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By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com
May 12, 2007
Add another 15 varieties to the growing list of recalled pet foods.
Royal Canin USA has recalled eight Sensible Choice dog food products and seven Kasco dry dog and cat food products.
The company said it took that action late Friday after tests revealed traces of a melamine derivative in the Chinese rice protein concentrate the company received from its supplier, Cereal Byproducts of Illinois.
Cereal Byproducts on May 4 recalled the rice protein concentrate it received from Chinese supplier Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd. after the FDA discovered melamine and melamine derivatives in the product.
The company said it shipped the tainted rice protein to three unnamed customers in the Midwest between July 19, 2006 and March 14, 2007. Two of those companies recalled their contaminated products around April 19, 2007.
In a written statement on Royal Canin’s Web site, Olivier Amice, president and CEO, stated: “We deeply regret the concern and anxiety this announcement today will cause our loyal customers and the entire pet community. While a very limited number of Sensible Choice and Kasco products in this recall tested positive for trace levels of a melamine derivative, Royal Canin USA is voluntarily withdrawing these products out of an abundance of caution and because we are fully committed to the welfare of our customers’ pets.”
The company, which announced last month that it would no longer use any Chinese vegetable protein suppliers, said it had not received any confirmed cases of illnesses linked to the recalled products.
The products involved in this recall have date codes between July 28, 2006 to April 30, 2007 and were sold in pet stores nationwide.
Here is a list of those recalled products:
SENSIBLE CHOICE
Chicken
and Rice Adult (Dry Dog Food)
SENSIBLE CHOICE
Chicken
and Rice Reduced (Dry Dog Food)
SENSIBLE CHOICE
Lamb and
Rice Reduced (Dry Dog Food)
SENSIBLE CHOICE
Chicken
and Rice Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
SENSIBLE CHOICE
Chicken
and Rice Large Breed Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
SENSIBLE CHOICE
NATURAL
BLEND Adult (Dry Dog Food)
SENSIBLE CHOICE
NATURAL
BLEND Senior (Dry Dog Food)
SENSIBLE CHOICE
NATURAL
BLEND Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
KASCO Chunks (Dry Dog
Food)
KASCO Hi Energy (Dry Dog
Food)
KASCO Maintenance (Dry Dog
Food)
KASCO Mealettes (Dry Dog
Food)
KASCO Mini Chunks (Dry Dog
Food)
KASCO Puppy (Dry Dog Food)
KASCO Cat (Dry Cat Food)
Since March, 18 companies have recalled more than 5, 600 pet food products.
Thousands of dogs and cats that have eaten the melamine-tainted pet food have suffered kidney disease or died.
The FDA said it has received reports of 4,100 deaths of cats and dogs linked to the tainted food, which is contaminated with the melamine and melamine-related compounds. Melamine is a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers. It is not approved for use in human or pet food.
The Pet Connection Web site has received unconfirmed reports of 4,867 pets -- 2,519 cats and 2,348 dogs -- that have died from the contaminated food. It also states the total number of reports it's received about pets affected by the tainted food is 14,646.
More about the Pet Food Recall ...
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