Nutro Cat Food Recall!

This just in from the FDA: Nutro food is recalling its Natural Choice and Nutro Max cat and kitten foods!

The recall, announced today (May 21, 2009) by the FDA, does not surprise pet owners in America who have known for over a year that something was amiss with the Nutro food they were feeding their beloved pets. This recall only affects cat/kitten food. Not surprisingly Nutro claims that this recall is only for the cat food products listed below.

However, SecurePet has been on this story from the start (read previous posts regarding Nutro). From the beginning it was suspected that something was amiss with the mineral supplementation in the food. Now this is confirmed, at least for the cat food. As it turns out the chief suspect IS zinc, something that Nutro denied over and over again! Both Nutro puppy and adult dog food were tested by independent labs and revealed that the zinc levels in these foods were at 40 times higher than the recommended amount. (Read this related article.)

Many pet owners who fed their pets Nutro foods found themselves with animals that displayed various symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and severe gastrointestinal distress. Some have spent upwards of thousands of dollars to find out what was wrong with their pets. However, people discovered that when they switched foods their pets miraculously recovered. Unfortunately, while some found that their pets’ symptoms were relieved there was often permanent organ damage. In some cases the pets have died.

The amazing thing about the FDA statement is the portion that denies that there have been any consumer complaints about Nutro food. That is a complete fabrication. I happen to know that Nutro has received at least three complaints and judging from what I have read on the Consumer Affairs web site there have been at least 500 complaints.

This new development will be interesting to follow. And this could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Keep your pet safe and healthy, remove the following products from your pantry.

Here is the FDA post:

Recall — Firm Press Release

FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.

Nutro Products Announces Voluntary Recall of Limited Range of Dry Cat Food Products

Contact:
Monica Barrett
Nutro Products, Inc.
(615) 628-5387
monica.barrett@effem.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Franklin, Tennessee (May 21, 2009) — Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten additional countries. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.

Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO® dry cat food.

This issue was identified during an audit of our documentation from the supplier. An extensive review confirmed that only these two premixes were affected. This recall does not affect any NUTRO® dog food products, wet dog or cat food, or dog and cat treats.

Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel. We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves. These products should not be sold or distributed further.

Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. If your cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant, please contact your veterinarian.

Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO® dry cat food product. Cat owners who have questions about the recall should call 1-800-833-5330 between the hours 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM CST, or visit www.nutroproducts.com.

Recalled Pet Food

The varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods listed below with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010 are affected by this voluntary recall.

Nutro Products Recall List – Dry Cat Foods

U.S. Product Name	Bag Size	UPC
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food	4 lbs	0 79105 20607 5
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food	8 lbs.	0 79105 20608 2
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food (Bonus Bag)	9.2 lbs.	0 79105 20695 2
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food	20 lbs	0 79105 20609 9
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Kitten Food (Sample Bag)	1.5 oz	none
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult	4 lbs	0 79105 20610 5
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult	8 lbs.	0 79105 20611 2
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult (Bonus Bag)	9.2 lbs	0 79105 20694 5
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult	20 lbs	0 79105 20612 9
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult (Sample Bag)	1.5 oz	none
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor	4 lbs	0 79105 20622 8
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor	8 lbs	0 79105 20623 5
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor (Bonus Bag)	9.2 lbs.	0 79105 20698 3
NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Adult Oceanfish Flavor	20 lbs	0 79105 20624 2
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor	3 lbs	0 79105 10228 5
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor	6 lbs	0 79105 10229 2
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor	16 lbs	0 79105 10230 8
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor (Sample Bag)	1.5 oz	none
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor	3 lbs	0 79105 10243 8
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor	6 lbs	0 79105 10244 5
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor	16 lbs	0 79105 10245 2
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Roasted Chicken Flavor (Sample Bag)	1.5 oz	none
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor	3 lbs	0 79105 10246 9
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor	6 lbs	0 79105 10247 6
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Adult Salmon Flavor	16 lbs	0 79105 10248 3
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control	3 lbs	0 79105 10249 0
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control	6 lbs	0 79105 10250 6
NUTRO® MAX® Cat Indoor Weight Control	16 lbs	0 79105 10251 3