2012 Dog Food Recall Now Includes Cats, Birds, and Small Animals
Since April 6, 2012 the pet food industry has seen an unprecedented number of recalls of dog food due to faulty practices at Diamond Pet Foods the manufacturer of brands running the gamut from Premium dog food to less desirable formulas. Diamond Pet Foods actually released information from their FDA inspection which began on April 12, six days after Diamond’s first recall, the FDA began an investigation. Its week-long inspection of Diamond’s Gaston facility found numerous violations.
“All reasonable precautions are not taken to ensure that production procedures to not contribute contamination from any source,” its report said, noting that the factory’s screening process for possible contaminants wasn’t thorough enough.
Other violations: Factory workers were seen handling sensitive equipment with bare hands; there weren’t enough hand-washing stations throughout the plant (even in areas where raw meat was being handled); the factory used damaged equipment with holes and cuts, which would make the tools difficult to clean properly. Despite these findings, the company didn’t issue a second recall of potentially contaminated food until a week after the FDA inspection was over, involving a single production run of its Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul brand. By the time May 3rd rolled around, the federal government announced it had linked 14 cases of salmonella in people to Diamond produced dog foods.
While no one wants to see a recall or inspection by the FDA because of a salmonella breakout sometimes it is unavoidable especially when dealing in large manufacturing lots. One sick or infected animal can contaminate thousands of pounds of food especially when it isn’t caught at the time and the production keeps moving along as all food that comes into contact with those machines until they are cleaned and sterilized is at risk of contamination. Its it upsetting enough for a recall to be issued when the company runs a tight facility where all rules are followed and they just caught a bad break with an animal they did not know was contaminated. It is another thing when aging and damaged equipment is not refurbished or switched out for new machinery and the sanitation of the facility itself is in question and the company does not immediately own up to the issue and work to fix it. Diamond Pet Foods did not step up to the plate and alert the public and the brands they produce for to the problems until things were already spiraling out of control.
Affected batches were manufactured between Dec. 9, 2011, and April 7, 2012, except for the latest recall involving Diamond Naturals Small Breed Adult Dog Lamb & Rice Formula, which was manufactured on Aug. 26, 2011. At least 39 states are affected, though because the food is often sold through online vendors, it could be just about anywhere including Internationally. I did pass along the information as the recalls were happening to one International Dog Food Reseller so they could check their products and we did get a few international visitors who feed these brands that are worried about their pets. Something to note is that not all of the products and speciic formulas put out by these companies all come from the plant that caused the salmonella outbreak.
The best way to figure out if you have an affected batch is to check the “Best by” dates and specific product codes on your bag of food. For specific product codes and “Best by” dates for affected batches, visit diamondpetrecall.com or the FDA’s Animal and Veterinary recall pages listed below:
April 06, 2012 Diamond Pet Foods Voluntarily Recalls Limited Number of Dry Dog Food Bags Due to a Potential Health Risk Recall is limited to one formula of Diamond Naturals distributed to 12 states; no illnesses reported Salmonella
April 09, 2012 Product Recall Information of Baby Bird & Baby Macaw Feeding Formula
due to high levels of vitamin D
April 26, 2012 Diamond Pet Foods Expands Voluntary Recall of One Production Run of Dry Dog Food Due to a Potential Health Risk Recall is limited to one formula of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul distributed to 10 states Salmonella
April 26, 2012 Limited Recall Of DuMOR Poultry Grower/Finisher Bags Containing DuMOR Poultry Layer 16% Crumbles Because of Possible Animal Health Risk Incorrect packaging
April 30, 2012 Diamond Pet Foods Expands Voluntary Recall to Include Diamond Puppy Formula due to Possible Salmonella Contamination Salmonella
April 30, 2012 Kaytee Recalls Forti-Diet Pro Health Mouse, Rat and Hamster Because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk Salmonella
May 04, 2012 Natural Balance Pet Foods Initiates Voluntary Recall of Certain Dry Pet Food Due to the Potential for Salmonella Contamination Salmonella
May 04, 2012 Apex Pet Foods Initiates Voluntary Recall of Dry Pet Food Due to the Potential for Salmonella – No Pet or Human Illnesses have been Reported Associated With Apex Dog Food Salmonella
May 07, 2012 Wellpet LLC Voluntarily Recalls One Recipe Of Dry Dog Food Due To Salmonella At Diamond Pet Foods’ Facility Salmonella
May 08, 2012 Solid Gold Health Products for Pets, Inc. Recalls Dog Food Because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk Salmonella
May 11, 2012 Correction to Date Code in Natural Balance Pet Foods’ Voluntary Recall Dated May 4, 2012 Due to the Potential for Salmonella Contamination Salmonella
May 11, 2012 Nestle Purina Voluntarily Recalls Single Lot of Therapeutic Canned Cat Food Due to A Low Level of Thiamine (Vitamin B1) Deficient Thiamine
I am really thankful you are helping to watch out for our pets thanks
Another important thing to note is how much of the seed you are giving is actually just filler. Many less expensive feeds use a lot of filler, which the birds don’t generally eat and are basically a waste of money and can make a mess in your yard. Filler seeds include milo, sorghum, red millet and golden millet. Birds will push through these fillers to get the food they want, so it is more financially sound to choose one that is higher quality.;