RE: Toy Recalls, Why are North Amercian Corporations & Manufacturers so Ignorant to the CYCLE OF ECONOMICS?
Question by Utopian Friend: RE: Toy Recalls, Why are North Amercian Corporations & Manufacturers so Ignorant to the CYCLE OF ECONOMICS?
TIP: If you eliminate jobs through OUTSOURCING them to places like China, not only is the Safety Standards different to appalling, but these import products are targeting consumers that are the very people you made unemployed by outsourcing! How the heck are these people suppose to buy the very products they once made without the level of income they once enjoyed when they had a job with these corporations?
Logic isn’t their strong suit, but greed is their main motivator. Perhaps these RECALLS are coming back to bite the Corportations in the a**?
SIDE NOTE: The recalls are based on dangerous production from other countries, similar to Import FOOD/ Liquids/ or other personal products that all North Americans consumne. What’s to stop those who wish to Harm Westerners from contaminating any of these imported produce or products? Doesn’t this come under War Safety Strategies the way we responded to in WWII or the Cold War? Are Corporations putting their nations at risk for terrorism in a different form? This may not be just about economics & cost effectiveness.
Thought I’d throw that one out to you to ponder, as our food seems to be in the news a lot lately… EG: Bovine TB in AB. Canada, British bird flu outbreak (H5N1 virus), American E.coli in Spinach last year & many many more!
Best answer:
Answer by Bargain Girl of Yore
Agreed!
Give your answer to this question below!
With all the recalls I thought I would share:?
Question by marnibrown1: With all the recalls I thought I would share:?
this is an actual research page I found when working for a home vet and she loved it so much that she put it on her page..read it with an open mind…and think…here is her page also if you are interested..http://www.carinrennings.com
(Don’t read if you have a weak stomach)
What’s Really for Dinner?
The Truth About Commercial Pet Food, by Tina Perry
Cow brains. Sheep guts. Chicken heads. Road kill. Rancid grain. These are a few of the so-called nutritionally balanced ingredients found in the commercial pet food served to companion animals every day.
More than 95 percent of US companion animals derive their nutritional needs from a single source: processed pet food. When people think of pet food, many envision whole chickens, choice cuts of beef, fresh grains, and all the nutrition that a dog or cat may ever need — images that pet food manufacturers promote in their advertisements. What these companies do not reveal is that instead of whole chickens they have substituted chicken heads, feet, and intestines. Those choice cuts of beef are really cow brains, tongues, esophagi, fetal tissue dangerously high in hormones, and possibly diseased and even cancerous meat. Those whole grains have had the starch removed for corn starch powder and the oil extracted for corn oil, or they are hulls and other remnants from the milling process. Grains used that are truly whole have usually been deemed unfit for human consumption because of mold, contaminants, poor quality, or poor handling practices. Pet food is one of the world’s most synthetic edible products, containing virtually no whole ingredients.
Pet food manufacturers have become masters at inducing companion animals to eat things cat and dogs would normally spurn. Pet food scientists have learned that it’s possible to take a mixture of inedible scraps, fortify it with artificial vitamins and minerals, preserve it so that it can sit on the shelf for more than a year, add dyes to make it attractive, and then extrude it into whimsical shapes that appeal to the human consumer. For this, pet food companies can expect to earn billion in sales in 1996.
Scraps and Byproducts For years, many care givers have tried to avoid feeding their companion animals people food leftovers, having been warned by veterinarians about the heath problems they can cause. Yet much scrap material from the human food industry is ending up in dogs and cat’s dinner bowls. What the consumer purchases and what the manufacturer advertises are often two entirely different products, and this difference threatens the animals healthy, especially as they age. Learning to read ingredient labels and taking the time to read them carefully is crucial to making an educated choice when purchasing pet food. Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight (heaviest first) under standards established by the Center for Veterinary Medicine for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The name of the product (in most states) is dictated by the regulations of the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The trouble is, AAFCO standards can lead to deceptive product names due to the weight and volume variations between wet and dry ingredients. Also, the average consumer has no idea what the definitions for the listed ingredients mean. Preservatives, vitamins, minerals, flavorings, and cereal make up most of what the companion animal eats.
