In The News: Confusing News over NUTRO Pet Food Investigation

Update 4/28/2009 FDA issued statement: "Nutro Products, Inc. is not currently under investigation."

Update 04/27/2009 CNN corrected their Nutro story, confirming that FDA is not investigating Nutro Pet Foods.

Update 04/27/2009 - 2 pm Additional reporting from VIN News Service includes interview with freelance journalist Lisa Wade McCormick and Nutro spokeswoman Monica Barrett.

"Swine Flu" and political news will likely dominate the airwaves, keeping this ConsumerAffairs article from much airplay or coverage. The article reports of an FDA investigation on NUTRO Pet Food brought on by a series of unexplained illnesses and deaths. ConsumerAffairs noted that consumers (their readers) have been complaining for more than two years about illnesses believed to be linked to NUTRO Pet Food.

ConsumersAffairs followed up with an article on NUTRO's denial of the investigation. ConsumerAffairs remained steadfast on the existence of an FDA probe, evident by FDA's denial to ConsumerAffairs' request for a list of all complaints and lab results collected on NUTRO in the past two years. The request was filed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and was denied since:
"The document(s) constitute record(s) compiled for law enforcement purposes, the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings."

ConsumerAffairs concluded NUTRO is under investigation on the basis of this FOIA denial. Confirmation from an anonymous agency official was also reported.

Screening of veterinary-specific lists for news of confirmation or denial of this investigation did not make things any clearer. When questioned by a veterinary news service, a representative from the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) division of FDA confirmed that NUTRO is not under investigation. This information is repeated in this eFoodAlert post. But a direct announcement from the FDA was not found. Apparently, the FDA is not stepping up to deny the investigation themselves publicly. Instead, FDA is denying it to NUTRO and other sources, allowing those parties to reply to ConsumerAffairs report and CNN Headline News coverage. Perhaps, FDA did not think a ConsumerAffairs article warranted a direct response?

As of today, there is still no explanation for the denial of ConsumerAffairs FOIA request. It is possible the FOIA denial is related to the "Menu Food Recall" of 2007 or other subsequent recalls. Why not tell us that and dispel this probe rumor?

So is NUTRO Pet Food safe? Probably. With the many pet food options available, you need to decide whether "probably safe" is good enough for your pets. We will update as more information is available. Hopefully, the information will be more from the (FDA) source than rumors and second-hand denial / confirmation.

As a reminder, diet changes should be made gradually over a course of 5 to 7 days, longer if your pet is more sensitive to changes. Even with "safe" diets, sudden changes may cause vomiting, diarrhea and intestinal discomfort.

Tell your family veterinarian if you suspect your pet's illness is food related. Bring a sample of the food in a freezer bag, labeled with the product's name and lot numbers. If your veterinarian agrees the diet is implicated, he/she can contact the company and FDA with the diet information.