which was stenciled ³melamine.² Wilbur-Ellis isolated the entire shipment at a Portland, Ore. warehouse and sent out samples for testing.
