Rosie, good for you, apparently you hit a few nerves! This is not just a pet food issue, this is a food issue! But there are those who will side for the Bush Adm. regards. He should appoint someone to investigate this matter. And pets are very important to some of us.
DDT,
Here is some information about \”quality control\” in China. You\’ll have to excuse me when I don\’t have a lot of sympathy for Menu foods. My memory might be a bit faulty but I do believe that we actually do grow something called WHEAT in THIS COUNTRY. I know….I too was amazed when I recently discovered this…
Anyway, here is the info about China. Is this where you want YOUR food additives produced because guess what? Additives from China are going in YOUR food too….
How safe are food imports when they reach Australia?
Excerpt from the report\’s \”Executive Summary:\” The Committee considers there is cause for concern over the current status of Thailand’s environment, widespread pollution of waterways and inadequate treatment and disposal of solid waste being the most pressing issues. Of further concern, high levels of organochlorine pesticides in Thai women suggests excessive environmental and/or dietary exposure. The Committee also believes the current status of China’s environment warrants concern. The weight of evidence suggests that there are continued high levels of organochlorine pesticides in some regions, and perhaps more disturbingly, continued input of some of these pesticides.
Summary findings on the safety of foodstuffs imported from China:
Finding 53
The weight of evidence suggests there is a high level of environmental contamination by organochlorine pesticides and other potentially toxic chemicals in some regions of China.
Finding 54
A number of recent studies of China’s environment point to recent input of DDT, although its use in agriculture was officially banned in 1983. Recent DDT contamination is thought to be due mainly to continued use of dicofol, a pesticide that is made from DDT and which may contain high levels of DDT contamination. Analysis of dicofol preparations in China in 2003 found an average 244 grams per kilogram (24.4 percent) of DDT and its metabolites.
Finding 55
Levels of DDT in breast milk of Chinese women is many times higher than the levels detected in Australian women. Further, the ratio of DDE (a DDT metabolite) to DDT, is much lower than in Australian women, suggesting that Chinese women have been exposed more recently to DDT than Australian women.
In 2003, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)363 was invited by the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) to participate in a task force charged with examining key agricultural and rural development policy issues faced by China in the early 21st century. Based on its observations over the period of its involvement in the task force, ACIAR made the following general comments on the issues China
currently faces with regard to ensuring food safety:
The formal education level of most farmers is low. Standards and regulations covering crop input manufacture, application rates and waste management are not rigorously enforced;
China is now the world leader in both inorganic fertiliser and pesticide consumption. In the past 30 years, while world nitrogen fertiliser application increased by 7 times, China’s nitrogen use in crop production increased 45 times. On average, nitrogen use per hectare is about 3 times the world average;
Various pesticide compounds have been produced and applied to crops. Many whose use has been curtailed or banned in other countries are still widely used in China. Among them are pesticides that are known to leave toxic residues in the environment;
There is growing concern about the increasing use of fertilisers and pesticides that cause pollution of rivers, lakes and sea from run-off and seepage, and thereby become sources of ecological problems. China’s accession to WTO has raised food-safety concerns due to residual effects of high rates of fertiliser and pesticide application;
Several studies have shown that high rates of fertiliser and pesticide application are partially due to ineffective extension services to advise farmers on input rates and nutrient balance;
Use of proven integrated pest management (IPM) techniques is still not widespread.
Pesticide application rates in China are still rising while they are falling everywhere in Southeast Asia;
Average annual growth rates [of the livestock sector] have been 2-5% faster than the crop sector and the livestock sector’s share of total agricultural GDP has doubled. The environmental costs have been high, with large volumes of solid wastes from pig and poultry units and 40% or more of wastes being discharged without treatment into watercourses; and
There is no national strategy to deal with the waste-disposal system. Some provinces have responded to the problem, but have been hindered by the lack of adequate regulatory and economic mechanisms to ensure compliance.
Despite strengthening of regulations and monitoring of food safety, reports of unsafe or contaminated food [in China] still appear to be relatively common. Some examples are provided below:
In November 2001, 40 farmers in China’s Jiangsu Province suffered food poisoning and the following day 484 people were reported to have eaten contaminated pork in Guandong Province. An official from the Ministry of Health indicated that unsafe use of pesticides and growth-enhancing hormones were the major causes of such food poisoning outbreaks.
