Cat food recalled for incorrect levels of zinc and potassium
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced May 21 that Nutro Products was recalling its NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The 
cat food was recalled due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium.
Nutro Products discovered the issue while auditing documentation from a supplier. According to the press release issued by FDA, "zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as supplements to NUTRO®dry cat food." But cats who have eaten the recalled products can experience symptoms such as reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting, or diarrhea.
The product was distributed in all 50 states, as well as to Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel. Customers who bought the product should discard it.
Although the FDA has reported no illnesses associated with this recall, Nutro customers have rported illnesses among their animals associated with Nutro cat food at consumeraffairs.com. Images of the labels printed on the recalled Nutro cat food bags can be found on the FDA website.
Mars/Effem/Nutro's history of repeated quality problems over many years is very disturbing.
Although Nutro advertises a QA program on their website, they failed to find defective incoming ingredients, and they also failed to find defective finished products.
INHO, this clearly indicates that Mars' QA/QC protocols are deficient, and their manufacturing process is out of control.
Bad Processes = Bad Food
This recall is not much different than the 2007 Menu Foods recall in my eyes as this is still a problem with a supplier. Why the supplier did not catch it prior to shipping? or Nutro/Mars when they received the product, used the product to manaufacture the cat food or in the final product? is beyond me..They boast of such tight QC at the website...but you could have fooled me...
10 days ago Nutro was made aware of a "problem" with the premixes as stated in their press release..so today it finally made the mainstream media only due to a diligent pet owner calling the AP desk...with that person listening..Pet food companies should be made to get the word out..no matter the reason for the recall..pet owners have a right to know as soon as possible...If a diligent pet owner can get the AP to listen...I am sure most pet food companies can.
Spent an hour on the phone today with an FDA recall coordinator.
She couldn't even tell me who is supposed to contact AP. She got annoyed, and then angry. I finally got another phone number to call because it "wasn't her recall".
Like someone said, "Who guards the guardians?"
The FDA needs to either do it's job, or be eliminated.
Per ConsumerAffairs.com, NUTRO Pet Products has, for more than a year, ignored consumer complaints about dogs and cats becoming ill and even dying after eating the company's food.
At first, I wasn’t convinced we were affected. I checked the proofs of purchase for our last 11 bags of Nutro Complete Care. Two of the 3 UPC codes are included the May 21, 2009, recall but are outside the Use By date range. I found 1 proof of purchase in the recall date range, but it has the UPC code not included in the recall.
We've been feeding our 2 indoor cats Nutro Complete Care dry food for several years without incident. One cat has been sick for the past 6 weeks with all the symptoms mentioned in the May 21, 2009, recall: reduction in appetite, refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea. Our vet has run several tests and can find no reason for this. Today our other cat came down with the same symptoms. We definitely have a problem!
I’m not happy that the FDA allowed Nutro to write its own press release regarding this recall, blaming a supplier of premix used in the manufacture of its dry cat food. Worse are the reports of rude and abusive behavior toward consumers by Nutro Customer Support personnel and conflicting accounts of whether or not the FDA is conducting an investigation.
If we can't trust the FDA to protect our pets from corporate incompetence (and greed?), what hope do we have they will protect us and our families? If the FDA won't hold this manufacturer accountable, perhaps a nationwide consumer boycott will. Following is the current list of all Mars Corp. products:
Snackfood
M&M’S®, SNICKERS®, MILKY WAY®, 3 MUSKETEERS®, DOVE®, SKITTLES®, STARBURST®, KUDOS®, COMBOS®, MY M&M’S®, My DOVE®, MUNCH®, TWIX®, COCOAVIA®, GENERATION MAX™. WORLD OF GRAINS™
Petcare
PEDIGREE®, CESAR®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, THE GOODLIFE RECIPE®, SCHMACKOS®, WALTHAM DIETS®, TEMPTATIONS®, GREENIES®, NUTRO®, NATURAL CHOICE®, ULTRA™, BANFIELD, THE PET HOSPITAL®
Food
UNCLE BEN'S®, SEEDS OF CHANGE®
Drinks
FLAVIA®, FLAVIA FUSION™, FLAVIA FUSION DELUXE™, FLAVIA SB100™, FLAVIA CREATION™
The continuing recalls only point to the fact that pet food is dissatisfactorily regulated industry, labelling is a farce and commercial pet food is unsafe. Why take the risk of feeding processed crapola? See my blog for more info on how to feed your cat, an obligate carnivore, correctly.
It's too bad the FDA is still not investigating this company. After all the recalls and past problems,and with over 840 complaints at consumer affairs what does it take to get investigated ? Obviously they aren't doing the QA tests they state on their website or this latest recall would not have occurred.As far as boycotting,Mars/Masterfoods have been on my do not buy list since 2007.
It's devastating enough to have such a massive pet food recall going on, but it's not Nutro's first recall and it won't be their last as evidenced by the thousands of complaints by consumers you can find on the web.
Nutro doesn't QC their manufacturing processes or their raw materials whatsoever or the reasons for the recalls could have been prevented completely.
I would not feed any type or brand of Nutro pet food.
Test results back on Nutro recalled food http://tinyurl.com/nzgoyw
PFPSA, recently tested the Nutro recall food and found the zinc level to be 2100 ppm.
PFPSA is the group that found high zinc in Nutro dog food in 2008, but was ignored by Nutro and FDA.
Why pet owners must do the job of both Nutro and the FDA job is beyond me.
http://www.pfpsa.org/news.html
Here's what is wrong, IMO:
Wall Street has the SEC, and the pet food industry has the FDA.
Pub Law110-85 Sec 2102 "Ensuring safety of pet food" passed '07 & warning system? http://bit.ly/bSTFF
How many pet food companies or vets/vet organizations supported this program?
Just thought all of you crazy people would like to know, nutro did a voluntary recall, they didn't havr to because by law it was still considered safe for consumpion but nutro likes to have a product that they can be proude of, o and for all of you RETARDS Nutro is owned by the Nutro family, not Mars. All of this information is coming from someone who is smarter than you and actually knows what they are talking about. I am a manager at the nations largest pet specialty store
Referring to Nutro's recall as a "voluntary recall" is a distinction without a difference since there are no mandatory pet food recalls.
Mars accquired Nutro from Bain Capital, LLC in 2007.
http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Thomson_M&A/Mars_Inc_acquires_Nutro_Products_Inc_from_Bain_Co_Inc-1864721020
i stick with natural cat food (ie, tuna, fish, pieces of meat) for my cat. i thknk thats the best way to keep an eye on your cats diet intake.
William- you are an IDIOT! Mars bought the Nutro company about 3 years ago & there are AGAIN many illnesses connected with Nutro pet foods. Nutro is doing their normal denial & lack of investigation. They have had repeated problems with their pet foods!
Guess whe's on the FDA's Science Board...
Catherine E. Woteki, Ph.D., R.D.
Expertise: Nutrition, Food Safety
Term: 09/30/07 - 12/31/10
Global Director of Scientific Affairs
Mars, Inc.
6885 Elm Street
McLean, Virginia 22101-3883