IAMS is off their meds again.

What began twelve days ago as an expose of a secret recall for selected IAMS brand pet foods, ended today with an official public recall of an IAMS pet food after all. The accidental release of a notice for a covert recall of IAMS pet foods had IAMS working overtime to correct the blunder by issuing a statement that it was not a “recall” but was an “internal product pull” instead. Which, by the way, they said did not necessitate the notification of consumers.

While IAMS PR people quibbled over terminology, a crucial point remained undisputable: the pet food was contaminated with aflatoxin.

What does that mean to consumers?

It means they’re taking a piss on you and telling you it’s raining.

The accidental release of private information exposed a dirty secret the industry is sometimes in the habit of practicing when things go wrong with their food: the silent recall.  To minimize damage to the company’s brand, manufacturers will privately request that retailers to remove the offending product from their inventory without warning consumers who might have already purchased the food and feeding it to their pets. The objective of the silent recall and the manufacturer’s primary concern is to preserve their reputation at the expense of the health and welfare of the lives of cats and dogs. Their secondary concern is the very real possibility of the damage the contaminated pet food may have already done and is continuing to do to innocent pets and unsuspecting consumers.

What began as, what was described by their people, a minor problem today has mushroomed into an official recall by Procter & Gamble for a puppy food shipped to sixteen states on the East coast  for – you guessed it – unacceptably high levels of aflatoxin found in the dog food.

P&G Voluntarily Recalls One Production Lot of Dry Dog Food

CINCINNATI, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — “The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) has voluntarily retrieved a single production lot of dry dog food due to aflatoxin levels that were detected above the acceptable limit.  This product has already been retrieved from store shelves.  No illnesses have been reported in association with this production lot to date, and no other Iams pet food products are involved.”

Product affected by this announcement:

7.0 lb bag, Code Date 12784177I6 UPC Code 1901402305
8.0 lb bag, Code Dates 12794177D2, 12794177D3, UPC Code 1901410208
17.5 lb bag, Code Dates 12794177K1, 12794177K2; UPC Code 1901401848

The affected product lot was distributed to a limited number of retailers located in the eastern United States (AL, CT, DE, FL, GA, LA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, SC, VA).  These retailers have already removed this product from store shelves.  No other dry dog food, dry cat food, dog or cat canned food, biscuits/treats or supplements are affected by this announcement.

While no health effects related to this product have been reported, P&G retrieved this product as a precautionary measure.  Consumers who purchased the product listed should stop using the product and discard it and contact Iams at the number below for a replacement voucher.  Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring by-product from the growth of Aspergillus flavus and can be harmful to pets if consumed in significant quantities.  Pets which have consumed this product and exhibit symptoms of illness including sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, vomiting, yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, or diarrhea should be seen by a veterinarian.

For further information or a product replacement or refund contact P&G toll-free at 866-908-1569 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST) or www.iams.com.

Read: IAMS Puppy Food – This Time, It’s A Recall (by Phyllis Entis of eFoodAlert.com)