According to Ministry statistics, the number of food producing entities grew from 1.2 to 5 million between 1995 to 2000 and many small scale food producers were using unhygienic facilities to meet increasing demands;
In January 2002, shortly after joining the WTO, the EU suspended imports of all products of animal origin from China after finding residues of the antibiotic chloramphenicol in 24 batches of frozen shrimp. The ban was imposed because the EU considered China’s system to control residues of veterinary chemicals in farmed animals to be inadequate at the time.
In April 2004, thirteen infants were reported to have died of nutritional deficiencies and more than 170 suffered severe malnutrition in east China’s Anhui Province after consuming substandard milk powder. Although national standards dictate the contents of infant milk powders, investigations revealed that producers had replaced essential nutritional elements with starch and sugar.
In January 2005, figures released at a national conference on food and drug supervision and management indicated that 390,000 cases of production and/or sale of fake or substandard food were investigated in 2003, of which 128,000 were prosecuted;
In May 2005, health officials raised concerns about a dramatic increase in the rate of foodborne parasitic infections in the last ten years. Incidences of liver fluke infections were reported to have increased by 75 percent according to a Ministry of Health survey of 31 provinces from 2001 to 2004. The increasing incidence of parasitic infestation was attributed to increased consumption of raw seafood;
A July 2005 media report estimated that more than 70 percent of China’s 106,000 registered food makers are small family businesses hiring less than 10 people, and at least 60 percent of these cannot meet the most basic sanitary standards;
In July 2005, the discovery of malachite green in fish sold in Henan province prompted calls for nationwide inspections for the product, which was banned from use in 2002. Beijing’s Food Safety Office indicated that routine testing did not include malachite green. A Shanghai Fishery Office Official claimed that some fish farmers continue to use malachite green to treat parasitic and fungal infections because it is cheap. Six weeks later, 10 of 25 samples of freshwater fish imported to Hong Kong from the mainland also tested positive to malachite green.
In July 2005, the Assistant Minister of Commerce claimed that China still faces a serious situation in the matter of food safety, with the failure rate of food hygiene as high as 8 percent and the rate of excessive pesticide residues in vegetables still around 7 percent;
In October 2005, regulators confirmed that some polyvinyl chloride food wrappers used in China contain DEHA, a substance that may cause cancer. Although the national standard on PVC food wraps, released in 1988, did not prohibit the use of DEHA, the compound was not listed on a 2003 national standard, which lists safe substances that can be used in wrapping materials.
I won\’t back down from starting a discussion because those on the other side call me names and question my feminimity. And I won\’t stop demanding action even if it makes others angry.
You have to admit that suggesting the President of the United States get involved with dogs and cats was pretty stupid. There are more than enough human problems for him to deal with.
While this may sound harsh to you, your pet was a piece of personal property under the law. You may have persoanlly attached a ridiculously high emotional value to it. It wasn\’t a human being Rosie. Get a grip and set some perspective.
Nobody set out to poision pets. Nobody even knows for sure what happened. Whatever it turns out to be, it was an unfortunate ACCIDENT! Like it or not accidents happen in the real world. Considering all the crap dogs & cats eat while outside, do you really think anybody thought the quality standards were too low? At least the ingredients were consistent. Unfortunately in this batch, something went awry.
I\’m appalled at the typical emotional response of \”let\’s sue\”. What will that accomplish? Next thing you know nobody will make pet foods because the \”malpractice insurance\” costs will be too high. S _ _ T Happens Rosie. Deal with it.
\”An Ottawa woman has become violently ill after eating some of her dog\’s food,\” the Canadian Press reports:
After noticing her dog, Missy, wasn\’t eating, [Eliane] Larabie said she took bites of Missy\’s Iams pet food in order to trick the terrier into thinking it was people food.
The ploy worked and the mealtime routine continued for about two weeks until both dog and master became sick on March 17.
It wasn\’t until she saw a TV news story about the Menu Foods recall that she connected the dots, ever so slowly.
