NUTRO RECALLS - What to do?

[Perseus]

  My guess is since the majority of negative info concerning Nutro is posted on the web, that they have enlisted these people in an attempt  to do some type of damage control.  Here is what's listed on Mars website about their "Mars Ambassador Program (MAP)."        http://www.mars.com/global/News+and+Media/News+archive/The+Mars+Ambassador+Program.htm

I think the Nutro AmbASSadors are different from the Mars ones. The ones from Mars actually seem to be helping the community.  The Nutro ones are just a bunch of kids posting around on the various forums.  They've been around for a while, too, not just since this last recall.

[Bonkers]

  Oh I know the two are completely different from one another. Just wish they would give making healthy and safe pet food as much importance as they do in helping third world countries. 

[GreyGhost]

 
This was in the Veterinary Technician magazine:

Issue Date: Veterinary Technician
May 2009
(Vol 30, No 5)

FDA: Nutro Not Subject of Investigation

Paul Basilio
Paul Basilio is Associate Editor of Veterinary Forum and Veterinary Technician.

View other articles by this author

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FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Nutro Products, manufacturer of Nutro pet food, is not the subject of an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM), the agency confirmed.

 

Citing several anonymous sources, ConsumerAffairs.com claimed that Nutro Products, owned by Mars Inc., had been the subject of an ongoing investigation by the FDA and was being targeted for potential criminal or civil investigation into the complaints.

 

The FDA normally does not confirm or deny ongoing or potential investigations, but Laura Alvey, spokesperson for the FDA, told Forum, “I can confirm that Nutro Products is not the subject of a current FDA investigation.”

 

After the story broke, Nutro officials contacted the FDA, according to Monica Barrett, pet specialty communication manager at Nutro Products. “This was the first we had heard about an investigation, so we followed up with our FDA contacts to find out if there was something going on. They confirmed there was no investigation,” she said. “We then put all of our information together and tried to reach out to ConsumerAffairs.com to clarify the situation. After submitting our statement [to the website], however, they posted another article that reiterated there was an investigation.”

 

“Our story speaks for itself,” said James R. Hood, CEO and editor-in-chief of ConsumerAffairs.com.

 

Nutro recently released a statement to the public to reassure consumers that the company’s products conform to the standards set by the FDA, the US Department of Agriculture and the Association of American Feed Control Officials.

 

A separate report published in February on ConsumerAffairs.com claimed that Nutro and another pet food manufacturer were the subjects of an impending class action lawsuit, but Barrett said no legal action has occurred. “After seeing [that] article, we contacted all parties who could have potentially been notified [by outside lawyers], such as our own attorneys,” she said. “There is no class action lawsuit. If it were happening, I don’t think we would find out about it on the Internet.”

[5CatMom]

Comment from

 http://www.businesspundit.com/nutro-dog-food-issue-dates-mars-pr-approach/comment-page-1/#comment-14844


LOL, maybe they should separate marketing from customer service. Customers don’t want marketing BS, they want polite SERVICE. Mostly, they don’t want to worry about every bag of food they use.

Here’s a perfect example of the problem. I ask you, is this BS?

Hi,

I’m the Pet Specialty Communication Manager at Nutro. I think you raise some interesting points, though I’m not quite sure your analysis of our approach is necessarily complete.

We’re certainly not ignorant of the importance of online conversation, or the fact that “sterile” communications within online communities is often unwelcome. On Twitter, for example, we have three employees who represent Nutro, clearly disclosed as such, who addressed the concerns of those who posted the Consumer Affairs piece and/or had questions about the article. We also have employees on other sites who make themselves available to those communities.

A YouTube video is an interesting approach — it certainly worked for the likes of JetBlue, for example — but we wanted to focus our efforts on the places where the dialogue appeared to be taking place.

Also, we do understand and sympathize with owners who have lost their pet, and we ensure that our food meets all FDA, USDA and AAFCO standards. However, we do not sympathize with outlets who are not reporting the facts. Note: The FDA has confirmed that Nutro is not under investigation. More here: http://www.wxyz.com/news/local/story/FDA-No-Investigation-into-NUTRO-Pet-Food/hOoE48nKOkORqDNodwN3EQ.cspx.

Monica Barrett

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Too funny, and a perfect example of the problem.  There are 3 I's in the first paragraph.

If they hadn't screwed up the food, "outlets" wouldn't be an issue.

[Bonkers]

 "If they hadn't screwed up the food, "outlets" wouldn't be an issue"

  You've got that right 5cat. IMO it is all PR crap from a company whose sales of this brand may be floundering. Would anyone be able to find the annual sales reports of Nutro for the past couple of years?

[5CatMom]

ReneeATNutro was offering to give away food today.

It was a LARGE amount, don't remember the details (a years worth?).

Got that PR stuff all figured out.

