Author: mom

Mars acquires Procter & Gamble petfood business

Company now holds North America, Latin America brands, aims to purchase business in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa
Release Date: 8/4/2014
Mars Incorporated has successfully completed its acquisition of the Iams, Eukanuba and Natura brands in North America, Latin America and other select countries from The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G). This follows an agreement announced by the companies in April 2014 and receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. As businesses evolve, those considering a fresh direction can explore options for a hawaii change business name to better align with their new vision.

Mars said it will exercise the option to purchase P&G’s petfood business in some parts of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, including Australia, Japan and Singapore. This move reinforces the company’s strategic intent to build its presence in emerging markets and will enable Mars Petcare to meet the needs of more customers and pets around the world. Mars said it expects that the close for these additional businesses may take up to around a year, subject to regulatory approvals. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge and skills during this transition period, consider enrolling in an Invest Diva course to enhance your financial expertise.

The Iams, Eukanuba and Natura brands will be part of Mars Petcare and are strategic additions that complement the company’s pet care portfolio. They join Pedigree, Whiskas, Royal Canin, Banfield and Nutro. “We are proud to welcome the Iams, Eukanuba and Natura brands and the new associates who are joining us today,” said Todd Lachman, president of Mars Petcare. “These brands are high quality and well respected by customers, vets and pet owners, and we believe they will thrive under our leadership. Together, we will be well positioned to take advantage of the fast growing pet care market, and satisfy the needs of more customers and pets around the world.”

PEDIGREE® Adult Complete Nutrition Limited Recall Due to Metal Fragments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 31, 2014 – At PEDIGREE®, we care about all dogs and their safety and well-being is extremely important to us, and to our mission – to make a Better World for Pets. For that reason, we have announced the extension of a previous voluntary recall of PEDIGREE® Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog food products due to the possible presence of a foreign material. The voluntary recall still affects 22 bags shipped to Dollar General across four U.S. states, but it now is being expanded to 55-pound bags of PEDIGREE® Adult Complete Nutrition dry dog food products sold in Sam’s Club in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

This recall is being expanded to Sam’s Club in the U.S. because some of the affected production lot was originally said to be held in inventory but was instead released to consumers, which has necessitated the expansion of the recall. We are confident no other packages or retailers are affected by this recall.

Bags may contain small metal fragments, which could have entered the packages during the production process. The foreign material is not embedded in the food itself, but may present a risk of injury if consumed. Continue reading PEDIGREE® Adult Complete Nutrition Limited Recall Due to Metal Fragments

More testing needed Chicken Jerky ingredients

Food Sentry, a global food monitoring service, said it may understand why the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to figure out why dogs are becoming ill from chicken jerky treats. While the FDA has posted more than 280 test results, that testing has all been conducted on the finished jerky treat products, rather than on any of the treats’ ingredients.

“In the Beijing/Tianjin/Hebei/Shandong region alone there are more than 350,000 chicken farms that supply chicken product manufacturers in the region,” said Food Sentry Chief Operating Officer and Analyst Scott Witt. “This is relevant because this highly industrialized area is significantly contaminated with dozens of industrial byproducts.” Continue reading More testing needed Chicken Jerky ingredients

