Let's Get The Media On This

[Cindy Nevarez]

Well, my take is that if the 2 chemicals are present in the human meat that caused the kidney failure in the animals...then yes, it will affect them.

About the turkeys...well they (the FDA) are clearly going on down the line, and checking farmed animals who got tainted feed...who knows which farm animals we're going to hear about next?

[Javas Mom]

Mgt818,

This concern really struck home with me, too, but I read something today in a CNN article that made sense and offered a little more reassurance. 
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/05/02/pet.food.poultry/

The spokesman for the Natl. Chicken Council said the chicken feed may have been contaminated as a result of a practice common among pet food manufacturers -- they sometimes sell their leftover material to manufacturers of chicken and pig feed.

"It's like cooking cupcakes -- you get some of the dough on the pan, you scrape it off and throw it away. What they're saying is that somebody bought that material and it got mixed in corn and soybean that gets manufactured in poultry feed," he said.

"The dilution factor is enormous. You have a relatively small amount of pet food byproducts used," Lobb said. "It's a safe and wholesome product to use."

That being the case, it sounds like the melamine exposure to a chicken was more diluted than what was in those cans of poisened pet food, so let's pray that's a realistic picture.

[Cindy Nevarez]

According to this CNN article, Perdue and Tyson are the largest chicken companies. Does anyone know if Fosters Farms is owned by Perdue?

[Kathleen]

You know, I really feel discouraged. I have the feeling that the people on this list are the only ones  in the general public who are  really on top of this.  I just returned from my VET--had to take in the dog for his heartworm. When I brought up my concerns about animal food he said that it has" all been sorted out".     OH REALLY!---- I have a cat who has had bladder stones and I refused once again to put him on MEDI-CAL, despite the Vet's suggestion. That company has been sold so many times that it is like peeling an onion--there are so many layers to the ownership.

As if that was not bad enough I see in to-day's newspaper that  PET VALU -a huge company here in Canada  "widened its first quarter earnings despite an industry recall of dozens of brands of dog and cat food"  Do people not question where their animal's food is coming from???
 I find that particularly ironic given that when I inquired  at PET VALU  about who made their PERFORMATRIN brand cat food they lied and told me that they had their own company.
      NOT TRUE--it was made by Menu Foods here in Toronto. I do not trust anything made by Menu Foods. The Vet told me I was biased.   
 I GUESS SO- and with reason.
                                                  Kathleen

[Mary K]

Cindy, Foster's Farms website says they are family owned and operated. Let's hope so...

[mgt818]

Thank you guys for your responses...  I still have a hard time everytime I go to feed my "kids" you know...  I chose to home-cook now that might be bad too...  I stopped giving them chicken (I don't eat meat)  I bought some ground turkey yesterday and made them some before I read the article of the 3 million chickens...  I wonder if the turkey is in the same boat.. probably. 
You are right about having a hard time getting people to listen about what is Truley going on.  My husband thinks I spend too much time online (I don't have Human kids  ) but its just thats the only way to know whats going on.  I also had a simmilar situation with my vet when I called her and she was practically clueless about all of the newer recalled foods.

[Mary K]

You are not the only one!! I just cooked and cut up a 12 lb turkey for my cats before the chickens hit the fan yesterday. With the slow leak in the unveiling of poisons, maybe just try to give everything "still safe" in moderation, only. Feels like we are back to the Russian Roulette game again. Actually, we have been spinning on that wheel for weeks, though. One thing for sure, those mice under my house haven't been fed any Melamine!!I may have to invite them inside for a romp with the kitties, soon!

[Geff]

Cindy, Foster's Farms website says they are family owned and operated. Let's hope so...

I BELIEVE That Foster is local to the state of Washington; I know that until recently, they owned my city's minor league baseball team. I intend to call them on Thursday; although I obviously have no way of knowing if they'll be truthful.

If I remember right, I think the owner's name is George.

[Cindy Nevarez]

Thanks Mary,
I did find that out after I posted, however, I am trying to determine definitively if they got some of those 3 mill. chickens, as I did read that in another article yesterday, but it was a real general type of statement. So today, I did email tem asking directly about that, and I also explained to them that I make raw dog food exclusively out of their chicken, and if their chicken is tainted, then it will behave the same way as the pet food would in my dogs' bodies......just so they understand.

If and when they answer, I will post.

Also, they are located in Livingston, Ca, the state of Washington, and I think Oregon.

[Cindy Nevarez]

I got a response already from Fosters Farms. Here it is in its entirety:

(my email) I have several dogs whom I prepare a raw diet using
exclusively your chicken. This means the toxin will affect them as did
the poisoned commercial food of the last 2 months. I desparately need to
know if any of your chicken has eaten Melamine-tainted feed? If so have
you dates of when this chicken was in grocer stores? Thank you


Dear Cindy Nevarez:

Thank you for taking the time to contact our Foster Farms Consumer
Affairs Department.  Following is a statement from Foster Farms which
addresses your concerns.

Sincerely,

Vickie Medeiros
Consumer Affairs Representative



FOSTER FARMS' STATEMENT REGARDING POULTRY FEED
May 2, 2007

LIVINGSTON, Calif. - Foster Farms is committed to producing the safest,
most wholesome, highest quality and delicious poultry and poultry
products. Based on recent media coverage about animal feed containing
tainted products from China, our company has received numerous questions
from concerned consumers.

Foster Farms would like to reassure our customers and consumers that our
poultry products are not in any way affected by these events. Foster
Farms poultry feed does not contain any wheat gluten, corn gluten nor
any concentrated rice. Furthermore, Foster Farms does not import any
protein ingredients from China for its poultry feed.

Foster Farms chickens are fed a highly-nutritious, balanced diet
composed mostly of corn and soy meal, with added vitamins and minerals.
Consumers can also be assured that Foster Farms does not use Roxarsone
or any feed additives containing arsenic.

Founded by Max and Verda in 1939, Foster Farms remains family owned and
operated to this day. The company has stayed committed to providing the
highest quality fresh, locally grown chicken to consumers in the West.
Foster Farms branded fresh chicken is always locally grown on farms it
owns or operates in each of its markets (California, Oregon and
Washington). Chickens are raised in large poultry barns with enough
space for the birds to move about freely. Foster Farms specializes in
producing high quality fresh chicken products that are all natural with
no preservatives or sodium-based additives, in addition to a full line
of other delicious poultry products. The company produces and delivers
premium quality poultry products to retailers, warehouse clubs and
foodservice customers throughout the West.

[concernedpetowner]

I'm not sure how that is in anyway reassuring to anyone.

Am I missing something?

Our contaminated pet foods were not imported from China - they contained contaminated ingredients imported from China.

The contaminated feed/pet food came from US manufacturers.

Have they really all traced the ultimate origin/source of every one of their ingredients?

They mention using soy and corn meal (soy & corn meal being investigated by the FDA)?


I'm scared??

[Geff]

I noticed that the one thing they did NOT say was, We have not fed our chickens any salvaged pet food from Diamond.

On the one hand, I guess it's better then saying, yep we dumped 3 million poison chickens into the marketplace, but on the other hand that may have been corporate speak.

I would tend to trust Foster over Tyson & over generic "Southern Grown".

[Mary K]

Cindy, You see how late I am up tonight? And I am praying for your animals that the chicken was safe. I also used some Foster Farms chicken for the cats; they ate several already. Every day for a while... Now they are on a turkey. Wild birds would be safe! We have wild turkeys all over where I live, but can't hunt them till season...

[Tommyboy]

http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/13229330/index.html

[Geff]

I think the presentation was weak, but it's still wonderful to see a major media outlet covering it.