Pet Food Recall

FDA Veterinarian Newsletter 2007 Volume XXII, No I

Since mid-March, the Food and Drug Administration has been working diligently to investigate the contamination of certain pet food ingredients with melamine and melamine-related compounds and to contain the distribution of the contaminated products.

Immediately after FDA received the initial reports about the problem, it began an extensive program of recall coordination, inspections, and product tracking.

FDA’s Office of the Commissioner, the Center for Veterinary Medicine, and the Office of Regulatory Affairs have been leading the effort. Within the Federal Government, FDA has consulted with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Outside government, FDA has been working with universities, Banfield Pet Hospitals (a network of pet hospitals across the country), the Veterinary Information Network, the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, and other groups.

FDA has also taken extra steps to keep consumers informed and to be a source of up-to-date, reliable information. FDA continues to place as much information as possible on the FDA Web site, including a searchable database of all pet foods subject to the recall, so consumers can quickly determine what pet food is safe to use.

When the investigation is complete, FDA Veterinarian will present a full report of the recall.