[Bonkers]

   Sounds like an act of desperation to me......

[5CatMom]

Regarding Nutro recall,

FTC says that consumers should go to consumer complaint page and submit a complaint form. Here is link to the page:

http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/cmplanding.shtm

I couldn't access the form online, so I called and submitted my complaint over the phone.

(202) 326-2222

The FTC representative said to call and report the problem; the more complaints, the higher the priority, and the faster they'll take a look at it.

Here're the issues:

1. Consumer Affairs website has 800, or so, complaints of dog/cat illness and death.
2. Only some cat food has been recalled (so what's causing the dog complaints).
3 Nutro is saying "No complaints".
4. Recalled food is still on shelves and being sold.
5. Vets have not been informed of the recall.
6. When you call Nutro, they give you a number.
7. When you call FDA, no one answers, no one returns calls.
8. The media isn't covering the story well (who cares about cat food?), so people are still using the food.

Without being able to view the form, not sure what other info you guys may need. LOL, from the posts here, I don't believe you'll have any trouble. Just let me know.

I don't get the denial part. Many people contacted Nutro, and have the emails to prove it. It may (repeat, may) have something to do with assigning a Class (as in Class I, Class II, Class III). It's my understanding (may be wrong), that when death/injury are involved, it's Class I. At least that's how the FDA explained it to me in 2007.

Any questions, please ask.
__________________
What is man without the beasts? If the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected - - - Chief Seattle

We are the caretakers of our creatures . . . the peacekeepers of our planet

[5CatMom]

Please cross post the below to your other forums, blogs, sites.

Especially DOG ones, also Itchmo.  I got PC already.  Very concerned that this may (repeat MAY) become rolling recalls like we saw in 2007.

I don't do DOG sites.  Dog folks need to be contacting FTC, too.  More complaints, the better as that's what determines priority and when investigator will work on.

TKS very much.
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FTC says that pet owners should go to consumer complaint page and submit a complaint form. Here is link to the page:

http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/cmplanding.shtm

I couldn't access the form online, so I called and submitted my complaint over the phone.

(202) 326-2222

The FTC representative said to call and report the problem; the more complaints, the higher the priority, and the faster they'll take a look at it.

Here're the issues:

1. Consumer Affairs website has 800, or so, complaints of dog/cat illness and death.
2. Only some cat food has been recalled (so what's causing the dog complaints).
3 Nutro is saying "No complaints".
4. Recalled food is still on shelves and being sold.
5. Vets have not been informed of the recall.
6. When you call Nutro, they give you a number.
7. When you call FDA, no one answers, no one returns calls.
8. The media isn't covering the story well (who cares about cat food?), so people are still using the food.

[5CatMom]

Anyone have time to go through food list, and other sources.

Need concise list, including all pet food brands owned by Mars. Include links, any acquisition links also helpful.

For example:

Royal Canin
Pedigree
etc.

Want to show that Mars is buying up lots of brands.

Some info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars,_Incorporated

Got to go to vet.

TKS.

[Bonkers]

From Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars,_Incorporated

3 Musketeers
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (recently renamed to Mars Fish Care)
Bounty
Buckeye Nutrition
Celebrations
Cesar (Dog Food)
CocoaVia
Combos
Dove Chocolate
Fling
Flyte
Galaxy (Alternative for the Dove range used in the UK, Australia and the Middle East)
Greenies (a bone to improve dogs' breath)
Kudos
Lockets
M&M's
Maltesers
Marathon (UK name for Snickers until it was renamed in 1990)
Mars Bar
Mars Delight
Mars Planets (newly introduced in the UK)
M-Azing
Medi-Cal (Prescription Pet Food)
Milky Way
Minstrels
Nutro
Pedigree
Pill Pockets
Promite
Revels
Royal Canin (Pet Food)
Schmackos
Seeds of Change
Sheba (cat food)
Skittles
Snickers Marathon Energy Bar
Snickers
Spillers
Starburst
Teasers
Techni-Cal
Topic
Tracker
Twix
Whiskas (cat food)
Winergy
Wisdom Panel MX Mixed Breed DNA Test

[Bonkers]

  I did a search on Buckeye Nutrition as I had not heard of it before. They are a division of Effem Equine. Well, low and behold it seems their manufacturing plant is not far from me. They manufacture Equine, Dog, Cat, Exotic, Bird, Poultry & Livestock Feeds.

http://www.buckeyenutrition.com/index.html

[DougG]

I'm not impressed by the ingredients in the Buckeye Nutrition cat food:

Ground Yellow Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Wheat, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols, citric acid, and rosemary extract)...

etc.
 
 

[Bonkers]

  From what I can tell by looking at their store locator the pet foods are mainly sold by feed and/or hardware stores.

[5CatMom]

Bonkers,

Many thanks.  You're the greatest.