I read today about the indictments of the 4 major players in the Peanut Corp of America disaster - only one word comes to mind...greed.
I also read, and was somewhat unaware that only a third, if not actually less, of the states even voluntarily test their products, listing all kinds of excuses from understaffing to costs, yet one single recall can break a company, the irony reeks, doesn't it? What's scary is that of some 2500 salmonella strains, roughly 400 are in circulation, and one dog treat company had 6 or more in one manufacturing plant!
ALL POSTS RE: PET FOOD RECALLS GO HERE IN THIS THREAD
Re: ALL POSTS RE: PET FOOD RECALL GO HERE IN THIS THREAD
..........Traci
It's "just" dog food - can't you hear them, especially the owners and officers who were raking in the big bucks. I'd love to know how many of the line workers took Salmonella home to their families. Samonella can cause serious illness, but it's often just the "stomach flu", so most of the people who got sick probably never put 2 and 2 together to associate it with the packing plant. I am convinced, however, that it did leave the plant and make several employees and/or their family members sick.
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." ~ Josh Billings.
Re: ALL POSTS RE: PET FOOD RECALL GO HERE IN THIS THREAD
After reading that letter, I cannot imagine ANY employee NOT getting sick from that place. Can you imagine the cross-contamination going on there! And you're right, I bet there are so many cases going unreported, and that's really a problem in terms of state reporting and warnings, that's only one reason there are so many delays in recalls of various products.
Yes, I'm sure they're saying "It's just dog food". But, I'd be willing to bet the majority of the employees as well as supervisors have pets, and actually care enough about their pets, but are they so stupid as to not to realize they're "taking work home with them"?! Don't employees of plants like this have to undergo strict training and followup? Or because "it's just dog food", are those requirements just lax? I do know the FDA/CVM is struggling and working extremely hard to implement new guidelines, rules, regulations, oversight, but the process is painfully slow.
Yes, I'm sure they're saying "It's just dog food". But, I'd be willing to bet the majority of the employees as well as supervisors have pets, and actually care enough about their pets, but are they so stupid as to not to realize they're "taking work home with them"?! Don't employees of plants like this have to undergo strict training and followup? Or because "it's just dog food", are those requirements just lax? I do know the FDA/CVM is struggling and working extremely hard to implement new guidelines, rules, regulations, oversight, but the process is painfully slow.
..........Traci
I'm pretty sure there are standards they are required to attain and follow. Unfortunately, it's human nature to try to "beat the system" - we all go a couple of miles over the speed limit and know we won't get pulled over (in FL, you have to be doing more than 5 mph over the posted speed limit to be ticketed - and yes, I know that). Unfortunately, many employees just become complacent and don't speak up - you hear about the same thing when something awful happens somewhere. Everyone knew it wasn't right, but they didn't have the guts or the insight to do something or speak up before something bad happened. If we would all look at our work and say "this is something I'm proud of", our world would be a much better place. And I am proud to say where I work, as a supervisor, I use this as my goal - am I proud of what we produce and alwys make my decisions as if it was a member of my family - would it be the right thing to do for my family member?
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." ~ Josh Billings.
Re: ALL POSTS RE: PET FOOD RECALL GO HERE IN THIS THREAD
Yes, I did wonder about the whistleblower factor. Unfortunately, those in authority are making it extremely difficult for those who try to expose the misdeeds (including govt, making it nearly criminal for someone to whistleblow, regardless of the evidence, par for the course!!) 
I agree, pride in your work would be nice, I have always been proud of whatever I'm doing, (not necessarily of policies, or letting coworkers get away with not doing their jobs, etc), but pride is important for both employees and management in order to succeed and keep loyalty and integrity strong. Unfortunately, too many now just don't give a d*mn. I've often wondered if those people take that attitude with their own family and friends.
I agree, pride in your work would be nice, I have always been proud of whatever I'm doing, (not necessarily of policies, or letting coworkers get away with not doing their jobs, etc), but pride is important for both employees and management in order to succeed and keep loyalty and integrity strong. Unfortunately, too many now just don't give a d*mn. I've often wondered if those people take that attitude with their own family and friends.
..........Traci
Re: ALL POSTS RE: PET FOOD RECALL GO HERE IN THIS THREAD
Steve’s Real Food Recalls Turducken Canine Recipe Patties Because of Possible Health Risk
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 7, 2013 - Steve’s Real Food of Murray, Utah is recalling its 5 lb. bags of "Turducken Canine Diet – 8oz. Patties due to potential contamination of Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and have these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
The recalled Turducken Canine Diet – 8oz Patties in a 5 lb. bag were distributed from October 2012 to January 2013 in retail stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York , California, Minnesota and Tennessee.
