Canadian pet food manufacturer Menu Foods has expanded its list of recalled pet foods over fears of cross-contamination.
The Mississauga, Ont. based company was forced to recall 60 million packages of cuts and gravy-style pet food in March when it received reports of a number of dogs and cats that had suffered kidney failure or died as a result of eating the food.
An investigation that followed determined that the food was made with wheat gluten that contained melamine.
The reason for this week's extended recall is concern that the gluten, supplied by the company ChemNutra Inc., may have come into contact with other foods. The additional items have been added to the recall across North America and in Europe.
"You're buying something you think is healthy and great for your dogs and it's killing them," said concerned dog owner Maggie Fairs.
Dates of previously recalled items have been adjusted to include the entire period that the ChemNutra product was used at the affected Menu Foods plant.
The company, which faces several lawsuits, now pegs the cost of the recall at $45 million.
"This is a trust relationship between the pet owners and the manufacturers and the trust has been breached because there's a lot of people whose pets have died and a lot more people who have pets who are suffering," said Ron Smith, of
petitionz.org.
Click here to see the latest recalled products.
To see the full list, visit the
Menu Foods website.