Purina’s recall of aflatoxin contaminated animal feed earlier this month has been widely reported to the public – not by Purina, who chose to contact their dealers directly – but by bloggers, including Petsit USA. From Purina’s recall (which they call a “retrieval”) statement: “Our investigation and product testing identified one ingredient of concern, which originated from a single supplier. We have discontinued purchasing from this supplier. Other feed companies that purchased from this supplier are facing a similar situation.” (emphasis mine)
1. I don’t know which ingredient it is they are talking about
2. I don’t know who the supplier is
3. I don’t know what other companies are facing the same problem because none of them have “retrieved” their products to my knowledge
4. I don’t know if any of this “ingredient” was used in other feeds, such as dog food.
Highlights from this article on the Purina aflatoxin recall echo some of my own concerns:
- Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC announced a recall of several varieties of horse, goat and pig feed…
- Purina’s statement said the ingredient of concern came from one supplier, but the company declined to identify either the ingredient or the supplier…
- Purina has not identified whether the supplier in question in the recall is a domestic or overseas company.
***
Meanwhile, the CDC has confirmed that the human Salmonella outbreak in 2006 was attributable to dry dog food. Both the CDC and the FDA recommend that people use precautions before and after touching pet food and treats to minimize the risk of transferring possible bacteria in the food. But um, I guess it’s still fine for our pets to actually eat this stuff (and in fact only this stuff, since “table scraps” are discouraged)?