PACOIMA-BASED NATURAL BALANCE RECALLS PET FOOD.Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT Staff Writer A Pacoima pet-food company owned by actor Dick Van Patten Dick Van Patten (born December 9, 1928 in New York City, New York) is an American actor. Dick Van Patten is the son of Josephine Rose Acerno and Richard Byron Van Patten. He is the older brother of actress Joyce Van Patten and the uncle of Talia Balsam. has recalled four varieties of dog and cat food this week after discovering they were contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. with a chemical that made pets sick, officials said Wednesday. So far, thousands of bags and cans of Natural Balance food have been pulled from stores nationwide. Natural Balance began receiving calls about sick pets last Thursday and started testing products Friday, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. spokesman Daniel Bernstein. The testing discovered that the chemical melamine melamine (mĕl`əmēn'), common name for 2,4,6-triamino-1,3,5-triazine. Melamine is a trimer (see polymer) of cyanamide, H2NC≡N, and is synthesized from calcium carbide. was present in a rice protein concentrate added to two dry food products. It is not clear how the contamination happened. "That's the million-dollar question. It's not meant to be there. It somehow got in there along the way," Bernstein said. The products were recalled Monday and Tuesday. Even though melamine was only found in two products, the others were also recalled because they also contain rice protein. Van Patten The Van Patten family has made a name for themselves in Hollywood as a family of actors and directors. Members include:
A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. makes high-end chow, selling more than $60 million worth of gourmet food for dogs, cats and zoo animals. In all, it makes 50 kinds of pet-food products. During the past five weeks, 100 other brands from many companies have also been recalled, leaving animal owners unsure of what is safe to feed their four-legged friends. Previous recalls have focused on wheat gluten Noun 1. wheat gluten - gluten prepared from wheat gluten - a protein substance that remains when starch is removed from cereal grains; gives cohesiveness to dough . Natural Balance "had no wheat gluten in their other products so they thought they were safe," Bernstein said. "This is the first time this rice protein was involved." Investigators from the Food and Drug Administration are trying to determine how the rice protein was contaminated, he said. Natural Balance is testing the rest of its products, and there are no reports of pet deaths from eating this food. The recalled products are sold nationwide but by the time stores received recall notices, many had already pulled the suspect items. Nevertheless, pet owners are worried. "I guess the safest would be to cook for my (toy fox terriers)," said Jeanette Shear as she entered PetCo in Canoga Park. Shear, of West Hills, usually buys dry food for her two pooches but is now considering boiling chicken and rice at home for them. At PetCo in Canoga Park, general manager John Barrett John Barrett may refer to:
The recalls have prompted questions about how pet food is regulated by the FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. . Spokesman Mike Herndon said laws require pet food to "be pure and wholesome, safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled." But the FDA has limited resources for inspections, and most go first to animal-drug manufacturers and feed manufacturers for food-producing animals food-producing animals see food animals. , Herndon said. He added that inspections of manufacturing plants producing pet food are more common after receiving complaints. Pet recalls have touched a nerve with many Americans, the majority of whom own a pet, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. Increasingly, pet owners are treating the 83.2 million dogs and cats in their homes as members of their family, taking them on vacation, buying them health insurance, and throwing them birthday parties. "We need to bring attention to the fact that our cats are people, too," said Shirley Ferguson of West Hills. She hopes media coverage of the recalls will lead to tighter regulations, said Ferguson, 59, as she left PetCo carrying bags of supplies. "I was glad that they brought it to our attention." julia.scott@dailynews.com (818) 713-3735 Pet food recall What do I do with recalled food? Do not feed it to your pets. Return it and ask for a refund. Check www.fda.gov for a full list of recalled products. Natural Balance recall: Venison venison (vĕn`ĭzən) [O.Fr.,=hunting], term formerly applied to the flesh of any wild beast or game hunted and used for food but now restricted to the flesh of members of the deer family. and Brown Rice Dry Dog Formula Venison and Brown Rice Canned Dog Food Venison and Brown Rice Formula Dog Treats Venison and Green Pea green pea lathyrussativus. Dry Cat Formula CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Recalled pet food removed from shelves at PetCo in Canoga Park awaits its return to the distributor. John McCoy/Staff Photographer Box: Pet food recall (see text) |
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