Horse Feed Recall Affects East Coast
by: Erin Ryder, TheHorse.com News Editor
May 05 2008, Article # 11810
Horse feed dealers are the key to identifying if there's a potential problem with recently purchased Purina feed, according to Land O'Lakes spokesperson Lydia Botham.
Land O'Lakes Purina Feed LLC recently announced a recall of certain horse feed products manufactured at three East Coast facilities. The products might contain an ingredient with an unacceptably high level of aflatoxin.
Aflatoxins are a form of mycotoxin, and are secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus spp. fungi. According to Gary Osweiler, DVM, PhD, professor of veterinary toxicology at Iowa State University, effects of aflatoxins can be progressive as well as cumulative. At levels greater than 50 ppb (parts per billion), aflatoxins can cause signs such as feed refusal, fever, weight loss, sluggishness, liver damage, jaundice, bloody diarrhea, kidney damage, birth defects, tumors, and suppressed immune function.
Read more about mycotoxins in "Damage From Within."
Botham said there have not been any confirmed health complaints due to aflatoxins related to the current recall of feed.
Feed Recall
The recalled feed was produced at:
Purina's Statesville, N.C., plant between Nov. 3, 2007, and Feb. 8, 2008;
Harrisburg, Pa., Jan. 1, 2008, and Feb. 8, 2008; and
Guilderland, N.Y., Jan. 1, 2008, and March 10, 2008.
Dealers in the following states might have sold affected product:
Connecticut,
Delaware,
Georgia,
Maine,
Maryland,
Massachusetts,
New Hampshire,
New Jersey,
New York,
North Carolina,
Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island,
South Carolina,
Tennessee,
Vermont,
Virginia, and
West Virginia.
The recall is voluntary and precautionary, Botham stressed.
Dealers were notified of the recall in March. Botham said the aflatoxin was discovered through routine product testing performed by a state regulatory agency, with results confirmed by company testing.
The potentially affected feed products were manufactured at three facilities and sold in 17 states (see sidebar). Horse owners in these states should call their feed dealer to see if they received affected product.
"Different dealers got different products, so the best thing (horse owners) can do is go to their dealer," Botham said. "The dealer is really the hub--they're the ones who will know if anyone in their area may have received this product."
The feed in question was manufactured between November 2007 and March 2008, depending on the manufacturing plant from which it originated.
Hank Yohe, warehouse manager and equine specialist at Global Ag Associates in York, Pa., a Purina feed dealer, said he heard about the recall about three weeks ago.
"As soon as I found out about it, all the customers that I could identify I contacted immediately," Yohe said. "But I knew I didn't have any feed of that vintage in my warehouse. We turn our feed around about every two weeks. So the feed that was in question I knew had already gone out, was already sold, and probably was already fed."
Yohe said he has not received any questions from customers, nor complaints about the products.
According to a statement released by Purina, the concern stems from a single ingredient, which originated with a specific supplier.
"The product had the presence of aflatoxin above the level of what we would consider acceptable," Botham said.
Purina is no longer using this supplier. However, it was noted in the statement that other feed companies that utilize this supplier might also be affected.
"I'm not aware of any aflatoxin contamination issues affecting Triple Crown Nutrition's equine formulas," said Rob Daugherty, CEO of Triple Crown Nutrition, Inc. "Triple Crown Nutrition offers fixed feed formulas utilizing ingredients that are typically not affected by aflatoxins like those sometimes found in corn screenings and/or peanut hulls."
Some other feeds companies are working to find out the identity of the supplier to ensure their products do not contain the affected ingredient.
I sometimes buy bulk feed by the ton, not in bags but direct from a wholesaler. We were discussing the testing for alfatoxins. Usually they run the corn through fluorescent light and if the corn fluoresces it indicates the possible presence of alfatoxins. The grain has to be lab tested for sure.
I asked him if he tested for alfatoxins in corn and he told be they screened with the fluorescent light but not lab test. The grain elevator owner also screens but not lab test.
I talked to my feed dealer about this and the inspections for retail bagged feed isn't as often (budget cuts) in Florida as it once was. I worked in the Dept. of Ag labs here in Tallahassee next door to our Feed Lab so, I guess they just don't get as many feed samples as they once did.
It's a good idea to talk to your feed dealer about how often a state inspector checks retail feed and see if they can find out about the feed manufacturer too.
I wonder where the corn came from?
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Additional Information on Feed Recall Released
by: Erin Ryder, TheHorse.com News Editor
May 09 2008, Article # 11843
Land O'Lakes Purina Feed LLC recently announced a recall of certain horse feed products manufactured at three East Coast facilities. The products might contain an ingredient with an unacceptably high level of aflatoxin. For more on this see Horse Feed Recall Affects East Coast.
The company updated its Web site May 8 with a new statement to horse owners. The statement reads as follows:
Our recent aflatoxin-related voluntary feed product retrieval has resulted in a number of questions from concerned animal owners. The most recent update on this situation is provided below.
In mid-February our own incoming ingredient testing and routine state regulatory testing simultaneously indicated aflatoxin above FDA action levels in certain feeds manufactured at our Statesville, North Carolina feed plant.
We immediately implemented an internal investigation and testing regimen to determine which products might be affected and, as a precautionary measure, initiated a voluntary retrieval of affected products (February 14, 2008) even prior to receiving all testing results.
Our investigation indicated a single ingredient from a single supplier, serving three Eastern plants (Statesville, N.C.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Guilderland, N.Y.), as the aflatoxin source.
We suspended purchases from this supplier and, as additional testing was conducted, appropriately expanded the voluntary product retrieval to include specific products, produced during specific time frames at these plants.
Only products distributed in the following Eastern states are included in the retrieval: Connecticut; Delaware; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; eastern Tennessee; northern Georgia.
Products manufactured at these plants after the following dates are NOT included in the voluntary retrieval: February 8, 2008, Harrisburg and Statesville; March 10, 2008, Guilderland.
The decision was made to implement the product retrieval through local dealers, whose first-hand relationships and knowledge of customer purchasing patterns offered the best opportunity to get information regarding specific products and lot numbers to potentially affected customers as quickly and clearly as possible. Dealers have been responsive and helpful throughout the process.
As of the date of this posting, we have no confirmed cases of aflatoxin-related animal health issues. We continue to urge customers with concerns about their animals to contact local veterinarians.
We deeply regret and apologize for the concern this situation may be causing our customers. Animal health and welfare, along with customer trust and confidence, remain our utmost priorities. We are continually evaluating measures to further strengthen our quality programs.
For a list of products included in the voluntary retrieval, use the following plant-specific links (link directs to a PDF download on the Purina Mills Web site): Statesville, N.C.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Guilderland, N.Y. Note: No other plants are involved in the product retrieval.
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I wont be surprise!!!!!