It is not happenstance that four of the top five major pet food companies in the United States are subsidiaries of major multinational food production companies: Colgate Palmolive (which produces Hills Science Diet), Heinz, Nestle, and Mars )see The Corporate Connection). From a business standpoint, multi-national food companies owning pet food manufacturers is an ideal relationship. The multinationals have captive market in which to dump their waste products, and the pet food manufacturers have a direct source of bulk materials. Both make a profit from selling scraps that originate from places far worse than the dinner table. In his 1986 book Pet Allergies veterinarian Al Plechner sums up what goes into companion animals food: Condemned parts and animals rejected for human consumption are routinely rerouted for commercial pet foods. A similar fate applies to so-called 4-D animals. These are food animals picked up dead, or that are dying, diseased, or disabled, and do not meet human-food qualifications. They are processed straightaway for companion animal consumption. Little goes to waste. Says Plechner, Food processing refuse of all sorts winds up in your animals dinner bowls. Moldy grains. Rancid foods. Meat meal. The latter is ground-up slaughterhouse discards often containing disease-ridden tissue and high levels of hormones and pesticides, the very things that may have contributed to the death of the steer or hog. A decade later, his words still apply. When cattle, swine, chickens, lambs, or other animals meet their ends at a slaughterhouse, the choice cuts — lean muscle tissue and organs prized by humans — are trimmed away from the carcass for human consumption. Whatever remains of the carcass (bones, blood, pus, intestines, ligaments, subcutaneous fat, hooves, horns, beaks, and
any other parts not normally consumed by humans) is, according to the pet food industry, perfectly fit as a protein source for cat and dog food.
The Pet Food Institute, the trade association of pet food manufacturers, acknowledges in its 1994 Fact Sheet the importance of using byproducts in pet foods as additional income for processors and farmers. The purchase and use of these ingredients by the pet food industry not only provides nutritional foods for pets at reasonable costs, but provides an important source of income to American farmers and processors of meat, poultry, and seafood products for human consumption. Many of these remnants are indigestible and provide a questionable source of nutrition. The amount of nutrition provided by meat byproducts, meals, and digests varies from vat to vat of this animal protein soup. A vat filled with chicken feet, beaks, and viscera is going to make available a lower amount of protein than a vat of breast meat. James Morris and Quinton Rogers, professors with Department of Molecular Biosciences at the University of California at Davis Veterinary School of Medicine, assert that there is virtually no information on the bio-availability of nutrients for companion animals in many of the common dietary ingredients used in pet foods. These ingredients are generally byproducts of the meat, poultry and fishing industries, with the potential for wide variation in nutrient composition. Claims of nutritional adequacy of pet foods based on the current AAFCO nutrient allowances (profiles) do not give assurances of nutritional adequacy and will not until ingredients are analyzed and bioavailability values are incorporated. Meat byproducts, the catch-all term of the pet food industry, is a misnomer because these byproducts contain little if any meat. Byproducts contain little if any meat. Byproduct are animal parts leftover after the meat has been stripped from the bone. Chicken byproducts include heads, feet, entrails, lungs, spleens, kidneys, brains, livers, stomachs, noses, blood, and intestines free of their contents. What the pet food manufactures fail to mention is that most byproducts, digests and meals are also filled with other substances, such as cancerous tissue cut from the carcass, plastic foam packaging containing spoiled meat from supermarkets, ear tags, spoiled slaughterhouse meat, road kill, and pieces of downer animals.
Canned Cannibalism Another source of meat that isn’t mentioned on pet food labels is pet byproducts, the bodies of dogs and cats. In 1990 the San Francisco Chronicle reported that euthanized companion animals were found in pet foods. Although pet food company executives and the National Renderers Association vehemently denied the report, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the FDA confirmed the story. The pets serve a viable purpose by providing foodstuff for the animal feed chain, said Lea McGovern, chief of the FDA’s animal feed safety branch. Because of the sheer volume of animals rendered and the similarity in protein content between poultry byproducts and processed dogs and cats, rendering plant workers say it would be impossible for purchasers to know the exact contents of what they buy. In fact, Sacramento Rendering cited by inspectors five times in the past two years for product-labeling violations.
