Menu Foods stands sued for the delay in recall
A Chicago woman has sued Menu Foods on Tuesday, alleging that the pet food manufacturer had delayed the announcement of the recall despite their knowledge about the contamination of their products. The recall came after two weeks of the company's routine taste tests of its products. During this period around nine cats died. Dawn Majerczyk, 43, said her orange tabby, Phoenix, fell ill last week just two days after he ate a single package of Special Kitty; one of brands recalled by Menu Foods of Canada. Majerczyk suit, filed by Chicago attorney Jay Edelson, seeks class-action status.
The company, however, said that they don't know anything about the suit yet. The FDA too has kept quiet on the issue. So far, the deaths of 13 cats and one dog has been confirmed. FDA has sent inspectors to the plants in New Jersey and Kansas. The FDA is screening all the pet food samples for any substances known to be toxic to the kidneys.
Paul Henderson, the chief executive and president of Menu Foods, said that the company delayed the recall announcement only to confirm that the animals had eaten its product before dying. The company actually isn't able to reason that why the cats and dogs developed an acute kidney failure and died. Henderson didn't comment on wheat gluten being the suspected cause.
Henderson said, 'Our hypothesis is that it is that ingredient that in fact represents the highest probability as to the cause. But we have been unable to prove that through scientific information.' He added, 'This is a puzzling and troubling experience for everybody within this organization, it is extremely disheartening that we haven't been able to find the causative agent. Our hearts go out to all of the pet owners across Canada, the United States and Mexico for any losses they experience and certainly for the worry this incident may be causing'.
A complete list of the recalled products along with product codes, descriptions and production dates is available from the Menu Foods Web site and even on the FDA website.
