Menu Foods Inc., a private-label manufacturer of wet pet foods based in Streetsville, Ontario, issued a precautionary recall March 16 of all the cuts and gravy-style dog and cat food produced at two of its U.S. facilities from Dec. 3, 2006, to March 6.

More than 60 million containers of dog and cat food sold under dozens of brand names were recalled, according to a company spokesperson.

A number of cats and dogs in the United States developed kidney failure after eating the affected product. Menu Foods reported the deaths of 13 cats and one dog, according to the Food and Drug Administration on the afternoon of March 20. The agency has initiated an investigation and is working with Menu Foods to ensure the effectiveness of the recall.

Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, and Procter & Gamble Pet Care, which includes Iams and Eukanuba, were among the companies that have issued voluntary recalls of certain pet foods they sell that are manufactured or co-manufactured by Menu Foods.

Dr. Mary Beth Leininger, director of professional affairs for Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., explained why the company's Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts canned products are co-manufactured by Menu Foods.

"Occasionally, to manage capacity and production of smaller-volume, niche products, we will contract with co-manufacturers who specialize in the production of these products. They utilize special equipment and ingredients which are often unique to these specific products," Dr. Leininger said.

"Before these co-manufacturers are allowed to produce for the Hill's name, they must demonstrate that their standards meet our standards in terms of quality and control. We've structured a quality control process, and we audit standards which apply to co-manufacturers as well as to our own plants."

Hill's has received no indication of problems with Savory Cuts but pulled it from store shelves as a precaution. It is the only product that Hill's co-manufactures with Menu Foods.

The Menu Foods recall was prompted by consumer complaints received by the company and deaths following a quarterly palatability trial conducted by the company, according to the FDA. The agency said that nine of the 13 cats reported dead were involved in the palatability trial.

Menu Foods said in a March 16 statement that technical tests of the products conducted by internal and external personnel were initiated by the company following the first consumer complaint, but the tests "failed to identify any issues with the products in question." The company did discover that timing of the production associated with the consumer complaints coincided with the introduction of an ingredient from a new supplier. According to the FDA, that ingredient is wheat gluten, and it is under investigation as the potential source of the problem.

Visit the Menu Foods pet food recall section of the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/default.asp for a list of potentially contaminated products, a list of FDA consumer complaint coordinators, links to company press releases, and information specifically for veterinarians such as a suggested checklist for dealing with suspected contaminated food. The Web site is being updated as new facts and resources become available.

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