\”I\’m just wondering when the Prime Minister is going to do something. We voted for him, yet he doesn\’t seem to care about our animals. What about me? I almost died from eating catfood? I could\’ve died, but no one is doing anything? If the PM doesn\’t do something soon, I\’m going to move to America. Their government cares about animals.\”
Well Bill Reed, you\’ve just officially pissed me off. My dogs are NOT just some animal. I breed and show Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. They are not just \”some dog\”. They ARE a part of my family. My guess is you don\’t own a dog. (I doubt one would have you. I always trust my dogs reactions to people. It\’s kind of funny. They can spot the JA\’s before me…)
My uncle has been blind since age 22. He\’s had a seeing eye dog since that time and has managed to run his company with the aid of several of them. Do you think they were \”Just a dog\” to him? People like you really piss me off. Quite frankly, I would rather have the company of dogs than someone like you any day of the week.
this wouldn\’t be a problem if you owners would quit cutting back on our rights! We\’re hunters! We like to stalk our food and eat it on the spot. How would you like to eat some dried up drivel every day from the same plate; and from the floor at that. Never a choice on beverages; water water water; good grief, cry me a river, but what\’s the deal with the warm water from the sink. You keep your water bottle in that big box and I see ice in it sometimes, yet you want me to eat where your feet walk. If you\’ve notice, that cat sits right next to my dish, that\’s just like having someones butt plopped in your face everyday when you eat.
At least the bologna scraps have picked up since this thing started. The laugher is on you, as it was we, the dogs and cats, who spiked the food so we\’d get a break from that canned and bagged stuff you think we call food.
We\’re sick of waggin\’ our tails for that stuff; either get us something with taste, or we\’ll take a bite out of something for taste, if you know what I mean. At least get my food online, maybe from Canada or something; I hear they care about their pets there. Not like that phoney Bush and that mechanical dog he prances around with on the White House lawn!
In addition, Bill, the majority of the pet food industry has been slowly poisoning our pets for the last forty years. Ever hear of BHA, BTA and Ethoxyquin? They\’re cancer causing agents. They\’re in a majority of the pet foods for sale. Do you know what poultry by-products are? You might want to look into that. The only news with the recent recalls is the poisonings are now acute vs chronic…
I\’ve talked with Lassie and McGruff the crime dog, and they\’re tired of this stuff too. We used to have freedoms. Now, if I run the street, the guys with the nets come after me. You put those flea collars on me, and guess what: the fleas live under them for protection! So much for you being the dominant species. All that because of the patriot act restricting our rights. Just cause my signature requires a paw print doesn\’t mean I don\’t have feelings.
Give me some real food. I like meat. quit giving me those soy processed things and making me \’beg\’ for it. Do you think they smell like bacon? Hey stupid, my smell is like 100 times more senstive than yours, wanna know what they smell like to me?
I\’m sick of playing your role games; roll over…beg…sit up…how about how many stitches would you like?
If you\’re too cheap to get me a steak, at least get me a Whopper, but hold all that lettuce and tomato crap, I don\’t need the fiber. But keep the onion, that way I can gag you with my breath as my special way of saying \”thank you you cheap piece of human waste\”.
While we\’re at it, we want some changes.
No more calling wieners/franks \’hot dogs\’. Why is it ok to call a dog Hot? I\’ve got all this fur, and I see you sitting under your fan because you can\’t handle a little heat. It\’s insulting and we\’re offended. Ya know who\’s really sick of this? That\’s right: wiener dogs! Thank my waggin\’ tail I wasn\’t born into that mess of genes; good grief, it\’s bad enough to go thru life with your belly draggin\’ the floor, (and it could use a cleaning, that upright machine is called a vaccuum), but to be called a \’wiener\’, well, let\’s just say they probably don\’t feel too good about that.
I\’ve got some cousins who are German Shephards; they don\’t like being associated with Hitler, either. Poodles are sick of those wierd little haircuts, too. Poodles used to be considered fearsome warrior dogs, now you\’ve ruined that, too.
I don\’t care; my stuff was done in black and white, long before the 12 versions of lassie came along (oooh, what\’s this week…is Timmy in the well, Lassie). What was that plopping sound, Lassie? That\’s me takin\’ a dump on Timmy, you overrated inbreed.
I\’d be less hostile with some more MEAT! I know where Rosie is coming from; this stuff is awful.
