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Leading Pet Food Manufacturer Recalls Tainted Pet Food

Read below for lists of brands of cat and dog foods included in the recall.

One of North America’s largest pet food suppliers—Menu Foods of Streetsville, Toronto--began a recall of some of its premium dog and cat foods on March 16th, after the pet food was associated with the deaths of 16 dogs and cats. The recall was limited to Menu’s “cuts and gravy” style pet foods sold in cans and pouches. Menu Foods produces private-label and contract-manufactured pet foods for certain national brands and its products can be found in Wal-Mart, Safeway and other major food retailers. The products affected by the recall include products manufactured between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007, at two of Menu’s United States facilities in Emporia, Kansas and Pennsauken, New Jersey.

The number of cat and dog deaths is expected to increase. The recall alone may cost Menu Foods up to $40 million dollars, not including legal action threatened by pet owners or the loss of business.

Laboratory tests conducted at Cornell University’s New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center have identified aminopterin, a cancer drug that was once used to induce abortions in the United States and is still used as a rat poison in other countries, as the contaminant. It is not known how the aminopterin was introduced into the pet food. A leading theory is that wheat gluten imported from China was contaminated with aminopterin, but it is unlikely that wheat would be treated with rat poison.

The following is a list of cat foods involved in the recall: 1. Americas Choice, Preferred Pets 2. Authority 3. Best Choice 4. Companion 5. Compliments 6. Demoulas Market Basket 7. Eukanuba 8. Fine Feline Cat 9. Food Lion 10. Foodtown 11. Giant Companion 12. Hannaford 13. Hill Country Fare 14. Hy-Vee 15. Iams 16. Laura Lynn 17. Li'l Red 18. Loving Meals 19. Meijer's Main Choice 20. Nutriplan 21. Nutro Max Gourmet Classics 22. Nutro Natural Choice 23. Paws 24. Pet Pride 25. Presidents Choice 26. Price Chopper 27. Priority US 28. Save-A-Lot Special Blend 29. Schnucks 30. Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans 31. Sophistacat 32. Special Kitty Canada 33. Special Kitty US 34. Springfield Prize 35. Sprout 36. Stop & Shop Companion 37. Tops Companion 38. Wegmans 39. Weis Total Pet 40. Western Family US 41. White Rose 42. Winn Dixie

The following is a list of dog foods included in the recall: 1. Americas Choice, Preferred Pets 2. Authority 3. Award 4. Best Choice 5. Big Bet 6. Big Red 7. Bloom 8. Cadillac 9. Companion 10. Demoulas Market Basket 11. Eukanuba 12. Food Lion 13. Giant Companion 14. Great Choice 15. Hannaford 16. Hill Country Fare 17. Hy-Vee 18. Iams 19. Laura Lynn 20. Loving Meals 21. Meijers Main Choice 22. Mighty Dog Pouch 23. Mixables 24. Nutriplan 25. Nutro Max 26. Nutro Natural Choice 27. Nutro Ultra 28. Nutro 29. Ol'Roy Canada 30. Ol'Roy US 31. Paws 32. Pet Essentials 33. Pet Pride - Good n Meaty 34. Presidents Choice 35. Price Chopper 36. Priority Canada 37. Priority US 38. Publix 39. Roche Brothers 40. Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels 41. Schnucks 42. Shep Dog 43. Springsfield Prize 44. Sprout 45. Stater Brothers 46. Stop & Shop Companion 47. Tops Companion 48. Wegmans Bruiser 49. Weis Total Pet 50. Western Family US 51. White Rose 52. Winn Dixie 53. Your Pet

If you are in possession of a variety or multi-pack, please be sure to check the individual can or pouch rather than relying solely on the date coding on the side of the carton.

Tainted pet food is suspected in the death of a nine-year-old Labrador retriever from Hampden, Maine.