Menu Foods Posts FAQ's Page...

***UPDATE*** March 30, 2007

FDA Announces: Melamine in Tainted Pet Foods...




Menu Foods Income Fund has posted a FAQ page for consumers. I have copied and pasted the contents of the page below:

1. What exactly is covered by the Menu Foods Recall and for what timeframe?



The recall is limited to “cuts and gravy” style pet food in cans and foil pouches produced on specific dates and times between December 3, 2006, and March 6, 2007 in two of Menu’s plants. The recall affects 42 brands of cat food and 53 brands of dog food. In order to determine whether cat and dog food that your pet consumed is subject to recall, you should refer to the list of brand names on this website.



2. What should I do if I think my pet may have consumed the recalled product?



If your pet is exhibiting any signs of kidney failure please contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Symptoms include loss of appetite, vomiting, weakness, disorientation and changes in water consumption and urination. If you suspect that you have fed the recalled pet food to your cat or dog, save any remaining pet food and the can or pouch. Open cans or pouches may be double-bagged in sealable plastic and kept in the freezer.



3. Who is going to pay my vet bills for sickness and death?



If Menu Foods product is the cause of sickness or death, Menu Foods will take responsibility. Menu has engaged a professional firm to manage your concerns and is currently contacting concerned pet owners who have reached our call center. Specific direction will be received from these individuals. Please keep copies of all your vet records and receipts for pet food purchases as well as vet bills.



4. What do I do if I have pet food that has been recalled?



Please return it to the retailer for a refund.



5. Will I be reimbursed for the food that I return to the retailer even if my pet did not get sick?



Yes, if it is a valid product that is subject to the recall.



6. How do I know if the food I bought has been recalled?



The information is contained on this website. Not all date codes are subject to recall so please fully check the information on your can or pouch. The information on the website is organized by cat or dog then by brand and description. None of the traditional “loaf” style products are subject to this recall.



7. I can’t get through to the 1-866 numbers. What is going on?



We apologize for the delay in answering every call; we were simply overwhelmed by the volume of calls. Menu has retained a series of interconnected call centers throughout North America. Even with many regional centers running simultaneously we have not been able to answer every call. As we announced in a press release on March 19, 2007, we have taken steps to significantly upgrade our call centers to handle the volume and we have added this Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQ”) section to our website to provide more information.



8. I feed my pet dry food. Is dry pet food safe?



Menu Foods only manufactures wet pet food in cans and foil pouches. Dry pet food is not part of the Menu Foods recall.



9. I’m just not sure if my dog or cat had any of the food that is being recalled. They act fine and don’t appear to have any symptoms. Should I be worried?



As always, remain alert for any changes in your pet’s health.



10. Are there other ways my pet might get sick and show similar symptoms?



Yes – antifreeze ingestion, certain rodenticides and some medications. Certain lilies have been shown to cause kidney failure if consumed by cats. Grapes have been reported to cause kidney failure in dogs and may affect cats. Physical damage from trauma and cancerous conditions can also cause kidney damage.

There have been several search queries on how to pronounce aminopterin. For those of you who are interested, it is phonetically pronounced the same way it is spelled:

am - in - op' - ter - in


Go here to view the list of recalled cat foods. This list of brands has links to the product codes that are affected.

Recalled Cat Product Information
Recall Information 1-866-895-2708
Variety or Multi-Packs:

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.

Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
Authority
Best Choice
Companion
Compliments
Demoulas Market Basket
Eukanuba
Fine Feline Cat
Food Lion
Foodtown
Giant Companion
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Iams
Laura Lynn
Li'l Red
Loving Meals
Meijer's Main Choice
Nutriplan
Nutro Max Gourmet Classics
Nutro Natural Choice
Paws
Pet Pride
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority US
Save-A-Lot Special Blend
Schnucks
Science Diet Feline Savory Cuts Cans
Sophistacat
Special Kitty Canada
Special Kitty US
Springfield Prize
Sprout
Stop & Shop Companion
Tops Companion
Wegmans
Weis Total Pet
Western Family US
White Rose
Winn Dixie

Go here to view the list of recalled dog foods. This list of brands has links to the product codes that are affected.

Recalled Dog Product Information
Recall Information 1-866-895-2708
Variety or Multi-Packs:

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.

Americas Choice, Preferred Pets
Authority
Award
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Cadillac
Companion
Demoulas Market Basket
Eukanuba
Food Lion
Giant Companion
Great Choice
Hannaford
Hill Country Fare
Hy-Vee
Iams
Laura Lynn
Loving Meals
Meijers Main Choice
Mighty Dog Pouch
Mixables
Nutriplan
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
Nutro Ultra
Nutro
Ol'Roy Canada
Ol'Roy US
Paws
Pet Essentials
Pet Pride - Good n Meaty
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority Canada
Priority US
Publix
Roche Brothers
Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels
Schnucks
Shep Dog
Springsfield Prize
Sprout
Stater Brothers
Stop & Shop Companion
Tops Companion
Wegmans Bruiser
Weis Total Pet
Western Family US
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet

From what I can tell, the only expansion in the list is the inclusion of the voluntary and precautionary recalls by Iams, Eukanuba, Hill's Science Diet, Purina, and Canadian brands of pet foods. However, Menu Foods has requested that all of the cuts and gravy styles of pet foods be returned, irregardless of date, because some of the tainted foods are still on retailers shelves.




Below is my original post concerning the massive pet food recall. In this post you will also find information concerning foods that were recalled as a precautionary measure by Iams, Science Diet, and Purina. I would like for pet owners to be aware of the fact that these foods WERE NOT part of the original recall. These three companies recalled their products as a precautionary measure. For some reason, the mainstream media has presented their information and reports with a bias towards the Iams Company with pictures of their products as well as statements in their newscasts. I feel that this is irresponsible journalism. I also want to state that the news reports have tried in earnest to fan the flames of panic, anger, and mistrust towards companies who are trying their best to do what is right.

I also would like to make an observation concerning consumers' frustration about the hotline telephone numbers. While I understand their frustrations, all of the information that you need is readily available online. Who in their right mind thinks that ANY call center can handle MILLIONS of telephone calls in one day? Additionally, if the mainstream media truly was concerned about your pets you would have had this information available to you through their newsreports. This would have been the easiest and best way to disseminate information to millions of pet owners. If only the MSM had chosen to do so. Instead we received hype, spin, and inaccuracies just so they could generate income for themselves.


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