Actually before untruth with is stated as facts, Blue has stated that they
didn't know Wilber-Ellis was importing from China. The affected portion was
a rice protein concentrate and Wilber-Ellis sent that same product to 5
other manufacturers in the United States. Natural Balance was also affected.

BB also has stated that this was a small lot that got shipped. Most of the
bags affected never left the wherehouse. This was also the first and only
time that Blue's supplier ever bought rice protein from Wilber-Ellis. I'm
pretty sure they probably didn't know this particular protein purchased by
Wilber-Ellis came from China.

This only affected the kitten formula of Blue. The rest of the products are
safe. The kitten food had a sell by date of March 7th, 2008. Something as
big as this recall can pretty much happen to any company. Blue voluntarily
pulled the line as soon as it was discovered that the rice protein tested
positive for melamine. According to CNN this may have also gotten into hog
feed which means we humans are now at risk from getting sick.

I think people should know that BB voluntarily pulled the kitten product as
soon as they discovered what happened. It should also be noted that it's
possible that more recalled product from other natural and holistic brands
could be found. No industry is ever safe from a recall.

As a consumer I still believe in Spa Select. It's been great for my cats and
I've got no problem recommending it to others. Being that Blue is a smaller
company than those listed in the Menu Foods listing, I'm pretty sure they
are probably making arrangements to go to another distributor for this
particular protein. The smaller companies have a faster chance of recovering
and making other arrangements than other brands can.

People should be happy that Blue caught this problem as early as they had.
If they had been a much larger company (like Nutro, Purina, Hills or other
of the larger brands) then most of the affected foods would be sitting on a
store shelf somewhere. I know plenty of people who buy Blue's kitten food.
As stated the number for the Blue recall is 1-800-919-2833. I'd also visit
their web site at www.bluebuff.com.




--
Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com
"Lynne" wrote in message
m...
on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 14:06:07 GMT, "buglady"
wrote:

.......there was a letter somewhere in the comments on PetCnx that
someone got from Blue Buffalo; sorry don't know where - somewhere in
the last 4 blog posts. IIRC (and I've already read too much this AM!)
they said they didn't get ingredients from China but were testing
their food anyway for melamine - which is how all these pet food
companies should be acting. SOME are stepping up to the plate - at
last. They realize the pickle most pet people are in.

Well apparently Blue Buffalo found some. So far "only" in a kitten dry
(DRY!!) formulation. Despite claiming not to get ingredients from China,
they actually were. Who is next?

From their website:

Voluntary Recall of Spa Select Kitten Dry Food

Dear Pet Parents:

The Blue Buffalo Company has undertaken a voluntary recall on one
production run of our Spa Select Kitten dry food. The production code on
the recalled product is:

"Best Used By Mar. 07 08 B."

We have taken this action because the rice protein concentrate used for
this one production run was obtained from Wilbur-Ellis, the same company
who supplied this ingredient to Natural Balance. Test results received
late last evening (4/18) indicated that this rice protein concentrate
tested positive for melamine. This is the first and only time our
manufacturing partner sourced an ingredient from Wilbur-Ellis, and we had
no knowledge that they had imported the ingredients from China.

We have advised the FDA of this finding and will be working closely with
them on this issue.

Of the 5,044 bags produced in this one run, we were able to prevent the
majority from ever entering retail distribution. We are working closely
with our retail partners to remove this product immediately and will be
re-stocking the shelves with Spa Select Kitten dry food that was produced
without any rice protein sourced from Wilbur-Ellis as soon as possible.

If you currently have a bag of Spa Select Kitten dry food, please check
the code date and if it matches the one shown above discontinue use
immediately and return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. If
your cat has eaten any of the recalled food, please call your
veterinarian immediately to discuss if there are any risks to your pet.

Should you have a specific question call our Customer Service Department
at 1-800-919-2833 or email us at . We understand your
desire for immediate answers and we will be working to get back to you as
quickly as we can.

No other Spa Select cat food or dog food, canned or dry, is included in
this recall.

As a family owned company whose reason for being is to provide cats and
dogs with the highest quality natural foods, we are extremely upset by
this recall and can't begin to apologize enough to our customers. From
our perspective, it is unacceptable to produce even one bag of food with
the potential to cause a pet to become ill, and we will further tighten
our ingredient sourcing and quality assurance procedures as a result of
this incident.

Sincerely,

Bill Bishop
President
The Blue Buffalo Company


--
Lynne


"We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly
We are brave enough to bend to cry
And sad enough to know
We must laugh again"

~ Nikki Giovanni, 4/17/2007, Virginia Tech