Grease and Grain
The most nutritious dry pet food is no better than the worst if animals will not eat it. Pet food scientists have discovered that spraying the kibble or pellets with a combination of refined animal fat, lard, kitchen grease, and other oils too rancid or deemed inedible for humans makes an otherwise bland or distasteful product palatable. Animal fat is mainly packing house waste or supermarket trimmings from the packaging of meats. Animals love the taste of this sprayed fat, which also acts as a binding agent to which manufacturers may add other flavor enhancers. The pungent odor wafting from an open bag of pet food is created by this concoction. Restaurant grease has become a major component of feed-grade animal fat over the last 15 years. Often held in 50-gallon drums for weeks or months in extreme temperatures, this grease is usually kelp outside with no regard for its safety or further use. The rancid grease is then picked up by fat blenders who mix the animal and vegetable fats together, stabilize them with powerful antioxidants to prevent further spoilage, and then sell the blended products to pet food companies. Rancid, heavily preserved fats are extremely difficult to digest and can lead to a host of animal health problems, including digestive upsets, diarrhea, gas, and bad breath. Once considered filler by the pet food industry, the amount of grain products included in pet food has risen over the last decade as the American population has focused its attention away from consuming beef and toward a healthier diet of grains and vegetables. Commonly two of the top three pet food ingredients are some form of grain products. For instance, Alpo’s Beef Flavored Dinner lists ground yellow corn, soybean meal, and poultry byproduct meal as its top three ingredients. 9 Lives Crunchy Meals lists ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, and poultry byproduct meal as its top three ingredients. Of the top four ingredients of Purina’s O.N.E. Dog Formula — chicken, ground yellow corn, ground wheat, and corn gluten meal — two are corn-based products from the same source. This is an industry practice known as splitting. When components of the same whole ingredient are listed separately (ground yellow corn and corn gluten meal) it appears that
there is less corn than chicken, even when the whole ingredient may weigh more than the chicken. Soy is another common ingredient in many pet foods. It is used by the manufacturers to boost the claimed protein content and add bulk so that when animals eat a product containing soy they will fell more sated. Tofu is suitable for humans, but most forms of soybean do not agree with a dog or cat’s digestive system. Like many other pet food ingredients, soy is virtually unusable by an animal’s body. Being obligate carnivores, cats have little ability to digest any nutrients from soy. The problem is worse for dogs because they lack the essential amino acid to digest soy products. Soy has also been linked to bloat and gas in many dogs.
Additives and Processing
Pet food industry critics note that many of the ingredients (such as corn syrup and corn gluten meal) used as humectants to prevent oxidation also bind water molecules in such a way that the food actually sticks to the animal’s colon and may cause blockage. Blockage of the colon may cause an increased risk of cancer of the colon or rectum. Two-thirds of the pet food manufactured in the United States contains synthetic preservatives added by the manufacturer. Of the remaining third, 90 percent includes ingredients already stabilized by synthetic preservatives. Because most pet food contains large percentages of added fat, a stabilizer is needed to maintain the quality of the food. Sodium nitrite, often used as a coloring agent, fixative, and preservative, has the ability to combine with natural stomach and food chemicals (secondary amends) to create nitrosamines, powerful cancer-causing agents, according to A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives.
Many pet foods advertised as preservative-free do not contain preservatives. Almost all rendered meats have synthetic preservatives added as stabilizer, but manufacturers aren’t required to list preservatives they themselves haven’t added. Premixed vitamin additives can also contain preservatives. In the 1003 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, veterinarian Philip Roudebush reported finding low concentrations of synthetic antioxidant preservatives in all analyzed samples of products labeled as chemical free or all-natural. Other types of additives depend on whether the pet food is semi-moist, dry or canned. Because semi-moist food contains 25-50 percent water, antimicrobial preservatives must be used. Propylene glycol was frequently used in cat food until it was pulled in 1992 for causing a variety of health problems. Processing greatly alters the nutritional value of the food ingredients. Veterinarian R. L. Wysong states in Rationale for Animal Nutrition: Processing is the wild card in nutritional value that is, by and large, simply ignored. Heating, freezing, dehydrating, canning, extruding, pelleting, baking and so forth, are so commonplace that they are simply thought of as synonymous with food itself. Because the ingredients that pet food companies use are not wholesome, and harsh manufacturing practices destroy what little nutritional value the food may have had in the first place, the final product must be fortified with vitamins and minerals.
