A timeline of the pet food recall
April 18, 2007
Taking place in fits and starts over the past two months, a national recall of more than 100 brands of pet food was prompted by tainted wheat gluten imported from China. The recall has spurred scores of lawsuits and a Congressional oversight hearing this week.
Key events:
Feb. 26 -- Menu Foods Ltd., a private label manufacturer based in Canada, begins getting calls about sick cats.
Feb. 26-27 -- A Menu Foods executive sells half of his shares in the company for $89,000, though chief financial officer Mark Wiens says the timing was not linked to an impending recall that lowered those share values to $54,000.
Early March - Menu Foods alerts Cornell University, which conducts testing for the firm, that cats in its taste tests would not eat the food and, within days, suggests the food is toxic.
March 16 - Menu Foods recalls 60 million cans and pouches of wet dog and cat food made at its Kansas and New Jersey plants.
March 17 - Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., of Kansas, recalls a "very small number" of canned Science Diet Savory Cuts products for cats.
March 24 - Menu Foods expands its recall to all "cuts and gravy" style wet pet food, regardless of production date.
March 30 - Menu Foods chief executive Paul Henderson assures reporters of the safety of the company's food which he predicts "will be returning to store shelves across North America in the coming weeks and months."
March 30 - The Pet Food Institute, which represents all major brands, reacts to pressure from activists saying it would be "clearly irresponsible" to recall dry pet food.
March 30 - Hill's Pet Nutrition expands recall to Prescription Diet m/d Feline, dry food linked to tainted wheat gluten.
March 30 - Nestle Purina PetCare Co. recalls Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy wet dog food with specific date codes.
March 31 - Del Monte Pet Products recalls select dog snacks and wet dog food.
April 2 - DLM Foods Canada Corp., a division of Del Monte Foods Co., withdraws beef-flavored Jerky Treats.
April 3 - ChemNutra Inc. identifies itself as the importer of tainted wheat gluten, issues recalls to known customers and directs others who received the suspect ingredient indirectly to contact the company.
April 3-4 - Procter & Gamble Pet Care, whose brands were involved in the recall, takes out full-page ads assuring safety of dry foods not subject to recall.
April 5 - Menu Foods recall expanded to include earlier "cuts and gravy" items produced with ChemNutra import of tainted wheat gluten.
April 5 - Sunshine Mills Inc. recalls dog biscuits produced with tainted wheat gluten imported by ChemNutra.
April 6 - Del Monte Pet Products expands its recall to additional pet treats.
April 10 - Menu Foods again expands its recall to food made at its home plant in Ontario.
April 10 - Banfield, The Pet Hospital, reports its 615 clinics saw a 30 percent spike in cat kidney failure cases in the three-month window suspect pet food was sold.
April 12 - The Food and Drug Administration warns consumers that recalled pet food may still be on store shelves.
SOURCES: The FDA, Globe wires, company press releases