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Rosie, good for you, apparently you hit a few nerves! This is not just a pet food issue, this is a food issue! But there are those who will side for the Bush Adm. regards. He should appoint someone to investigate this matter. And pets are very important to some of us.
DDT,
Here is some information about \”quality control\” in China. You\’ll have to excuse me when I don\’t have a lot of sympathy for Menu foods. My memory might be a bit faulty but I do believe that we actually do grow something called WHEAT in THIS COUNTRY. I know….I too was amazed when I recently discovered this…
Anyway, here is the info about China. Is this where you want YOUR food additives produced because guess what? Additives from China are going in YOUR food too….
How safe are food imports when they reach Australia?
Excerpt from the report\’s \”Executive Summary:\” The Committee considers there is cause for concern over the current status of Thailand’s environment, widespread pollution of waterways and inadequate treatment and disposal of solid waste being the most pressing issues. Of further concern, high levels of organochlorine pesticides in Thai women suggests excessive environmental and/or dietary exposure. The Committee also believes the current status of China’s environment warrants concern. The weight of evidence suggests that there are continued high levels of organochlorine pesticides in some regions, and perhaps more disturbingly, continued input of some of these pesticides.
Summary findings on the safety of foodstuffs imported from China:
Finding 53
The weight of evidence suggests there is a high level of environmental contamination by organochlorine pesticides and other potentially toxic chemicals in some regions of China.
Finding 54
A number of recent studies of China’s environment point to recent input of DDT, although its use in agriculture was officially banned in 1983. Recent DDT contamination is thought to be due mainly to continued use of dicofol, a pesticide that is made from DDT and which may contain high levels of DDT contamination. Analysis of dicofol preparations in China in 2003 found an average 244 grams per kilogram (24.4 percent) of DDT and its metabolites.
Finding 55
Levels of DDT in breast milk of Chinese women is many times higher than the levels detected in Australian women. Further, the ratio of DDE (a DDT metabolite) to DDT, is much lower than in Australian women, suggesting that Chinese women have been exposed more recently to DDT than Australian women.
In 2003, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)363 was invited by the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) to participate in a task force charged with examining key agricultural and rural development policy issues faced by China in the early 21st century. Based on its observations over the period of its involvement in the task force, ACIAR made the following general comments on the issues China
currently faces with regard to ensuring food safety:
The formal education level of most farmers is low. Standards and regulations covering crop input manufacture, application rates and waste management are not rigorously enforced;
China is now the world leader in both inorganic fertiliser and pesticide consumption. In the past 30 years, while world nitrogen fertiliser application increased by 7 times, China’s nitrogen use in crop production increased 45 times. On average, nitrogen use per hectare is about 3 times the world average;
Various pesticide compounds have been produced and applied to crops. Many whose use has been curtailed or banned in other countries are still widely used in China. Among them are pesticides that are known to leave toxic residues in the environment;
There is growing concern about the increasing use of fertilisers and pesticides that cause pollution of rivers, lakes and sea from run-off and seepage, and thereby become sources of ecological problems. China’s accession to WTO has raised food-safety concerns due to residual effects of high rates of fertiliser and pesticide application;
Several studies have shown that high rates of fertiliser and pesticide application are partially due to ineffective extension services to advise farmers on input rates and nutrient balance;
Use of proven integrated pest management (IPM) techniques is still not widespread.
Pesticide application rates in China are still rising while they are falling everywhere in Southeast Asia;
Average annual growth rates [of the livestock sector] have been 2-5% faster than the crop sector and the livestock sector’s share of total agricultural GDP has doubled. The environmental costs have been high, with large volumes of solid wastes from pig and poultry units and 40% or more of wastes being discharged without treatment into watercourses; and
There is no national strategy to deal with the waste-disposal system. Some provinces have responded to the problem, but have been hindered by the lack of adequate regulatory and economic mechanisms to ensure compliance.
Despite strengthening of regulations and monitoring of food safety, reports of unsafe or contaminated food [in China] still appear to be relatively common. Some examples are provided below:
In November 2001, 40 farmers in China’s Jiangsu Province suffered food poisoning and the following day 484 people were reported to have eaten contaminated pork in Guandong Province. An official from the Ministry of Health indicated that unsafe use of pesticides and growth-enhancing hormones were the major causes of such food poisoning outbreaks.