Questionable Nutrition
How, then, can any pet food be guaranteed to be 100 percent complete or nutritionally adequate? As long as it meets the AAFCO minimum standards, such a guarantee can be on the label. Yet in 1994, feed tests conducted by the New York State Agriculture Department showed 7 percent of all pet foods analyzed failed chemical analyses for guaranteed nutrients. Other states report similar findings, with failure of analyzed feed ranging from to 12 percent. Even if a pet food meets AAFCO standards, certain nutritional requirements (for example, lysine) can vary between species by as much as seven-fold. Although manufacturers clam that millions of companion animals can thrive on a diet consisting of nothing by commercial pet food, research and an increasing number of veterinarians implicate processed pet food as a source of disease or as an exacerbating agent for a number of degenerative diseases. For example, kidney disease is on of the top three killers of companion animals. According to Plechner, the extra protein and harsh ingredients of many pet foods place an overload on the kidneys. Left untreated, the toxic buildup leads to vomiting, loss of appetite, uremic poisoning, and death. Wysong adds, In the last few years, large statistical studies have shown the link between the diet (of processed foods) and a variety of degenerative diseases, including cancer, heart disease, allergies, arthritis, obesity, dental disease, etc. After extensive research, the Animal Protection Institute (API) published a Pet Food Investigative Report to educate companion animal care givers about pet food ingredients, ingredient definitions, labeling, and dietary ailments resulting from processed commercial pet food, including the most commonly know brands. Yet, whether such food is purchased at the supermarket, pet store, or from a veterinarian, it makes little difference in terms of the quality — only in the cost. Since the report was published earlier this year, API has conducted more research on holistic pet care and pet food alternatives, but still claims that the vast majority of pet foods available on the market today provide less that optimum nutrition for companion animals.
It is sad to think that the food provided by animal care givers to their four-legged friends could be hazardous to the animals’; health and longevity. Care givers should assume responsibility for providing as healthful a diet as possible for the animals in the care. Consumers should be informed: speak with a holistic practitioner or herbalist, or consult your veterinarian (but be aware that a veterinarian’s knowledge of nutrition may be limited to the two weeks of nutrition he or she had veterinary school 20 years ago). Although the ideal solution would be for companion animals to be fed only wholesome homemade and/or vegetarian diets, this is not an optician for everyone — the cost and time commitment is sometimes prohibitive. By taking more moderate steps, however, care givers can still greatly improve companion animals’ diet and quality of life.
EDIT: On Carin Rennings page she lists recommended diets… she really researched them and its really helpful….go check it out..smile
EDIT EDIT: sorry but it is still happening to the person that said its not… when I did my research I asked around and found out that the people that picked up the dead pets from the vets offices that did not want a private creamation actually had a company come in and pick the bodies up…really sick…valley protien I think was the name of the company…
I am not just trying to “SCARE” people …here is more proof….read this article JUST WRITTEN!! and see for yourself whats in your pet foods!!
http://www.petfoodreport.com/aboutpetfood.htm#ingredients
Edit: as far as ill timing and such… I think its just the right time!! people need to open their eyes…so sorry you 2 feel that way…smile
http://www.api4animals.org/facts.php?p=359&more=1
Best answer:
Answer by yourpillowkitten3
thank for the information
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Q&A: What is your opinion on recent recalls?
Question by m: What is your opinion on recent recalls?
Because baby furniture, food, and toys are being recalled for hazards, additives and poisons ~ there are rumors that prices will be higher for many of these products and especially for toys at Christmas (good way to get parents to pay any amount for safety).
