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Salmonella-Contaminated Pet Foods Recalled: FDA |
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Written by Theresa Maher
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Monday, 27 August 2007 |
Mars Petcare US, Inc has announced a voluntary recall of two dry dog food products following fears of contamination by Salmonella Schwarzengrund, the US Food and Drug Administration has revealed.
Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems, the FDA said in a released statement.
Salmonella is often the culprit in food poisoning. Some of the symptoms include diarrhea, stomach ache as well as insidious fever. Although the bug is not usually fatal, the very old and the very young are at a high risk. Around 40,000 Americans are affected by some sort of food poisoning involving salmonella each year. It is estimated that 600 die as a result of this infection.
The Franklin, Tenn-based Mars Petcare is recalling five-pound bags of Krasdale Gravy dry dog food, which was sold in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Furthermore 50-pound bags of Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry food sold in Pennsylvania are also being recalled.
The FDA says that animals infected with Salmonella may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will only have decreased appetite, fever or abdominal pain and that if a pet exhibits any of these symptoms, owners must contact their veterinarian.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has received reports of 64 cases of illness in humans related to Salmonella Schwarzengrund. However none of these can be attributed to the recalled product. Human can develop Salmonella infection if they handle pet food that is being recalled, the FDA said.
The agency also added that it had tested 10 samples, representing seven product brands from Mars Petcare. Among a total of 150 subsamples that were tested, two positive samples emerged, the FDA said, adding that one sample from the Krasdale Gravy dry food and another from Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry food were found to be contaminated with Salmonella. However the source of contamination is yet to be traced.
The FDA has also released details on the suspected products. These are as follows:
Product: Krasdale Gravy dry dog food
Size: Five-pound bag
UPC Code: 7513062596
Best By Date: July 16, 2008 & July 17, 2008
Best By Date Location: Back of bag
Distribution: Stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania
Product: Red Flannel Large Breed Adult Formula dry dog food
Size: 50-pound bag
UPC Code: 4286900062
Best By Date: July 12, 2008
Best By Date Location: Back of bag
Distribution: Stores in Reedsland and Richlandtown, Pa.
Earlier this year, salmonella was also implicated in Peter Pan peanut butter across 39 states in the US. Although no casualties were reported, at least 20 percent of the people who were infected had to be hospitalized.
The latest recall does not affect products meant for human consumption, but nevertheless can cause significant illness to humans who handle the pet foods being recalled.
Consumers with questions about the recalled product should call Mars Petcare US, Inc. at 866-298-8332. Consumers can contact FDA’s Consumer Complaint Coordinators. For more information, please see: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html.
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