Pet owners in some states are once again faced with the possibility of having fed their pet toxic food. The Kroger Company announced a recall of some brands of cat and dog food on December 18, 2010 through the FDA website.
Kroger’s went on, a full day later, on the 19th, to call customers who had purchased the products using a Kroger Plus Shopper's card, as well as releasing the information to the media on the 19th. Customers who purchased the products without using a Plus card could not be called. The products in question are suspected of containing aflatoxin, a naturally occurring mycotoxin produced by fungi growth on crops.
The Dangers and Symptoms of Aflatoxin Poisoning
The short-term, rapid onset effect of aflatoxin is liver damage, while the long-term effect can be liver cancer. Cornell University’s Department of Animal Science describes aflatoxin as having had a potent carcinogenic effect in some animals as well as in humans.
Watch pets that have eaten the potentially tainted food for signs of sluggishness, lethargy, refusal to eat, yellow tint in the whites of eyes or gums, severe diarrhea, and bloody diarrhea. If your pet exhibits any of these symptoms after eating these foods, Kroger Company recommends that you consult your veterinarian.
List of Pet Food Brands being Recalled
The recall currently, as of December 22, 2010, only pertains to dry pet food products with the ‘sell by’ dates of October 23, 2011 and October 24, 2011. The individual products are sold under the brand names of Old Yeller, Kroger Brand, and Pet Pride.
The recalled Old Yeller products were:
- Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food; 22 lb. packages; with UPC code 1111074566
- Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food; 50 lb. packages; with UPC code 1111074563.
The recalled Kroger Brand products were:
- Kroger Value Cat Food; 3 lb. packages; with UPC code 1111000018
- Kroger Value Chunk Dog Food;15 lb. packages; with UPC code 1111071559
- Kroger Value Chunk Dog Food; 50 lb. packages; with UPC code 1111000108.
The recalled Pet Pride products were:
- Pet Pride Cat Food; 3.5 lb. packages; with UPC code 1111088128
- Pet Pride Cat Food;18 lb. packages; with UPC code 1111071357
- Pet Pride Tasty Blend Poultry & Seafood Cat Food; 3.5 lb. packages; with UPC code 1111088152
- Pet Pride Tasty Blend Poultry & Seafood Cat Food;18 lb. packages; with UPC code 1111074580
- Pet Pride Kitten Formula Food; 3.5 lb. packages; with UPC code 1111071903.
Stores Involved in the Recall
The stores reported to have sold the potentially tainted food were:
- Kroger's
- Dillons and Gerbes stores in Kansas and Missouri
- Baker’s stores in Nebraska
- Food 4 Less stores in Nebraska, Illinois and Indiana (Chicago area)
- Jay C, Hilander in Illinois and Indiana
- Owen’s in Illinois and Indiana
- Pay Less in Illinois and Indiana
- Scott’s stores in Illinois and Indiana.
States Where the Potentially Tainted Pet Food was Sold
The 19 states involved in the recall are: (listed alphabetically)
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- West Virginia.
The Kroger Company was contacted December 20, 2010 via the company website requesting a statement on the situation. They were asked if customers could be confident that only products with those two days ‘sell by’ dates were affected, if other brands not currently listed were produced by the same manufacturer, and about the source of the moldy grain. As of December 22, 2010 no response has been offered.
Laure Justice - Laure is a Topic Editor for Suite101, covering three topics. View her full profile for details and contact information.
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