According to Ministry statistics, the number of food producing entities grew from 1.2 to 5 million between 1995 to 2000 and many small scale food producers were using unhygienic facilities to meet increasing demands;
In January 2002, shortly after joining the WTO, the EU suspended imports of all products of animal origin from China after finding residues of the antibiotic chloramphenicol in 24 batches of frozen shrimp. The ban was imposed because the EU considered China’s system to control residues of veterinary chemicals in farmed animals to be inadequate at the time.
In April 2004, thirteen infants were reported to have died of nutritional deficiencies and more than 170 suffered severe malnutrition in east China’s Anhui Province after consuming substandard milk powder. Although national standards dictate the contents of infant milk powders, investigations revealed that producers had replaced essential nutritional elements with starch and sugar.
In January 2005, figures released at a national conference on food and drug supervision and management indicated that 390,000 cases of production and/or sale of fake or substandard food were investigated in 2003, of which 128,000 were prosecuted;
In May 2005, health officials raised concerns about a dramatic increase in the rate of foodborne parasitic infections in the last ten years. Incidences of liver fluke infections were reported to have increased by 75 percent according to a Ministry of Health survey of 31 provinces from 2001 to 2004. The increasing incidence of parasitic infestation was attributed to increased consumption of raw seafood;
A July 2005 media report estimated that more than 70 percent of China’s 106,000 registered food makers are small family businesses hiring less than 10 people, and at least 60 percent of these cannot meet the most basic sanitary standards;
In July 2005, the discovery of malachite green in fish sold in Henan province prompted calls for nationwide inspections for the product, which was banned from use in 2002. Beijing’s Food Safety Office indicated that routine testing did not include malachite green. A Shanghai Fishery Office Official claimed that some fish farmers continue to use malachite green to treat parasitic and fungal infections because it is cheap. Six weeks later, 10 of 25 samples of freshwater fish imported to Hong Kong from the mainland also tested positive to malachite green.
In July 2005, the Assistant Minister of Commerce claimed that China still faces a serious situation in the matter of food safety, with the failure rate of food hygiene as high as 8 percent and the rate of excessive pesticide residues in vegetables still around 7 percent;
In October 2005, regulators confirmed that some polyvinyl chloride food wrappers used in China contain DEHA, a substance that may cause cancer. Although the national standard on PVC food wraps, released in 1988, did not prohibit the use of DEHA, the compound was not listed on a 2003 national standard, which lists safe substances that can be used in wrapping materials.
I won\’t back down from starting a discussion because those on the other side call me names and question my feminimity. And I won\’t stop demanding action even if it makes others angry.
Rosie Babe……….
You have to admit that suggesting the President of the United States get involved with dogs and cats was pretty stupid. There are more than enough human problems for him to deal with.
While this may sound harsh to you, your pet was a piece of personal property under the law. You may have persoanlly attached a ridiculously high emotional value to it. It wasn\’t a human being Rosie. Get a grip and set some perspective.
Nobody set out to poision pets. Nobody even knows for sure what happened. Whatever it turns out to be, it was an unfortunate ACCIDENT! Like it or not accidents happen in the real world. Considering all the crap dogs & cats eat while outside, do you really think anybody thought the quality standards were too low? At least the ingredients were consistent. Unfortunately in this batch, something went awry.
I\’m appalled at the typical emotional response of \”let\’s sue\”. What will that accomplish? Next thing you know nobody will make pet foods because the \”malpractice insurance\” costs will be too high. S _ _ T Happens Rosie. Deal with it.
ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff,ruff, ruff (translated to rub my belly)
\”An Ottawa woman has become violently ill after eating some of her dog\’s food,\” the Canadian Press reports:
After noticing her dog, Missy, wasn\’t eating, [Eliane] Larabie said she took bites of Missy\’s Iams pet food in order to trick the terrier into thinking it was people food.
The ploy worked and the mealtime routine continued for about two weeks until both dog and master became sick on March 17.
It wasn\’t until she saw a TV news story about the Menu Foods recall that she connected the dots, ever so slowly.
