Pet food 'safe' despite scare in North America

Maltese pet owners keenly following the nationwide recall of cat and dog wet food products in North America are being assured that the products available locally are safe.

Pet food suppliers in Malta have been reassured by the mother companies abroad that the same brands in Europe are safe and the problem seems to have been contained in North America, The Times has learnt.

However, as a precaution, the local authorities will still be investigating, according to Simon Sultana, director general of Veterinary Affairs and Fisheries.

"We will be looking into the situation. So far, we have not received any reports of pets that have suddenly fallen ill and it seems the brands in Europe have not been affected," he said when contacted.

In the past days, international online news reports on pet food linked to the deaths of 14 animals have been making the rounds causing concern among Maltese pet owners.

The New York Times reported that more than 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat food sold under dozens of brand names were recalled last weekend after being linked to the pets' death.

The reported deaths have been from kidney disease and the symptoms, though varied, could include lethargy, jaundice and vomiting.

The US Food and Drug Administration said one dog and 13 cats had been killed so far, while numerous others developed kidney problems.

The FDA's Centre for Veterinary Medicine said an inquiry was focusing on wheat gluten used as a gravy thickener. This gluten is not used in dry pet foods.

The food was manufactured by Menu Foods Inc., of Streetsville, Ontario, which makes wet food sold as store brands for companies like Wal-Mart, Kroger and Safeway.

The company also makes food on behalf of many brand-name pet food makers. Menu Foods said it had recalled some food made for the Iams unit of Procter & Gamble.

Two other pet food companies - Nestlé Purina PetCare and Hills Pet Nutrition, the unit of Colgate-Palmolive that makes the Science Diet brand - recalled some of their products that were made by Menu Foods. Menu Foods was recalling only certain gravy-style pet food in cans and pouches it had made from December 3 to March 6. The recall has triggered panic across the US with pet owners contacting information lines and vets to find out if their pet was in danger.

Menu Foods said in a statement that tests had "failed to identify any issues with the products in question". However, it did associate the timing of the reported deaths with its use of a new supplier for wheat gluten, a source of protein. But, late last night, at a press conference in the US, New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooke revealed that an ingredient used in rat poison that causes kidney failure in cats and dogs, has been found in samples of Menu Foods cat food. Aminopterin, a folic acid derivative used in rat poison, is forbidden in the US.

Tonio Brincat, the local supplier of Science Plan and Hills pet food, said they had been assured that Europe had been unaffected and the problem seemed to be contained in Canada, the US and Mexico. "Apart from that, no animal in North America that has eaten Science or Hills has been harmed and the recall was only a precautionary measure," he said.

Mr Brincat added that Science Diet was not available in Europe and the company's manufacturing plant, which produced the gravy-based products among others, was based in The Netherlands.

Antonio Satariano, managing director of Sataco Ltd, the importers of Iams and Eukanuba, had similar remarks to make.

The company received assurances from its supplier that "all Iams and Eukanuba cat and dog consumer products available in Europe, the Middle East and South Africa are safe... and not affected by the recent voluntary recall of cat and dog wet food products announced by P&G Pet Care in North America".

"P&G Pet Care in North America is taking this proactive step out of an abundance of caution... This voluntary action is part of the wider Menu Food Inc. recall of over 40 different brands of cat and dog products in North America," a statement by the supplier said.

"People should not have any doubts. The pet food available locally is safe," Mr Satariano said.