I want to know why we should have to pay for the abysmal oversight of U.S. companies who are only interested in profits.
The only way I would willingly pay more to these companies for their products is if they brought production back to the U.S., paid U.S. taxes so the product safety inspections can be funded at the level needed, and hire American workers again.
Also the corporations keep blaming China for everything, but it is the manufacturers who insist on sending work there for cheap labor, do not follow their own safety guidelines for reporting discovered dangers, and instead of paying for the fiascos from profits, charge the consumers. ~ They should stop passing the buck and take full responsibility.
What do you think
If you don’t mind, leave a star so more readers will give their opinions,
Thanks
Best answer:
Answer by How_Would_I_Know
I can’t really see how it would make sense to use something like this as a way to jack up prices for Christmas. The companies involved are going to lose a lot more money and reputation than they’ll get from that..
And hopefully this will prompt a lot of people to look for domestic goods to purchase, instead of cheap, shoddy Chinese imports. That can only be good for us.
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Recalls on Made in China products…Enough?
Question by SharpDr08: Recalls on Made in China products…Enough?
This week Fisher-Price recalled about 1 million dolls, because they contained excessive amounts of lead, they were made in China. Yes China make the products for cheap, but when there is a recall involved, which quite often it happens; first it hurts the image of the American company, lowers the consumer trust in that company, and finally it costs the company more money. I believe that in the upcoming years, American companies are going to fed up with China imports and start making products back in the US? would this be a possibility, what do you think?
Best answer:
Answer by tan0301
It would be nice to think that, but I don’t know. Labor is so much cheaper over seas, even with the recall they still probably come out to the good. And we all know that we have short memories… as soon as that 2 year old starts crying in walmart a month from now that frazzled mom is going to buy fisher price!
What do you think? Answer below!
Maytag Neptune Washer/Dryer combos (gas dryer) and recalls on them…?
Question by socalgramma: Maytag Neptune Washer/Dryer combos (gas dryer) and recalls on them…?
We purchased the above in 2000, and, based on (historical) success of the products from the Maytag Corp., we thought we’d made a good purchase.
In 2005, we were contacted and told that we were part of a class action lawsuit (if we chose to be involved) as Maytag had faulty (nearly airless) door parts/seals which caused a build up of mold, etc on the doors, seals, etc…. No problem, got it fixed; reimbursed; merely inconvenienced (can live with that).
Now, machine won’t perform usual wash cycle, nor will it spin out; makes sounds like tortured animal (whine, groan); and simply does not work! I look up recalls on Maytag Neptune W/D and I find other recalls from the Consumer Safety Commission, and a slew of other sources.
My questions are as follows:
Anyone else have this/these problems?
What’d you do about it/them?
Thanks
Best answer:
Answer by kim t
Did this happen after the person worked on them?? If so contact the company and tell them what happened.
What do you think? Answer below!
Peanut Butter recalls in USA!?
Question by Moogie: Peanut Butter recalls in USA!?
Here is a brief article on it. Others have specifically mentioned PetSmart biscuits but there is suspicion of others! I know I give my dogs peanut butter and thought others might as well and need to be made aware of this!
Federal health authorities confirmed that peanut butter and peanut paste made by a Virginia company are the sole sources of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 486 people in 43 states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 14 institutions where people became sick had bought peanut butter made by Peanut Corp. of America, based in Lynchburg, Va. An agency analysis said many of the people who became sick nationwide had eaten prepackaged peanut-butter sandwich crackers sold under Kellogg Co.’s Austin and Keebler brands. Kellogg, which used Peanut Corp.’s ingredients, has since recalled the products.
Connecticut health investigators found an unopened five-pound container of Peanut Corp.’s peanut butter tested positive for the Salmonella Typhimurium strain involved in the outbreak. Earlier this month, Minnesota health officials found an open container of the company’s creamy peanut butter with the same strain.
In addition, Food and Drug Administration investigators found a different strain of salmonella on parts of the floor of the company’s Blakely, Ga., plant, said Stephen Sundlof, director of the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The agency is still conducting tests at the plant, and Dr. Sundlof said any products containing peanut butter or paste made at the plant after July 1 should be recalled.