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.
The potential for contamination was noted after a routine sampling of one 5 lb. bag by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Production of the product has been suspended while the company and the FDA continue their investigation as to the source of the problem.
The product comes in 5 lb. green and cream colored biodegradable film bags with lot number 209-10-27-13 with an expiration date of October 27, 2013.
Consumers who have purchased 5 lb. bags of Steve’s Real Food Turducken Canine Recipe are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions should contact the company at 801-540-8481 or gary@stevesrealfood.com Monday through Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm MST.
Product label photos:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm342918.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm342902.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 7, 2013 - Steve’s Real Food of Murray, Utah is recalling its 5 lb. bags of "Turducken Canine Diet – 8oz. Patties due to potential contamination of Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and have these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
The recalled Turducken Canine Diet – 8oz Patties in a 5 lb. bag were distributed from October 2012 to January 2013 in retail stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York , California, Minnesota and Tennessee.
No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem.
The potential for contamination was noted after a routine sampling of one 5 lb. bag by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Production of the product has been suspended while the company and the FDA continue their investigation as to the source of the problem.
The product comes in 5 lb. green and cream colored biodegradable film bags with lot number 209-10-27-13 with an expiration date of October 27, 2013.
Consumers who have purchased 5 lb. bags of Steve’s Real Food Turducken Canine Recipe are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions should contact the company at 801-540-8481 or gary@stevesrealfood.com Monday through Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm MST.
Product label photos:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm342918.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm342902.htm
..........Traci
Re: ALL POSTS RE: PET FOOD RECALL GO HERE IN THIS THREAD
Diggin' Your Dog Recalls Strippin' Chicks Pet Treats Distributed in Colorado and Nevada Due to Possible Salmonella Hazard
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 7, 2013 - Diggin' Your Dog™ announced today that they are voluntarily withdrawing one lot of its Strippin' Chicks™ Pet Treats produced on 8-30-12 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The sample was obtained in Colorado and the company has accounted for its distribution in Colorado of this lot.
No other Diggin' Your Dog™ products, lots, or production dates are affected.
The lot being voluntarily withdrawn is: Strippin' Chicks™ Pet Treats 5 oz Bag. Lot Code 250322 Use By Date: 2-23-14.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Animals with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some animals will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy animals can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your animals have consumed the recalled product and have these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
Diggin' Your Dog™ takes the matter of consumer protection and safety very seriously and strives to deliver only the safest products available.
Diggin' Your Dog™ is committed to providing the highest-quality pet treats possible to their customers. As a precautionary measure, Diggin' Your Dog™ will continue to produce all products in very small, handmade lot batches.
No Other Diggin' Your Dog™ products are affected by this voluntary withdrawal. Customers who have purchased this lot code are urged to stop feeding the product to their pet, remove the lot code from the packaging, and discard the contents.
A full refund, plus $1.00 to cover postage will be received by mailing the UPC and lot code to:
Diggin Your Dog, LLC, PO Box 17306 Reno, NV 89511.
All refunds will be processed within ten business days (plus postage time).
Diggin' Your Dog™ values the efforts of all agencies dedicated to the safety of the industry and is committed to consumer safety at all levels.
For questions or more information, contact Diggin' Your Dog™.
By phone at 775-742-7295 Mon-Fri 8:30AM - 4:00PM Pacific Standard Time
Email us at info@dydusa.com.
Product label photo:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm342972.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm342968.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 7, 2013 - Diggin' Your Dog™ announced today that they are voluntarily withdrawing one lot of its Strippin' Chicks™ Pet Treats produced on 8-30-12 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The sample was obtained in Colorado and the company has accounted for its distribution in Colorado of this lot.
No other Diggin' Your Dog™ products, lots, or production dates are affected.
The lot being voluntarily withdrawn is: Strippin' Chicks™ Pet Treats 5 oz Bag. Lot Code 250322 Use By Date: 2-23-14.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Animals with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some animals will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy animals can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your animals have consumed the recalled product and have these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
Diggin' Your Dog™ takes the matter of consumer protection and safety very seriously and strives to deliver only the safest products available.
Diggin' Your Dog™ is committed to providing the highest-quality pet treats possible to their customers. As a precautionary measure, Diggin' Your Dog™ will continue to produce all products in very small, handmade lot batches.
