Salmonella Outbreak and Pets

The peanut product recall seems to have taken on a life of it’s own. It’s not just peanut butter–the list wanders all over the place from brownie and donut products to salad dressings and pet food and treats. The FDA says that the risk of animals contracting salmonellosis is minimal, yet you should check the pet food products on the lengthy recall list to avoid any unnecessary risk.

Signs that your pet may have salmonella:

• Dogs and cats that become ill from salmonella generally will have diarrhea that may contain blood or mucus.
• Affected animals may seem more tired than usual, and may have a fever or vomit.
• Some cats do not have diarrhea, but will have a decreased appetite, fever, and excess salivation.
• Some dogs or cats may have Salmonella but may not appear to be sick. Well animals can be carriers and infect other animals or humans.

If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, contact your veterinarian.

Below is the list of “recalling firms” of pet food products. Check out the FDA list for links to the specific products and more information like UPC Code Number, lot descriptions, packaging size, etc.

Aggieville USA, Mountain Grove, MO
American Nutrition, Inc.
Carolina Prime
Carolina Prime Pet
Farm Style
Grreat Choice
Happy Tails
Healthy Hide
Healthy-hide Deli-wrap
Hill Country Fare
Integrity
Mill Creek
Next Gen Pet Products
Northwest Royal
Premium
Salix
Shoppers Valu
Springfield Prize
Vita Bone Flavors
Vita Snacks
Western Family Biscuits
Western Trade Group, Inc.
Yeaster

Also note that there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet food products. To prevent foodborne illness when handling pet foods and treats, wash hands with hot water and soap before and after handling pet foods and treats and wash pet food bowls and utensils with hot water and soap after each use.

Again, if you believe your pet may be experiencing symptoms of salmonella, please bring your pet to your local veterinarian as soon as possible.

'Happy' Halloween from the FDA

Dear Tara,

If the Wall Street bailout was hard to swallow, the government is preparing a Halloween trick that just may be impossible to stomach.

The Food and Drug Administration is opening the way for grocery stores to sell food made from genetically engineered animals. And the agency is proposing that these products, called “Frankenfoods” by some, be sold to you without your knowledge.

Sign our online petition demanding that food from genetically engineered animals be labeled. We have the right to know what we are eating!

Genetically engineered animals are not a far-off, exotic concept. It’s happening right now. Goats are engineered with spider genes to produce silk in their milk. And pigs carry mouse and bacterial DNA to improve their digestion.

The jury is still out on whether food from these animals is safe for humans or the environment. And the ethics of such changes have yet to be considered.
The FDA says they will conduct a safety review before these foods can be sold for human consumption. But consumers won’t know if they’re buying genetically engineered food, because the agency isn’t going to require a label.

We know what’s in the can of soup we buy because the label tells us. Shouldn’t we know if the meat we buy comes from a pig with another animal’s genes, or whether our milk has insect DNA in it?
Sign our petition and show the FDA that Americans want to know what’s in their food!
We have until Nov. 18 to collect signatures. Please forward this message on to others so they can sign too. Let’s stop this Halloween trick before it starts.

Sincerely,
Jean Halloran
NotInMyFood.org
A project of Consumers Union
101 Truman Ave.
Yonkers, NY 10703

Reducing Exposure to Suspicious Products

You might think two people addressing the same problem, looking at the same data would draw the same conclusions, but life just isn’t that easy. Special interests often have too much at stake.

Take bisphenol A (BPA) for example. A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association links Bisphenol A exposure in adults to increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This study found adults with the highest concentration of bisphenol A in their blood were twice as likely as those with the lowest concentration to have diabetes and cardiovascular disease (keeping in mind that over 90 percent of us have bisphenol A in our blood at this very moment according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

This study is one of many that link low level bisphenol A exposure to a host of adverse health effects. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other industry groups point out that the studies are not conclusive, and surprise, surprise MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED (which is a classic delay tactic). I’m sure there conclusions have nothing to due with the huge profitability and growth of bisphenol A use.

At some point, we all need to make our own decisions about what is safe and what isn’t. To me, there seems to be plenty of evidence against bisphenol A to warrant its removal from my life. The same can be said for several other substances as well like the materials used to make non-stick pans. PFOA, a chemical used in non-stick, has been listed as a likely human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Industry will never admit they are exposing the population to a hazardous carcinogen, but they are phasing its use out by 2015.

What can we do to minimize our exposure?
1. Get rid of #7 recyclable plastics. This type of plastic usually contains bisphenol A.
2. Check baby bottles to make sure they are bisphenol A-free.
3. If you have #7 plastics, don’t microwave them or wash them in the dishwasher. Heating them up will accelerate the release of bisphenol A.
4. Ditch the non-stick pans. Life will truly be more miserable, but you will be cutting down your exposure to PFOA.
5. Choose certified organic beauty care products including shampoos that are paraben-free (another chemical under some suspicion).
6. Choose furniture wisely. Try to find mattresses and couches that do not use brominated flame retardants (yet another chemical associated with adverse health effects).

We may not be able to totally eliminate our exposure to these chemicals, but with some minor effort and perhaps a little inconvenience, we can definitely reduce our exposure to them.