Durbin announces Senate hearing on tainted pet food

By Mary Ann Fergus and Mary Owen
Chicago Tribune

As officials announced an expanded pet food recall today, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said that the Senate will hold an oversight hearing on the investigation and regulatory mechanisms that govern the pet food industry.

During a press conference today in Wicker Park, Durbin (D-Ill.) said the role of the Food and Drug Administration needs to be expanded to prevent future threats to humans and animals, and to penalize companies that delay reporting health issues.

"The FDA is like a fire department that is only called after the house is burned down," Durbin said. "We have to change that system."

Durbin added that the FDA needs to establish a standardized set of regulations and inspection requirements to replace the patchwork of state inspection systems currently in place.

Durbin also said a centralized Web site needs to be created to allow better communication between consumers, veterinarians and the federal government.

"To wait for this information to make it back to Washington and back to consumers is unacceptable," he said. He said the Senate hearing will be held shortly after the body returns from recess next week.

Meanwhile, the recall of pet foods and treats contaminated with an industrial chemical expanded today to include dog biscuits made by an Alabama company and sold by Wal-Mart.

The FDA said the manufacturer, Sunshine Mills Inc., is recalling dog biscuits made with imported Chinese wheat gluten. Testing has revealed the wheat gluten, a protein source, was contaminated with melamine, used to make plastics and other industrial products.

Also today, Menu Foods, a major manufacturer of brand- and private-label wet pet foods, expanded its original recall to include a broader range of dates and varieties. Menu Foods was the first of at least six companies to recall the now more than 100 brands of pet foods and treats made with the contaminated ingredient.

The recall now covers "cuts and gravy"-style products made between Nov. 8 and March 6, Menu Foods said. Previously, it only applied to products made beginning Dec. 3. In addition, Menu Foods said it was expanding the recall to include more varieties, but no new brands.

Sunshine, of Red Bay, Ala., sells pet foods and treats under its own brands as well as private labels sold by grocery, mass merchant and dollar stores, according to its Web site. The recall included some of the products made for sale under five private labels, including Ol'Roy biscuits, sold by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and Stater Bros. large biscuits, sold by Stater Bros. Markets. It also covered a portion of Sunshine's own Nurture, Lassie and Pet Life dog biscuit brands.

Sunshine said there have been no reports of dog illnesses or deaths in connection with the recalled dog biscuits, which contain 1 percent or less wheat gluten by weight.

The FDA and the companies are expected to provide more specific details on the additional recalled items later today.

Since the Menu Food Pet Food recall was issued March. 16., the FDA has received 12,000 related consumer complaints—more than twice the complaints they receive in an entire year.

The investigation continues to focus on contaminated wheat gluten imported from China through ChemNutra Inc. of Las Vegas and traced to manufacturing plants, including those of Sunshine Mills of Red Bay, Ala.

FDA tests have identified melamine, a chemical used in plastics, in the wheat gluten as the likely cause of renal failure in cats and dogs.

The FDA has confirmed 16 cats and dogs have died from the tainted food but acknowledges that is not an accurate number. A total number requires data that has been difficult to collect, such as confirmation and appropriate tests from veterinarians, said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.

Some veterinarian Web sites have estimated that thousands of companion animals have been affected by the tainted food. One Web site, petconnection.com, which relies on owners to report a death, reports a list of more than 3,000 deceased animals.

Dr. Elizabeth Robertson-Cutright, of the Chicago Veterinarian Medical Association, said it could take months to test tissue samples from deceased pets to determine how many animals have been affected by the tainted food. While the pet food recall may be one of the largest consumer product recalls, the recalled products represent less than 1 percent of the available pet food, according to the FDA.

"There remains plenty of safe pet food available to consumers," said Michael Rogers, director of the FDA's division of regulatory affairs.

FDA officials continue to emphasize they have found no evidence that the contaminated wheat gluten has entered the human food sources. They also said they don't foresee the recall expanding further.

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