Petco to Stop Sales of China Made Dog and Cat Treats

[Velos]

Petco today announced it will stop carrying China-made dog and cat treats at its more than 1,300 store locations nationwide, including Unleashed by Petco stores and online at Petco.com, by the end of 2014. The move makes Petco the first national pet specialty retailer to take this step in support of the health and well-being of pets.

 

The complete article here:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/petco-to-stop-sales-of-china-made-dog-and-cat-treats-2014-05-20

 

Was probably prompted by this news headline reported the day before:

Toxic jerky treats linked to more than 1,000 dog deaths

The complete article here: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/05/19/toxic-jerky-treats-linked-to-more-than-1000-dog-deaths/?cmpid=NL_fntop

 

 

[TCW]

A number of articles have pointed out it is often difficult to tell where all the different ingredients in a petfood product come from by looking at the label and it may not be only the country where it is produced. I have looked at a number of products we have on hand. Some say Manufactured by and others say distributed by. None list the country of origin for each ingredient. So where is Petco getting this information? In a previous petfood problem, I believe it was wheat glutein from China that was identified as a problem not that the final product was produced in China.

[LindaH]

TCW, you've hit the nail on the head! Just because a treat or a food says "Made in the USA" does not necessarily mean that ALL ingredients came from the USA...all it means is that the ingredients were assembled in the USA. Vitamins and minerals, in particular, often come from China.

 

So, while this is good news, it will probably only affect those treats that say "Made in China," "Product of China," or some similar wording. It's unlikely to affect treats that use ingredients from China but are assembled here and can use the "Made in the USA" label (and it certainly won't affect foods that use ingredients from China).

 

I use Petsumer Report to find out information about pet food, including country of origin of the ingredients (there is a subscription fee). This list is compiled by Susan Thixton from TruthAboutPetFood.com.

[skp51443]

More and more companies are auditing their supply chains to make sure of the source of all ingredients, partly to provide a quality product and partly from fear that if they don't show they were diligent in checking they will be found liable for any damages.

 

Another thing that is starting to happen is that the companies are also auditing the labor conditions at their suppliers to insure they aren't going to cause a scandal that will be a problem for the company if the supplier gets exposed for abuse.

[skp093018]

Geez, they are only 3-4 years late with this groundbreaking news....they only made this decision because we, the consumer, made a dent in their wallet by not buying that made in China crap. Just an example of what can be done.

 

Regards

Gemstone

[desertranger]

The dog training and handler sites have been saying for years don't feed your dog anything made in China.

[Neo/Russ]

So what automotive, clothing, shoe, food, tool, or other "site" do we go to that has said don't buy things made in China? Or are there sites that tell what products are made there that we can research?

I was in TSC and needed some visegrips, bought two and that night we were in Wal-Mart and found genuine Vise-grip brand - "made in the USA". Next day took the Chinese ones back to TSC and told them why - did it change anything - NO.

 

Russ

[LindaH]

Petsmart has now followed Petco's lead and will no longer sell treats made in China:

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/petsmart-stop-selling-pet-treats-made-china-23808928

 

However, while Petco will remove China treats from their shelves by the end of this year, Petsmart won't do so until March 2015. When asked why Petsmart couldn't remove them sooner, a spokesperson's answer was "We don't want to leave pet parents high and dry."

 

Say what?! That's a bunch of BS as far as I'm concerned. They're not concerned with leaving their customers "high and dry" -- they're concerned with the bottom line and will continue selling these possibly deadly treats until their stock runs out. I say both Petsmart and Petco should stop selling these treats NOW!

 

Of course, why people are still buying treats made in China is beyond me.

[desertranger]

So what automotive, clothing, shoe, food, tool, or other "site" do we go to that has said don't buy things made in China

 

First of all other than the food what else will sicken or kill your dog? I look aty the label. If it says made in China I pass it by for more than just the fact could harm my dog. Frankly I'm tired of cheaply made expensive product that fall apart seemingly overnight. I check the label of everything I buy.