Pet Food

Older woman seduces younger man. Sound familiar? It's a scene from the 1967 coming-of-age classic "The Graduate. " But high-profile Hollywood couples like Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins (12 years her junior) -- who met and began dating while filming an on-screen romance in the 1988 movie "Bull Durham" -- have proven that life can indeed imitate art when it comes to matters of the heart. Theirs, however, is a real-life love story of an older woman and younger man -- something that is not so uncommon nowadays.

The nationwide pet food recall was expanded Wednesday to include products containing rice protein laced with melamine, a toxic agent, the Food and Drug Administration said. Before this latest announcement, the FDA attributed pet illness and deaths to recalled pet food with wheat gluten found to contain melamine, a component of fertilizers and plastic utensils. Also on Wednesday, Menu Foods, the company that recalled more than 60 million cans and pouches of wet cat and dog food on March 15, added one of its Natural Life brand products to its recall list.

Officials are looking into claims that Chinese-made drywall installed in some Florida homes is emitting smelly, corrosive gases and ruining household systems such as air conditioners, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. The Florida Health Department, which is investigating whether the drywall poses any health risks, said it has received more than 140 homeowner complaints. And class-action lawsuits allege defective drywall has caused problems in at least three states -- Florida, Louisiana and Alabama -- while some attorneys involved claim such drywall may have been used in tens of thousands of U.S. homes.

Few people read labels as closely as Sara Bongiorni. For a year, Bongiorni and her young family tried to go without buying anything produced in China. No shoes, no toys, not even mousetraps. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, mother of three wasn't trying to make a political statement. She just wanted to see if it was possible to remove "Made in China" products from her home. "It was a way to try to understand in a very real and personal way my own family's connections to this big fuzzy concept of the global economy, and specifically to China," she told CNN. The experiment started soon after Christmas 2004 as she sorted through gifts and wrapping paper.

The Kroger Co. is recalling select pet food packages from stores in 19 states fearing some of these products may contain aflatoxin, a toxic chemical byproduct that could be harmful to animals. The recall involves certain bags of Pet Pride Cat Food, Pet Pride Kitten Food, Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food, Kroger Value Cat Food and Kroger Value Chunk Food, the company said Saturday. The Kroger Co. urged customers to immediately consult with their veterinarian if their animals show any signs of sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat. A yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, severe blood or diarrhea are also warning signs, the company said.

The Food and Drug Administration announced on Thursday it has identified additional contaminated pet food products -- dog biscuits made by Sunshine Mills of Red Bay, Alabama. The dog biscuits are contaminated with potentially toxic wheat gluten, said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. He said more details on which products are affected would be available later Thursday. Sunshine Mills did not immediately return calls from CNN seeking comment.

One of the nation's largest dog food producers has recalled some of its products in 22 states after receiving reports that they caused death and illness, a company executive said Thursday. In a letter to thousands of its suppliers, Diamond Pet Food announced it found aflatoxin in products made at its Gaston, South Carolina, plant, said Chief Operating Officer Mark Brinkmann. Products made at the Gaston facility are shipped to Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Vermont and Virginia.

The recent announcement by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that two brands of Chinese-made dog treats contained traces of the chemical agent melamine gives pet owners new cause to worry about what their animals are eating. Since Canadian-based manufacturer Menu Foods recalled dog and cat food products containing melamine on March 16, following reports of animal illness and death, thousands of food products for cats, dogs, fish and ferrets -- from a number of manufacturers -- have wound up on the Food and Drug Administration's recall list.

Canadian pet food manufacturer Menu Foods has recalled numerous varieties of pet food made before March 6. Other companies have also issued alerts.Federal testing of some of the cat and dog food and the wheat gluten used in their production turned up the chemical melamine, which can be toxic in high doses. Earlier, the New York State Food Laboratory identified aminopterin, a cancer drug also used as rat poison, as the likely culprit in the pet food. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it could not confirm that finding.

Contaminants that led to a massive recall of pet food could have been added intentionally, according to one theory being considered by the Food and Drug Administration. "Somebody may have added melamine to the wheat gluten in order to increase what appears to be the protein level," the FDA's Stephen Sundlof told CNN on Friday. "Wheat gluten is a high-protein substance and by trying to artificially inflate the protein level, it could command a higher price. But that's just one theory at this point.

Before you pop open a can of Irish lamb stew or fork out a hearty helping of Chicken De-Lite for your beloved pet, you may want to stop and read the nutrition information on the food label more carefully. Our love affair with oversized portions has trickled down to our pets, resulting in a mountain of veterinary bills for familiar ailments such as diabetes, heart disease and joint-related issues. In addition to regular exercise, here are a few pet nutrition tips to help your dog or cat get the most out of that bowl of kibble: Less is more: Pet food labels typically suggest a larger serving size than most pets need, said Dr. Edith Rogers, a veterinarian with Peachtree Hills Animal Hospital.

