FAQs: Pet Food Recalls

Testing of the recalled pet foods by the U.S. FDA revealed the presence of both aminopterin, a rat poison, and melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and also used as a fertilizer, in samples of the Menu Foods pet foods and in the wheat gluten imported from China and used an ingredient for the pet foods. Additional testing revealed melamine contamination in the rice protein concentrate ingredient of pet foods manufactured by Wilbur-Ellis Co. and American Nutrition.

The pet food recall includes more than 100 brands of dog foods and cat foods for the "Cuts and Gravy" style wet pet foods made by Menu Foods as well as a variety of pet foods made by Wilbur-Ellis Co. and American Nutrition. Popular pet food brands from Iams, Eukanuba, Hill's Science Diet, Purina, Natural Balance, and Nutro are included in the recall, and major retailers involved include Costco (Kirkland Signature), Wal-Mart (Ol' Roy), Target, PetSmart, Kroger, Food Lion, Price Chopper, Publix, and Safeway. Menu Foods is also a contract manufacturer for many of the top pet food companies, including Procter & Gamble, Nestle Purina PetCare, and Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc.

For additional information on the Menu Foods petfood recall, please consult our full Menu Foods Pet Food Recall FAQ, Recall News Updates, and Specific Pet Food Brands Recalled pages.

Mars Petcare issued a recall for specific batches of dog food following an inspection of a manufacturing plant revealed two isolates of Salmonella contamination in two brands of dry dog food.

Mars Petcare US, Inc. manufactures a variety of well-known pet food brands, including Pedigree dog foods, the Goodlife Recipe cat and dog foods, Whiskas cat food, Cesar Canine Cuisine wet dog food, and Sheba wet cat food.

The recall is not related to the Menu Foods pet food recall and specifically applies only to the Dingo Chick'n Jerky for Dogs, Dingo Kitty Chicken Jerky and Dingo Ferret Chicken Jerky treats.

The recall is not related to the Menu Foods pet food recall and specifically applies only to the Dingo Chick'n Jerky for Dogs, Dingo Kitty Chicken Jerky and Dingo Ferret Chicken Jerky treats.

The recall is not related to the Menu Foods pet food recall and specifically applies only to the Dingo Chick'n Jerky for Dogs, Dingo Kitty Chicken Jerky and Dingo Ferret Chicken Jerky treats.

The U.S. FDA considers chromium tripicolinate to be genotoxic, which means it can potentially damage DNA and cause mutations and tumors. These foods are not under recall, but a warning has been issued to the Iams Company and Eukanuba by the FDA

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxic chemical byproduct that results from the growth of the fungus Aspergillus flavus on corn and other crops. The fungus typically develops on crops during severe high temperature stress and drought conditions followed by high levels of humidity.

Dogs could experience liver trouble, liver failure and even death due to the contaminated food. While there have not been any reports of cat health issues or fatalities due to the recall, five Diamond cat food formulas have been recalled due to the presence of aflatoxin.

If your dog or cat is eating a bad batch of Diamond, Country Value or Professional brand pet food, stop using that food and take your animal to a vet immediately.

For additional information on the Diamond dog food recall, aflatoxin, and how the recall impacts pet health and nutrition, please consult our full Diamond Dog Food Recall page.

The Super Premium Dog Food product line was also temporarily discontinued in 2003 when Mad Cow Disease in Canada affected distribution, but the products returned to store shelves once the USDA eased its ban on meat imports from Canada and after Wegmans added additional pet food production facilities in the U.S.