\”I\’m just wondering when the Prime Minister is going to do something. We voted for him, yet he doesn\’t seem to care about our animals. What about me? I almost died from eating catfood? I could\’ve died, but no one is doing anything? If the PM doesn\’t do something soon, I\’m going to move to America. Their government cares about animals.\”
Well Bill Reed, you\’ve just officially pissed me off. My dogs are NOT just some animal. I breed and show Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. They are not just \”some dog\”. They ARE a part of my family. My guess is you don\’t own a dog. (I doubt one would have you. I always trust my dogs reactions to people. It\’s kind of funny. They can spot the JA\’s before me…)
My uncle has been blind since age 22. He\’s had a seeing eye dog since that time and has managed to run his company with the aid of several of them. Do you think they were \”Just a dog\” to him? People like you really piss me off. Quite frankly, I would rather have the company of dogs than someone like you any day of the week.
this wouldn\’t be a problem if you owners would quit cutting back on our rights! We\’re hunters! We like to stalk our food and eat it on the spot. How would you like to eat some dried up drivel every day from the same plate; and from the floor at that. Never a choice on beverages; water water water; good grief, cry me a river, but what\’s the deal with the warm water from the sink. You keep your water bottle in that big box and I see ice in it sometimes, yet you want me to eat where your feet walk. If you\’ve notice, that cat sits right next to my dish, that\’s just like having someones butt plopped in your face everyday when you eat.
At least the bologna scraps have picked up since this thing started. The laugher is on you, as it was we, the dogs and cats, who spiked the food so we\’d get a break from that canned and bagged stuff you think we call food.
We\’re sick of waggin\’ our tails for that stuff; either get us something with taste, or we\’ll take a bite out of something for taste, if you know what I mean. At least get my food online, maybe from Canada or something; I hear they care about their pets there. Not like that phoney Bush and that mechanical dog he prances around with on the White House lawn!
Ruff!
In addition, Bill, the majority of the pet food industry has been slowly poisoning our pets for the last forty years. Ever hear of BHA, BTA and Ethoxyquin? They\’re cancer causing agents. They\’re in a majority of the pet foods for sale. Do you know what poultry by-products are? You might want to look into that. The only news with the recent recalls is the poisonings are now acute vs chronic…
I\’ve talked with Lassie and McGruff the crime dog, and they\’re tired of this stuff too. We used to have freedoms. Now, if I run the street, the guys with the nets come after me. You put those flea collars on me, and guess what: the fleas live under them for protection! So much for you being the dominant species. All that because of the patriot act restricting our rights. Just cause my signature requires a paw print doesn\’t mean I don\’t have feelings.
Give me some real food. I like meat. quit giving me those soy processed things and making me \’beg\’ for it. Do you think they smell like bacon? Hey stupid, my smell is like 100 times more senstive than yours, wanna know what they smell like to me?
I\’m sick of playing your role games; roll over…beg…sit up…how about how many stitches would you like?
If you\’re too cheap to get me a steak, at least get me a Whopper, but hold all that lettuce and tomato crap, I don\’t need the fiber. But keep the onion, that way I can gag you with my breath as my special way of saying \”thank you you cheap piece of human waste\”.
While we\’re at it, we want some changes.
No more calling wieners/franks \’hot dogs\’. Why is it ok to call a dog Hot? I\’ve got all this fur, and I see you sitting under your fan because you can\’t handle a little heat. It\’s insulting and we\’re offended. Ya know who\’s really sick of this? That\’s right: wiener dogs! Thank my waggin\’ tail I wasn\’t born into that mess of genes; good grief, it\’s bad enough to go thru life with your belly draggin\’ the floor, (and it could use a cleaning, that upright machine is called a vaccuum), but to be called a \’wiener\’, well, let\’s just say they probably don\’t feel too good about that.
I\’ve got some cousins who are German Shephards; they don\’t like being associated with Hitler, either. Poodles are sick of those wierd little haircuts, too. Poodles used to be considered fearsome warrior dogs, now you\’ve ruined that, too.
I don\’t care; my stuff was done in black and white, long before the 12 versions of lassie came along (oooh, what\’s this week…is Timmy in the well, Lassie). What was that plopping sound, Lassie? That\’s me takin\’ a dump on Timmy, you overrated inbreed.
I\’d be less hostile with some more MEAT! I know where Rosie is coming from; this stuff is awful.