got this email today...
April 25, 2007
An Important Notice from SmartPak!
Dear SmartPak Customer,
As you may be aware, there has recently been significant recalls of numerous pet foods. The purpose of this letter is to alert you of these recalls, and to convey the information that we have at this time.
As background, the situation began in mid-March when a large manufacturer, Menu Foods, determined that a number of its pet food products contained an ingredient called wheat gluten that was contaminated with an industrial chemical, melamine. This chemical is used in the manufacturing of plastics and in fertilizers, and is suspected to have caused illness in cats and dogs.
Just recently, SmartPak learned that the same chemical had been discovered in the rice protein concentrate of two brands that we sell. Specifically, the affected brands are Natural Balance and LiveSmart. Natural Balance has issued a recall for all its Venison dog products and the dry Venison cat food. SmartPak has decided to halt the sales of all flavors of Natural Balance until they are able to complete their investigation.
On April 20th SmartPak initiated a voluntary recall of a single production run of the LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food. The particular lot of food recalled included rice protein concentrate that came from the same batch that was involved in the recall of Natural Balance foods. All customers that had been shipped this food were immediately contacted via both phone and email by SmartPak. No previous lots were affected, nor do we use rice protein concentrate in any other formulas of LiveSmart dog or cat foods. Thankfully, the product was just produced, and only a limited amount left our facility prior to the recall, and we have had no reports of any ill effects from either food.
This is an anxious time for all pet owners, and we are working hard to bring you the most up to date information. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions. We will continue to update our website as more information becomes available.
Sincerely,
Paal Gisholt
SmartPak CEO
__________________
 Seek respect, not attention.
|