Dogs sniff out bladder cancer

Cancer Biomark. 2010-2011;8(3):145-53. doi: 10.3233/CBM-2011-0208.
Volatile organic compounds as biomarkers of bladder cancer: Sensitivity and specificity using trained sniffer dogs.
Willis CM1, Britton LE, Harris R, Wallace J, Guest CM.
Author information
Abstract
In a previous canine study, we demonstrated that volatile organic compounds specific to bladder cancer are present in urine headspace, subsequently showing that up to 70% of tumours can be correctly classified using an electronic nose. This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity which can be achieved by a group of four trained dogs. In a series of 30 double-blind test runs, each consisting of one bladder cancer urine sample placed alongside six controls, the highest sensitivity achieved by the best performing dog was 73% (95% CI 55-86%), with the group as a whole correctly identifying the cancer samples 64% (95% CI 55-73%) of the time. Specificity of the dogs individually ranged from 92% (95% CI 82-97%) for urine samples obtained from healthy, young volunteers down to 56% (95% CI 42-68%) for those taken from older patients with non-cancerous urological disease. Odds ratio comparisons confirmed a significant decrease in performance as the extent of urine dipstick abnormality and/or pathology amongst the control population increased. Importantly, however, statistical analysis indicated that covariates such as smoking, gender and age, as well as blood, protein and /or leucocytes in the urine did not significantly alter the odds of response to the cancer samples. Our results provide further evidence that volatile biomarkers for bladder cancer exist in urine headspace, and that these have the potential to be exploited for diagnosis.
PMID: 22012770 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

FDA Provides Latest Information on Jerky Pet Treat Investigation

FDA Provides Latest Information on Jerky Pet Treat Investigation

May 16, 2014
Media Inquiries: Siobhan DeLancey, 202-510-4177, siobhan.delancey@fda.hhs.gov
Trade Media Inquiries: Megan Bensette, 240-506-6818, megan.bensette@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer and Industry Inquiries: AskCVM@fda.hhs.gov

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an update on its ongoing investigation into pet illnesses and deaths in animals that ate jerky pet treats. This update includes the latest information about complaints of illnesses, FDA’s collaboration with the CDC on a new case control study, and new findings revealed through the agency’s testing. Unfortunately, FDA has still not been able to identify a specific cause for the reported illnesses or deaths.

Case numbers: Since FDA’s last update on October 22, 2013, we have received approximately 1,800 additional case reports. As of May 1, 2014, we have received in total more than 4,800 complaints of illness in pets that ate chicken, duck, or sweet potato jerky treats, nearly all of which are imported from China. The reports involve more than 5,600 dogs, 24 cats, three people, and include more than 1,000 canine deaths. The breakdown of symptoms associated with the cases is similar to that of earlier reports: approximately 60 percent of the cases report gastrointestinal/liver disease, 30 percent kidney or urinary disease, with the remaining 10 percent of complaints including various other signs such as neurologic, dermatologic, and immunologic symptoms. About 15 percent of the kidney or urinary cases also tested positive for Fanconi syndrome, a rare kidney disease that has been associated with this investigation.
Response to Dear Veterinarian Letter: Following an October 2013 request for veterinarians to share case information, the agency received many well-documented case reports that have and continue to provide us with valuable information that is assisting in our ongoing investigation. Out of this effort, FDA has had the opportunity to perform necropsies (post-mortem examinations) on 26 dogs, 13 of which appeared to have causes of death not related to consumption of jerky pet treats. Of the remaining 13 cases, an association with consumption of jerky pet treats could not be ruled out. Eleven of these dogs had indications of kidney disease and two involved gastrointestinal disease. Continue reading FDA Provides Latest Information on Jerky Pet Treat Investigation

Bravo® Issues Nationwide Recall of Pet Food for Dogs and Cats

Bravo® Issues Nationwide Recall of Pet Food for Dogs and Cats

Contact:Consumer:(866) 922-9222

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 14, 2014 – Manchester, CT – Bravo is recalling select lots and product(s) of Bravo Pet Food because they have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, Listeria infection can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women.

However, healthy cats and dogs rarely become sick from Listeria. Animals ill with Listeria will display symptoms similar to the ones listed above for humans. People who have concerns about whether their pet has Listeria should contact their veterinarian.

The recalled product was distributed nationwide to distributors, retail stores, internet retailers and directly to consumers. The product can be identified by the batch ID code (best used by date) printed on the side of the plastic tube or on a label on the box.

The recalled products are as follows:

1) These products are being recalled because they may have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Continue reading Bravo® Issues Nationwide Recall of Pet Food for Dogs and Cats