FDA Provides Downloadable Pet Food Recall List: Politics Slow Down the Investigation

Washington, DCThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted a comprehensive and downloadable list of recalled pet foods on its Web site. To view or download the list, visit [www.fda.gov]

The recall list, which is nearly 40 pages long, is updated frequently as the number of recalled products continues to grow. It contains more than 5,000 entries.

Since March 16, manufacturers have voluntarily recalled dog and cat food brands containing gluten contaminated by melamine, an industrial chemical that has caused pets to become ill with acute and sometimes deadly kidney ailments. The FDA has fielded more than 15,000 calls about animal sickness and fatalities since the first recall was announced just over a month ago.

New List is Downloadable and Searchable

The FDA's recall list is presented as one comprehensive document, in contrast to Menu Foods' website where each brand of pet food has its own web page. The new list is a Microsoft Excel file; a free copy of Microsoft's Excel viewer is available on the FDA site.

Site users can also click on an FDA search engine driven by Google to access pet food recall information by brand name, UPC code product description, type of container (e.g., pouch) or any combination of these categories. This searchability is particularly useful for store owners and managers who are pulling stock from their shelves.

More New Recalls

The FDA list coincides with a spate of new pet food recalls. On Thursday, Wilbur-Ellis Company voluntarily recalled all lots of a rice protein concentrate that it had shipped to pet food manufacturers because it may have been contaminated by melamine.

Several pet food distributors have issued recalls of their products containing the rice protein. The Blue Buffalo Co. has recalled its Spa Select Kitten dry food. Other companies, such as Royal Canin, Natural Life and Natural Balance, have also announced recalls.

Advocacy websites such as Petwalk.com are suggesting that people avoid feeding their pets any products containing wheat, rice or corn gluten until the matter of contamination has been fully investigated.

Pet Food: Spiked?

The FDA now believes that the pet food product contamination may have been intentional. The addition of melamine can make it appear that the protein content of a gluten or protein concentrate is higher than it is, thus increasing the manufacturer's bottom line.

FDA representatives are hoping to visit China to investigate the manufacturers of the gluten, but the proposed trip is a delicate diplomatic matter. Since April 4, the Chinese government has refused FDA requests to inspect facilities.

Recently, Senator Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) have sent letters to Zhou Wenzong, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, in hopes that visas will soon be granted and inspections will be possible.

Senator Durban told the [Washington Post] "The fact that the Chinese are refusing to cooperate really is unacceptable," Durbin said. "If they won't cooperate at this level, it raises questions about all their exports to the United States."

Meanwhile, anxious pet owners keep their eyes on the growing list and wonder: how many more recalls will be announced before this crisis is finally resolved?