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Columns
Section -
No Margins. No Limits. No Kidding.
DISHING OUT COUNTERFEIT
PET FOODS
Dog Food makers may have shot themselves
in the foot with bad disposal decisions
and not respecting consumers’ rights
regarding what’s in the pet food chain.
If you
are feeding your pet any of the name
brand products such as Alpo, Americas
Choice, Authority, Award, Beggin,
Beneful, Berkley & Jenson, Best Choice,
Big Bet, Big Red, Bistro Blend, Bloom,
Blue Buffalo, Bruiser, Cadilac, Canine
Cat Chow, Caviar, Cesar, Champion Breed,
Co-Op Gold, Companion, Companion’s Best,
Compliments, Cosco/Kirkland Signature,
Demoulas Market Basket, Diamond, Dr.
Foster & Smith, Deli-Cat, Dog Chow,
Dollar General, Eight in One, Eukanuba,
Fancy Feast, Food Lion, Friskies, Giant
Companion, Gravy Train, Great Choice,
Hannaford, Happy Tails, Harmony Farms,
Health Diet Gourmet Cuisine, Hill
Country Fare, Hy- Vee, Iams, Jerky
Treats, Kit ‘N Kaboodle, La Griffe,
Laura Lynn, Loving Meals, Mars Petcare,
Master Choice, Meijier’s Main Choice,
Mighty Dog, Mixables, Muligan Stew,
Natural Balance, Natural Life, Natural
Way, Nu Pet, Nutriplan, Nutro, Nuture,
O’l Roy, Paws, Pedigree, Perfect Pals,
Performatrio, Pet Essentials, Pet Life,
Pet Pride, Petrapport, Pounce, Purina,
Preferred Pet, Presidents Choice, Price
Chopper, Priority, ProPlan, Publix,
Roche Brothers, Royal Canin, Save-A-Lot,
Schnucks, Sheba, ShopRite, Special
Kitty, or Whiskas, you need to be
aware that a wide range of trustworthy
brands may be counterfeited.
Most pet food factories are owned by
large corporations such as the Mars
Company, Nestles, or Proctor and Gamble.
Operating around the globe with
$billions in sales yearly, pet foods are
easy targets for offshore
counterfeiters.
If disposal of recalled products was not
properly handled, those contaminated
goods may now be in the hands of
dishonest repackaging or counterfeit
resellers.
Pet food companies are understandably
reluctant to acknowledge counterfeiting
problems or repercussions from disposal
of recalled products. These well kept
secrets would only frighten and anger
consumers but the fact is that pet foods
products are still making dogs and cats
sick and the recalls keep occurring.
When we can find no information to
substantiate that recalled pet foods
were destroyed, we must ask what did the
companies or recyclers actually do with
all the recalled pet food and where did
it end up?
When the landmark article
Counterfeit Dog Food – Dead Dogs was
published, Mars did not respond to our
query about a Taiwan website for Natural
Pet Corporation even though Optima
(Mars’ brand) showed up as a suspected
bogus product along with Diamond,
Super Saver, Holistic Recipe Solution,
Devine, and Feed Rite.
Shortly after we contacted Mars, the
Natural Pet Corporation site became
inoperable, except for their “Domain For
Sale” page and ad links. Does that mean
Mars investigated (the FBI has no
off-shore jurisdiction) or only that the
counterfeiter removed its public
presence?
Why is counterfeiting of pet food not
being reported by mainstream media? Why
are consumers being left to their own
defenses when it comes to contaminated
or poisonous pet food? Easier to slip by
customs than are counterfeit designer
goods, counterfeit pet products may be
showing up on store shelves. They are
especially likely to show up on
free-floating (no location, no country)
websites selling discounted products.
Consumer Affairs.com reported that the
FDA was investigating one of Mars
products and the
FDA confirmed a probe of Nutro Dog Food.
FDA did not tell us what, if anything,
that probe uncovered but on April 28,
2009, only 9 days after confirming the
Nutro investigation, the FDA issued
another statement, this time essentially
denying that
Nutro was the subject of an
investigation!
With our government already bailing out
so many companies, the series of events
involving the Mars Company leaves
consumers with a lot of questions
regarding the FDA and big corporations.
That is news that should have been
disseminated by mainstream media. Pet
owners need to know if there could be a
problem before they buy a new brand or a
new supply of a normally safe brand. And
we especially want to know that the
agencies meant to protect consumers are
actually on our side.
If the pet food companies do not take a
stand, will all major brands fall victim
to offshore counterfeiters or
undesirable homegrown elements? While
sick dogs and cats are the major
concern, what about the economic
ramifications? If this reporter is still
finding bogus sites, pet food companies
whose brands and credibility are being
compromised, should be able to find them
and put a stop to counterfeiting of
their brands.
Pet food manufacturers should be able to
assure us that all contaminated dog food
is off the market but if they don’t know
what really happens to recalled dog food
and cat food, how can they do that? And
consequently, how can consumers trust
pet food companies?
We understand the limitations of
international law and trade agreements
but consumers need reassurance that
recalled pet foods have not found their
way back onto grocery store or
distributor’s shelves as counterfeit or
re-labeled goods.
Counterfeit or genuine, there are no
excuses for pet food products that
sicken or kill our dogs and cats! Owners
need to know that counterfeit or even
top brand name foods which are
manufactured offshore are not subject to
U.S. regulations or legal action.
Counterfeit, re-labeled, or recycled cat
and dog food products may be a newly
discovered gold mine for some companies
but they are an international health
risk that could kill thousands of
American pets and untold numbers
elsewhere.
Columns
Section -
No Margins. No Limits. No Kidding.
