Union, N.J. – Pet owners were worried Saturday that the pet food in their cupboards could be deadly after millions of containers of dog and cat food sold at major retailers across North America were recalled.
Menu Foods, the Ontario-based company that produced the pet food, said Saturday that it was recalling dog food sold under 48 brands and cat food under 40 brands including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba. The food was distributed throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico by major retailers such as Wal-Mart, King Soopers and Safeway.
An unknown number of cats and dogs had suffered kidney failure and about 10 died after eating the affected pet food, the company said.
Meanwhile, Nestle Purina PetCare Co. and Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. announced Saturday night that as a precaution they were voluntarily recalling some products made by Menu Foods.
A list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates was available from the Menu Foods website, menufoods.com/recall.
Sarah Tuite, a Menu Foods spokeswoman, said the recalled products were made using wheat gluten from a new supplier, which has since been dropped.
Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Julie Zawisza said that even if wheat gluten is the source, “it doesn’t necessarily mean the wheat gluten per se. It could be another substance associated with the wheat gluten.”
The recall covers the company’s “cuts and gravy” style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches from Dec. 3 to March 6.
