Washington,
Apr 2, 2007 -
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 2) — Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration today asking pointed questions about the recall of sixty million pet food products.
“Millions of American families have a right to be assured that everything possible is being done to protect the health of their beloved family pets and to determine how in the world the pet food supply could have been contaminated,” Kucinich said. “We must also find out when the FDA officials first learned that our nation’s pets were in danger of being poisoned by their own pet food.”
The letter demands answers regarding the case of toxins aminopterin and melamine used in Menu Foods Income Fund pet food.
The letter Kucinich sent today stated:
April 2, 2007
Stephen F. Sundlof, D.V.M., Ph.D. Director Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine 7519 Standish Place, Room 181 Rockville, Maryland 20855-2792
Dear Director Sundlof:
On March 16, 2007 Menu Foods Income Fund instated a recall of “cuts and gravy” style cat and dog food distributed throughout the United States (U.S.). The recall includes a reported sixty million pet food products produced by Menu Foods between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. Press reports indicate that companion animals have died as a result of eating the recalled pet food.
On March 23, 2007 the New York State Department of Agriculture reported that the toxins aminopterin and melamine had been found in samples of the recalled pet food. On Friday March 30, 2007, Paul Henderson, President and CEO of Menu Foods Income Fund stated in a press conference that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had confirmed the presence of the compound Melamine, a chemical used in the manufacturing of plastics, in pet food products recalled by the company on March 16, 2007.
The Subcommittee on Domestic Policy of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has broad oversight jurisdiction covering many agencies including the FDA. So that I may have a more comprehensive understanding of the circumstances at hand, please provide me with answers to the following questions:
1. When was the FDA first aware of a potential problem regarding Menu Foods products? 2. When was the FDA given confirmation that Menu Foods had produced tainted pet food? 3. Who notified the FDA about the tainted food? 4. How did the FDA initially respond to the notification? (For questions 1 through 4 please provide all internal records documenting these incidents and the actions taken by the FDA including emails, phone calls, memorandums, etc.). 5. Does the FDA have a preexisting protocol designed to deal with a crisis such as this? If so, what does the protocol entail? 6. When did the FDA begin testing of the tainted pet food and what tests have been performed on the tainted pet food? 7. What are the results of the testing? Include all data and findings collected from these tests. 8. Can the FDA be sure that the tainted pet food does not contain the presence of aminopterin? If so, how? 9. Does the FDA dispute the New York State Department of Agriculture’s finding that the tainted pet food contains aminopterin in addition to melamine? 10. Is the FDA continuing to test the tainted pet food for additional toxins? 11. To your knowledge which other state or federal agencies have tested the tainted pet food? 12. Has the FDA concluded that melamine is the only toxin contained in the tainted pet food? 13. Which ingredients used in the manufacturing of the tainted pet food have been found to be contaminated? 14. What further testing does the FDA feel is necessary to ensure that the tainted food has been thoroughly inspected and all harmful substances identified? 15. Is the FDA concerned that additional Menu Foods products may be contaminated? If so, which products are of concern? 16. How many companion animals have died due to the tainted food? 17. How many companion animals have become ill due to the tainted food? 18. What are the criteria for determining if a companion animal’s illness or death is related to consumption of the tainted food? 19. When were the last inspections of the four Menu Foods manufacturing facilities? Please provide inspections reports for inspections conducted in the last two years. 20. Which Menu Foods factories does the FDA believe are responsible for the production of the tainted pet food? Have those facilities been inspected since the implementation of the recall? Please provide any existing inspection reports.
Additionally, I request your assistance in determining how toxins such as aminopterin and melamine would enter a pet food manufacturing facility and penetrate the pet food products being manufactured therein. Aminopterin is not approved for use in the U.S. as a rat poison, therefore what legal method(s) exist for obtaining the toxin and for what purpose(s)? How much aminopterin would be needed to taint the amount of pet food involved in the recall? Please answer the same questions regarding melamine.
Have there been any previous instances of tainted pet food sold in U.S. markets? Please explain the circumstances and provide documentation as applicable.
I understand that the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is responsible for ensuring the safety of the pet food sold in the United States. Obviously CVM did not approve aminopterin or melamine for use in pet food. Nevertheless, your agency is responsible for guaranteeing that the ingredients in pet foods are safe and provide appropriate function. Therefore, I look forward to your prompt response. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me or Jaron Bourke, Staff Director of the Subcommittee.
Sincerely, /S/ Dennis J. Kucinich Chairman Subcommittee on Domestic Policy Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
