Pet Food Recalls And Nestlé Purina PetCare Company: Alpo And Mighty Dog

On March 30, 2007, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company issued a pet food recall regarding two of its leading selling brands, Mighty Dog (5.3 oz pouch) and Alpo Prime Cuts and Gravy wet dog food. The pet food recall was prompted by traces of melamine, an ingredient used in the manufacturing of plastics, found in the ingredient wheat gluten.

The discovery of this unintended ingredient has caused 13 reported cases of animal deaths, though veterinarians approximate that there have been an unreported 3,000 deaths associated with melamine laced pet food products. The pet food recall involved 13.2-ounce and 22-ounce ALPO Prime Cuts cans and 6-,8-, 12- and 24-can ALPO Prime Cuts Variety Packs.

Purina reports that the tainted wheat glutton has only been detected in one of its 17 production facilities. The company claims that it has been using wheat gluten as an ingredient for nearly twenty years without an incident, until now. The contaminated wheat gluten involved, in this recent pet food recall, was due to purchasing the ingredient from an undisclosed Chinese company. Purina's previous suppliers were at the time in short supply of the ingredient. Subsequently, Purina has ceased its business with the said company, and is seeking its wheat gluten resources from other companies, praying to avoid another pet food recall.

As Purina scrambles to polish its tarnished image by announcing that the company guarantees all of its products, consumers are still weary of the company in these uncertain pet food recall times. While Mighty Dog and Alpo Prime Cuts are pulled from the shelves of local supermarkets, Purina insists that its various other pet food products are safe for animal consumption. The question being, have consumers lost faith in the reliability of Purina's products, or do they see the pet food recall as an isolated incident? While other pet food providers such as Menu Foods see their stocks dropping in foreign markets, Purina has somehow remained much of its financial stability in the world of post pet food recall trading.

Perhaps it is Purina's commitment to remedy their mistakes, by instituting the pet food recall, that has allowed them to keep a strong foothold in the pet food market. While working with the FDA to ensure that its outgoing products are contaminate-free, Purina leads the pack of pet food suppliers to correct the atrocities of product-related deaths. Furthermore, their concerns appear to be genuinely rooted in the safety of  pets, and not on their own company profits. Their website posted this message to consumers immediately after the pet food recall was issued: "At Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, nothing is ore important to us than the health and well-bing of the pets whose nutrition has been entrusted to us by their owners, and we deeply regret this unfortunate situation. We will continue to take any and all actions necessary to ensure the quality and safety of our products."

With consumers in a frenzy over protecting their beloved pets from possible pain or death that resulted from the pet food recall, empathy and apologies have allowed Purina to continue its commitment to an industry based on people's happiness: their pets. In times like this, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company's mission statement stands out as a beacon in stormy weather: Your pets, Our Passion.


Sources:
PurinaAlpo® Brand Prime Cuts In Gravy Canned Dog Food Voluntary Nationwide Recall No Dry Purina Products Involved. Purina. 30 Mar. 2007.2 May 2007. http://www.purina.com/Company/Press/2007/MightyDog .aspx
Lowe, Nancy. "Purina to Voluntarily Withdraw Mighty Dog® 5.3 Ounce Pouch Products in Response to Menu Foods Recall." U.S. Food and Drug Administration.30 Mar. 2007. 2 May 2007. http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/purina03_07.h tml
Jamieson, Bob. “Alpo Added to Pet Food Recall.” abc News. 31 Mar. 2007. ABCNews Internet Ventures. 2 May 2007. http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=2998366& amp;page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312