Pet owners across the country are in shock after learning of the recall of nearly 95 brands of dog and cat foods manufactured by Menu Foods, the Canadian company which sells pet foods under dozens of different brand names including Wegman's, Science Diet and Iams.

The recall was limited to "cuts and gravy" style pet food in cans and pouches manufactured at two of Menu Food Income Fund's United States facilities. These products are both manufactured and sold under private-label and are contract-manufactured for some national brands. In 2006, the Fund produced more than one billion containers of pet food.

Some 60 million containers were recalled, those containing code dates 6338 through 7073 followed by a plant code of 4197. People with the recalled products are asked to stop using it immediately.

Primarily affected are 13.2-ounce cans of beef cuts and gravy dog food and 3-ounce cans of turkey and gravy cat food.

One pet owner in Round Rock, Texas, a dog breeder, lost one of her dogs to kidney failure and another one has become seriously ill.

"My Classic trusted me to care for him and now he's dead at 10 months because I fed him tainted food", she said after the poodle died of kidney failure after eating Nutro food.

In a letter to The North Country Gazette, she questions the pricing and packaging of pet food products by Menu Foods. She says that the higher priced brands are really no different than the lower priced brands, they're all the same and she charges that the consumer is being scammed.

"I sat and thought about my Classic and still cannot believe he is gone. When I bought the Nutro and other top name dog foods, I paid top dollar and it seems the price is going up. I would do for my poodle first and I would do without, or not pay this bill or that to give my babies the best.

Now I find the Menu Foods is the company. That is also the source of the many lower priced dog foods.

I am angry that this top shelf dog food company says they are the top shelf and the price is higher but now I find that they are all from the same source, Menu Foods. If the many brands of food are from Menu Foods, then Nutro has lied and is deceiving the consumer and so are Iams and all the others. They are no different than the others with the lower price yet they claim to be better.

The truth is in their recall, all these different foods. Most came from the same Menu Foods so we, the consumer, have been lied to. They are not the top shelf.

The reason I bought Nutro and Science Diet is it was to be the best of best and now my Classic is dead from the best of the best. They are from the same Menu Foods and the lower priced dog food.

I think the consumer needs to be aware of this truth. All of these big brands have lied".

Marlene
Round Rock, Texas
Aries55@sbcglobal.net

© 2007 North Country Gazette