The Kroger Co. is recalling select pet food packages from stores in 19 states fearing some of these products may contain aflatoxin, a toxic chemical byproduct that could be harmful to animals. The recall involves certain bags of Pet Pride Cat Food, Pet Pride Kitten Food, Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food, Kroger Value Cat Food and Kroger Value Chunk Food, the company said Saturday. The Kroger Co. urged customers to immediately consult with their veterinarian if their animals show any signs of sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat. A yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, severe blood or diarrhea are also warning signs, the company said.

Officials are looking into claims that Chinese-made drywall installed in some Florida homes is emitting smelly, corrosive gases and ruining household systems such as air conditioners, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. The Florida Health Department, which is investigating whether the drywall poses any health risks, said it has received more than 140 homeowner complaints. And class-action lawsuits allege defective drywall has caused problems in at least three states -- Florida, Louisiana and Alabama -- while some attorneys involved claim such drywall may have been used in tens of thousands of U.S. homes.

A brand of imported pet food is being pulled off store shelves in China after reports of dogs being sickened by it, a company official said Tuesday. Natural Pet Corporation, which is the distributor for Optima dog food from Australia, has ordered a recall, according to Zhang Haobin, the company's general manager in Shanghai. Reports of sick animals have been coming into Edis Pet Supply Company in Shanghai, a retailer selling Optima dog food, a company representative said. Veterinarians have told Edis of four dogs poisoned by aflatoxin after eating Optima products.

Still reeling from news of melamine-tainted eggs and dairy, China launched a massive inspection into animal feed manufacturers -- seizing more than 3,500 tons of tainted feed, state-run media reported Sunday. The Agriculture Ministry deployed 369,300 agricultural experts and law enforcement personnel to inspect 250,400 animal feed producers and farms, the Xinhua news agency reported. Wang Zhicai, the ministry's director of husbandry and livestock, said the inspectors confiscated and destroyed 3,682 tons of melamine-tainted feed, shut down 238 feed producers and investigated 278 other companies and farms suspected of illegal activity, Xinhua reported.

A U.S. federal grand jury indicted two Chinese businesses, a U.S. company and their top executives in connection with tainted pet food, which killed and sickened up to thousands of pets last year, prosecutors said. The businesses and executives are accused of playing a role in manufacturing and importing a tainted ingredient used to make the pet food. A 26-felony count indictment on Wednesday named Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co., LTD (XAC), a Chinese processor of plant proteins, and its owner and manager, Mao Linzhun, who is believed to reside in China.

Record the CNN Special Investigations Unit Classroom Edition: Danger: Poisoned Food when it airs commercial-free on Monday, September 17, 2007, from 4:00 -- 5:00 a.m. ET on CNN. (A short feature begins at 4:00 a.m. and precedes the program.) Program Overview Last year, more than 350 people got sick or died eating tainted spinach and lettuce. Others became ill after consuming peanut butter contaminated with salmonella. A recent pet food scare has many consumers worried if it could drastically affect human health.

The recent announcement by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that two brands of Chinese-made dog treats contained traces of the chemical agent melamine gives pet owners new cause to worry about what their animals are eating. Since Canadian-based manufacturer Menu Foods recalled dog and cat food products containing melamine on March 16, following reports of animal illness and death, thousands of food products for cats, dogs, fish and ferrets -- from a number of manufacturers -- have wound up on the Food and Drug Administration's recall list.

Eating out in China used to be one of the great experiences of living here. I often thought going out with friends and colleagues for dinner was a bit like the game of "Hungry Hungry Hippos" -- vast quantities of amazing food that made dining a pleasure. Best of all, it was affordable and palatable. But these days, the joy of anticipation of what the next dish will bring has been replaced with, well, the dread of what the next dish may contain. When ordering at restaurants, I wonder: Is that drug-tainted fish and shrimp?

Few people read labels as closely as Sara Bongiorni. For a year, Bongiorni and her young family tried to go without buying anything produced in China. No shoes, no toys, not even mousetraps. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, mother of three wasn't trying to make a political statement. She just wanted to see if it was possible to remove "Made in China" products from her home. "It was a way to try to understand in a very real and personal way my own family's connections to this big fuzzy concept of the global economy, and specifically to China," she told CNN. The experiment started soon after Christmas 2004 as she sorted through gifts and wrapping paper.