Del Monte Pet Products Recalls Food Items

Another major U.S. pet food maker said yesterday that it is recalling some edible products for cats and dogs after learning from the Food and Drug Administration that the company had received tainted ingredients from a manufacturing plant in China.

Del Monte Pet Products, based in San Francisco, said that as a precautionary measure it was voluntarily recalling several items, including Gravy Train Beef Sticks, Jerky Treats and Pounce Meaty Morsels, as well as others sold under private labels.

The move came after an unknown number of pets have died or been sickened after eating tainted food.

Del Monte said it acted after the FDA notified the company that it had received wheat gluten from China that contained melamine, a possible toxin.

Del Monte, in a statement posted to its Web site, said the "adulteration" affected a limited quantity of its products under a select number of packaging codes.

Several other pet food manufacturers also have been affected by recalls, including Nestle Purina PetCare Co., which makes Alpo brand dog food; Menu Foods, headquartered in Streetsville, Ontario; Proctor & Gamble's Iams and Eukanuba; and Nestle S.A., maker of Mighty Dog and other brands.

Federal officials suspected initially that a chemical used in rat poison had sickened or killed an unknown number of animals but are now focusing on evidence that the toxin was melamine.

For further information on Del Monte 's recall, go to the company's Web site, http://www.delmonte.com. For information about other companies affected by recalls, go to the FDA's Web site, http://www.fda.gov.