Peanut Corp. makes peanut butter that is distributed in bulk to nursing homes, schools and other institutions as well as peanut paste; both were used in dozens of products sold directly to consumers. Last week, the company recalled peanut butter and peanut paste made at its Blakely facility.
On Tuesday, PetSmart Inc. recalled seven of its Grreat Choice Dog Biscuit products that contain peanut paste made by Peanut Corp. PetSmart said it wasn’t aware of any cases of pets becoming ill from the products but has recalled them as a precautionary measure.
Peanut Corp. has since stopped production at the Blakely plant, and recalled peanut butter and a paste containing ground, roasted peanuts. So far, about 125 products have been recalled by companies that used Peanut Corp.’s ingredients.
Article mentioning PetSmart biscuits..
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-peanut22-2009jan22,0,7913919.story
Keep yourselves and pets safe!
Best answer:
Answer by RAWWWRRrrr
Thanks for the news.. I’ll be sure not to get any peanut butter from Peanut Corp.. I don’t have a dog 😉
That’s crazy how much of Peanut Corp. peanut butter is used by so many products…
What do you think? Answer below!
how much money have US companies lost from product recalls from China?
Question by havanna j: how much money have US companies lost from product recalls from China?
Or does China pay the price? if they do, how much money in product is wasted anyways?
Best answer:
Answer by go china
Hey is the US company being cheap with the factory they built in China China it self has nothing to do with it. blame the greedy american companies not China.
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PANOS Brands Recalls Vegan Rella Cheddar Block?
Question by …: PANOS Brands Recalls Vegan Rella Cheddar Block?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –Saddle Brook, NJ — November 20, 2008 — PANOS brands, of Saddle Brook, NJ is recalling Vegan Rella Cheddar Block, (a cheese substitute) with a Sell by date of 12/09/2008. This product is being recalled because it may possibly contain an undeclared milk protein. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk protein run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product. No other lot or variety of Vegan is involved.
The product was sold directly to the consumers from their retail stores located nationwide.
The recalled product is packed in 8oz packages with UPC Code 0 37983 00015 4 and a sell by date of 12/09/2008.
There was one reported incident of an allergic reaction associated with the consumption of the product. The product is manufactured by Swan Gardens/Tree of Life, Austell, GA. This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration.
Consumers who have purchased this product are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may call (800) 494-8839 ext. 425
Best answer:
Answer by Francesca .
hahaha that stinks. I have not bought any vegan cheese, thank goodness.
what jerks.
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What are the differences between Canada and the USA in terms of product recalls?
Question by Curtis M: What are the differences between Canada and the USA in terms of product recalls?
I am a Canadian student writing a paper regarding product recalls and their influence on shareholders. Many of the articles that I have come across strictly deal with US cases. I want to apply these cases to my paper; however, I will need to state the differences between the US and Canada in terms of product recalls. After doing a quick search I was unable to find any differences so I’m turning here for help!
Sources are helpful as this is an academic paper.
Thanks!
Best answer:
Answer by SDD
Since there are very few products distributed in Canada that are not also in the United States, Canada pretty much outsources this to the US.
Give your answer to this question below!
Are US companies going to begin “moving” back to US to avoid the recalls?
Question by Secret Squirrel: Are US companies going to begin “moving” back to US to avoid the recalls?
Companies that were ‘household names’ for decades are issuing recalls for their products that were once produced in US.When they abandoned this country for tax incentives and cheap (child) labor they saw the “savings” and crowed about how they made their investors more money.
China has exported faulty products made by ‘American’ companies that are poisonous,defective,and downright dangerous to folks…what do you propose the consumer do?
Can Americans stop buying foreign or do the Chinks hold the upper hand here?
Best answer:
Answer by Ken
The only thing that will make companies come back to America is if people stand up and say we are only buying american made products (or we are NOT buying Chinese products). The recalls that we hear about are few, what about all the ones that we do not hear about? What do you think is getting in our food that is coming from foreign countries?
What do you think? Answer below!