Stop the FDA from Killing more Pets

Do you know that the FDA is partially responsible for countless deaths of dogs and cats during the 2007 pet food recall?

This is not a feeling or hunch, this is FACT. The Office Of Inspector General recently released its review of the FDAs handling of the 2007 Pet Food Recall, the deadliest Pet Food Recall in history. Their findings blatantly state the FDA was lax in following their own procedures to remove deadly, contaminated pet food from store shelves.

The result of this lax behavior?

Perhaps thousands more dog and cat deaths in the United States and Canada. Countless thousands of families with holes in their hearts. Perhaps cumulatively millions of dollars spent on veterinary bills trying to save the life of a beloved pet.

Here are quotes from The Office of Inspector General report...

FDA has developed procedures for monitoring recalls and assessing a firms recall effectiveness. However, FDA did not always follow its procedures in overseeing three of the five recalls that we reviewed. Furthermore, FDAs procedures were not always adequate for monitoring large recalls. FDAs lack of authority, coupled with its sometimes lax adherence to its recall guidance and internal procedures and the inadequacy of some of those procedures, limited FDAs ability to ensure that contaminated pet food was promptly removed from retailers shelves.

Because FDA did not perform a detailed reconciliation of Menu Foods production records and raw material lists at the time of the March 2007 inspection, FDA was unaware that the production records did not document the transfer of 11,000 pounds of contaminated wheat gluten to a Canadian plant before the recalls began. FDA remained unaware of the transferred wheat gluten until April 9, 2007, when FDA learned that the University of California at Davis had traced the death of a pet to a brand of Menu Foods pet food that was not on the recall list. On April 11, 2007, FDA began an in depth reconciliation of Menu Foods records and confirmed that the Canadian plant had produced melamine-contaminated pet food that was not on the recall list.

During the first round (of pet store inspections), FDA did not always adhere to its procedures when conducting audit checks at the 64 retail stores:

Of the 64 store visit forms, 40 were missing one or more pieces of required information, such as the amount of product that the store had removed from its shelves and the amount still remaining on its shelves.

FDA did not tabulate the results of the 64 store visits and therefore could not adequately assess the effectiveness of the recall effort as required. Our tabulation of the first round of audit checks, based on the information available on the store visit forms, indicated that 20 percent of the stores visited still had recalled products on their shelves.

In addition, some of the 1,195 store visit forms that inspectors submitted did not contain all requested information or contained misclassified results. For example, the store visit forms for 31 stores classified the recalls as effective even though the stores (1) had not received notice of the recalls or (2) said that they had received notice of the recalls but had not removed the products from their shelves.

According to FDA officials, FDA had specified during recall strategy discussions that Menu Foods should conduct effectiveness checks at 100 percent of its affected distributors and retailers, which FDA estimated to total more than 10,000. Thus, Menu Foods conducted effectiveness checks at fewer than 30 percent of its distributors and retailers. We found no evidence that FDA had followed up with Menu Foods to determine why the firm had not promptly initiated and completed the specified level of effectiveness checks.

http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/428/1/Inspector-General-says-FDA-Did-Not-Follow-Procedure-with-2007-Pet-Food-Recall/Page1.html

In September, 2007, just months after the Deadliest Pet Food Recall in History, Congress mandated the FDA to initiate an improved Recall Notification System for pet food (required by law to be accomplished by September 2008). http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/62/1/FDA-says-Dog-Ate-Homework/Page1.html

This has NOT been done.

The same laws required that the FDA properly define pet food ingredients, update pet food processing standards, and provide updated labeling standards (required by law to be accomplished by September 2009). http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/62/1/FDA-says-Dog-Ate-Homework/Page1.html

This has NOT been done.

Despite Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Law, an FDA policy allows pet food to contain diseased animals and euthanized animals; ground up and packaged as Healthy, Premium Dog Food or Cat Food. http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/137/1/Undeniable-Proof-the-FDA-allows-Pet-Food-to-Break-the-Law/Page1.html

FDA policy does NOT override Federal Law. http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/161/1/Congress-Doesnt-Care-the-FDA-is-Violating-Federal-Law/Page1.html

Enough is Enough!

A grassroots effort of determined pet owners has begun to gain the attention of Congress. If you are a pet owner wishing to change the existing condition of pet food, please visit http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/Pet-Food-Safety

Wishing you and your pet the best,

Susan Thixton

Truth about Pet Food

Petsumer Report

www.TruthaboutPetFood.com