No Other Diggin' Your Dog™ products are affected by this voluntary withdrawal. Customers who have purchased this lot code are urged to stop feeding the product to their pet, remove the lot code from the packaging, and discard the contents.
A full refund, plus $1.00 to cover postage will be received by mailing the UPC and lot code to:
Diggin Your Dog, LLC, PO Box 17306 Reno, NV 89511.
All refunds will be processed within ten business days (plus postage time).
Diggin' Your Dog™ values the efforts of all agencies dedicated to the safety of the industry and is committed to consumer safety at all levels.
For questions or more information, contact Diggin' Your Dog™.
By phone at 775-742-7295 Mon-Fri 8:30AM - 4:00PM Pacific Standard Time
Email us at info@dydusa.com.
Product label photo:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm342972.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm342968.htm
..........Traci
Re: ALL POSTS RE: PET FOOD RECALL GO HERE IN THIS THREAD
Bravo! Recalls 2 lb Tubes of Chicken Blend-Raw Frozen Food Diet for Dogs and Cats (One Lot Code) Because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 13, 2013 - Bravo! is voluntarily recalling its 2 lb tubes of Bravo! Raw Food Diet Chicken Blend for Dogs and Cats, product code: 21-102, batch ID code 6 14 12, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
The recall involves 2 lb. Bravo! Chicken Blend frozen raw diet tubes (chubs) made on June 14, 2012 only; no other products or sizes are involved. The recalled product should not be sold or fed to pets. This batch tested negative by a third party independent laboratory prior to release for distribution to consumers, however routine testing by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture of product collected from a single retail location tested positive for presence of salmonella. While the testing discrepancy is unclear, in an abundance of caution Bravo is issuing this recall.
The company has received no reports of illness in either people or animals associated with this product.
The recalled product is distributed nationwide to distributors, retail stores, internet retailers and directly to consumers, and can be identified by the batch ID code 6 14 12 located on the white hang tag attached to the bottom of the plastic film tube.
Pet owners should return unopened frozen tubes of food to the store where purchased for a full refund. Pet owners should dispose of opened tubes of product in a safe manner (example, a securely covered trash receptacle) and return the washed plastic batch ID tag to the store where purchased for a full refund.
Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
In an effort to prevent the transmission of Salmonella from pets to family members and care givers, the FDA recommends that everyone follow appropriate pet food handling guidelines when feeding their pets. A list of safe pet food handling tips can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Consume ... 048182.htm.
For more information on the Bravo recall, please visit www.bravorawdiet.com, or call toll free (866) 922-9222 Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST).
Product label photos:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm343724.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm343716.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 13, 2013 - Bravo! is voluntarily recalling its 2 lb tubes of Bravo! Raw Food Diet Chicken Blend for Dogs and Cats, product code: 21-102, batch ID code 6 14 12, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
The recall involves 2 lb. Bravo! Chicken Blend frozen raw diet tubes (chubs) made on June 14, 2012 only; no other products or sizes are involved. The recalled product should not be sold or fed to pets. This batch tested negative by a third party independent laboratory prior to release for distribution to consumers, however routine testing by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture of product collected from a single retail location tested positive for presence of salmonella. While the testing discrepancy is unclear, in an abundance of caution Bravo is issuing this recall.
The company has received no reports of illness in either people or animals associated with this product.
The recalled product is distributed nationwide to distributors, retail stores, internet retailers and directly to consumers, and can be identified by the batch ID code 6 14 12 located on the white hang tag attached to the bottom of the plastic film tube.
Pet owners should return unopened frozen tubes of food to the store where purchased for a full refund. Pet owners should dispose of opened tubes of product in a safe manner (example, a securely covered trash receptacle) and return the washed plastic batch ID tag to the store where purchased for a full refund.
Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.
Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
In an effort to prevent the transmission of Salmonella from pets to family members and care givers, the FDA recommends that everyone follow appropriate pet food handling guidelines when feeding their pets. A list of safe pet food handling tips can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Consume ... 048182.htm.
For more information on the Bravo recall, please visit www.bravorawdiet.com, or call toll free (866) 922-9222 Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST).
Product label photos:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm343724.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm343716.htm
..........Traci
Re: ALL POSTS RE: PET FOOD RECALL GO HERE IN THIS THREAD
Raw chicken!!! - whoodathunkit?! Get real folks. Raw meat is dangerous. Period.
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." ~ Josh Billings.