Timeline for China Pet Food Recall

Timeline for China Pet Food RecallCynthia Hodges, J.D., LL.M., M.A.In April 2007, a story broke about pets in the United States dying from contaminatedwheat gluten imported from China.

1

The Chinese manufacturer had added melamine andcyanuric acid to fraudulently boost the protein content. The interaction of these two chemicalsformed instant kidney stones and caused a painful death. The wheat gluten had been approvedfor human consumption. What follows is a timeline of the events from December 3, 2006through May 25, 2007.

December 3, 2006 - March 6, 2007:

Menu Foods produced the dog and cat foods that were later recalled at two of its facilities. <http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html>

February 20, 2007:

Menu Foods received complaints of cats dying. <http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3035459&page=1>Menu Foods receives first reports from owners of three sick cats. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-05-petfood-timeline-usat_N.htm>

February 22 and 28, 2007

: Menu received complaints regarding illness in two cats. <http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jun07/070601a.asp>

February 26 and 27, 2007:

Menu Foods CFO sold half his shares (14,000 shares for $89,900) inthe company. <http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_21274829.shtml>

March 2, 2007:

Menu learns from a company doing taste tests that three cats have gotten sick.<http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-05-petfood-timeline-usat_N.htm>Menu Foods’ own animals started dying in taste tests.<http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3035459&page=1>

March 5, 2007:

Menu received a complaint reporting the death of a cat. <http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jun07/070601a.asp>

March 6, 2006:

Menu learned of two more sick cats. A company that Menu retained to perform palatability studies reported the death of one cat and the euthanasia of two other cats in a panel of 20… Common ingredient was "wheat gluten" from ChemNutra, which imports from China.Menu stopped using the ingredient. <http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jun07/070601a.asp>

1

"

China Probes Claims Of Tainted Wheat Gluten," U.S. & World News, Apr 6, 2007, http://cbs4denver.com/national/pet.food.recall.2.282837.html

Menu sends food from trials to Cornell University. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-05-petfood-timeline-usat_N.htm>

March 8, 2007:

ChemNutra learns that wheat gluten it imported from China is amongingredients suspected of causing food problems; quarantines inventory. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-05-petfood-timeline-usat_N.htm>

March 9, 2007

: the [Menu Foods] study administrator reported the euthanasia of four more catsfrom the first panel and two cats from the second panel. <http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/ jun07/070601a.asp>

March 12, 2007:

Menu learns that nine cats in trials have died; verifies they ate Menu's foods.<http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-05-petfood-timeline-usat_N.htm>

March 13, 2007:

Iams contacted Menu to report customer complaints about cats developingkidney disease after eating food that Menu manufactured for Iams. <http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jun07/070601a.asp>

March 14, 2007:

Iams said it intended to recall Iams cat food Menu manufactured. <http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jun07/070601a.asp>

March 15, 2007:

A customer contacted Menu to report that one of her indoor dogs died of renalfailure and the other four became ill after eating products from the manufacturer. Menu alsolearned that several dogs in a taste test became ill. <http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/ jun07/070601a.asp>Menu notified the FDA of its recall of most products containing "wheat gluten" fromChemNutra. <http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jun07/070601a.asp>FDA learned that certain pet foods were sickening and killing cats and dogs. FDA foundcontaminants in vegetable proteins imported from China and used as ingredients in pet food.<http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html>A portion of the tainted pet food was used to produce farm animal and fish feed…FDA and theU.S. Department of Agriculture discovered that some animals that ate the tainted feed had been processed into human food. <http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html>

March 16, 2007:

Menu recalls more than 60 million cans and pouches of wet food. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-05-petfood-timeline-usat_N.htm>Menu Foods recalled 60 million cans of dog and cat food after the deaths of 16 pets. The FDAsaid the food was contaminated with melamine.<http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/fda-says-tainted-pet-food-still-being/20070412155809990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001>Purina recalls Mighty Dog® 5.3 Ounce Pouch Products

2

<http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/purina03_07.html>

March 17, 2007:

Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. recalls:

•

Science Diet® Kitten Savory Cuts® Ocean Fish 3 oz. and 5.5 oz.

•

Science Diet® Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Beef 5.5 oz.

•

Science Diet® Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Chicken 5.5 oz.

•

Science Diet® Feline Adult Savory Cuts® Ocean Fish 5.5 oz.

•

Science Diet® Feline Senior Savory Cuts® Chicken 5.5 oz.<http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/hills203_07.html>

March 20, 2007:

FDA confirms 14 dead pets. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-05-petfood-timeline-usat_N.htm>Class-action lawsuit against Menu Foods filed:

•

alleges that the company knew the food was tainted but waited to recall it

•

seeks an injunction to keep Menu Foods from destroying contaminated food.<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B06E2D9163FF936A35757C0A9619C8B63&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FOrganizations%2FM%2FMenu%20Foods>

March 21, 2007:

The Animal Medical Center tests 143 animals for renal failure; 10 wereconfirmed to be diet-related cases, and one cat died. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17650075/>PetSmart accused of still carrying food made by Menu Foods…Menu still shipping products toProcter & Gamble. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/business/22menu.html?ex=1176696000&en=ccb793d40986c77e&ei=5070>

March 23, 2007

: New York State Department of Agriculture says aminopterin was found in petfood. <http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2007/mar/23/department_agriculture_says_rat_poison_blame_pet_f/>Procter & Gamble first to identify melamine. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-05-petfood-timeline-usat_N.htm>

March 24, 2007:

Menu Foods asks all retail outlets to remove all impacted varieties of wet petfood. <http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/menu032407.html>

March 26, 2007:

Cornell finds melamine, tells FDA. <http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-05-petfood-timeline-usat_N.htm>

March 28, 2007:

At least 471 cases of pet kidney failure reported since the recall began; 104 of those pets have died.

3