More Chicken Jerky Treats Jerked From Market

Nipping on the heels of the product withdrawals by Nestlé Purina PetCare and Del Monte Pet Products, Publix Super Markets on Friday reported its recall of Publix Chicken Tenders Dog Chew Treats and IMS Trading Corp.’s withdrawal of Cadet brand Chicken Jerky Treat Products. All of these moves have been made the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets detected trace amounts of non-approved antibiotic residue in the products.

Because so many chicken jerky pet products are sourced from China, these will likely not be the last withdrawals and recalls.

More intriguing is how and if these products are brought back and whether the public will accept them, given the broad concerns with the products that are not related to the current antibiotic issue, which all concerned so far suggest is not a safety issue but a technical issue. Meanwhile, the FDA continues to investigate safety concerns associated with the products.

In other words, the possible safety issues involved in Chinese jerky pet products will remain even after the makers source poultry that is not tainted with antibiotics that are unapproved in the U.S. And although it bears remembering that there may not be actual safety issues with the products, the FDA is still advising pet owners to be cautious if they feed the treats to their pets.

The general public may be less tolerant of a company that resumes marketing of products not yet proven safe than a company that continues marketing a product not yet proven unsafe. That is a relevant tolerance, of course, as activist pet owners have been blasting these manufacturers for years, to little avail, to take these products off the market.

Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix issued a voluntary recall for its Publix Chicken Tenders Dog Chew Treats. The UPC, located on the back right-hand corner of the product, is 41415-18527 and the product comes in a 3.5-ounce bag. This product was sold in Publix grocery stores in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, the company reported.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled product may return it  to their local store for a full refund. Publix  asked that customers with additional questions call its consumer relations department, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. EST, at 800-242-1227 or visit its website.

"As part of our commitment to food safety, including that of our four-legged family members, potentially impacted product has been removed from all store shelves,” said Maria Brous, Publix media and community relations director. "To date, there have been no reported cases of pet illness.

IMS sent a memo to its customers on Wednesday informing them that in was voluntarily withdrawing its Cadet Chicken Jerky Treat products from the U.S. market “until further notice.”

IMS also reported it is establishing a testing program in which it will check for the antibiotic in the product in both China (the country of origin) and the U.S. “before we consider to sell these products in the future,” wrote IMS president Samuel Blachorsky.

For its retail and wholesale customers, IMS has posted a claim form to facilitate reimbursement. 

Publix reported it sold the following Cadet items:

• 68303-07485 Cadet Chicken & Brown Rice Bone 3.6 oz.
• 68303-07469 Cadet Chicken Wrapped Biscuit 3.6 oz.
• 68303-07479 Cadet Chicken & Sweet Potato Wraps 3.6 oz.

It encouraged its customers with questions about Cadet products to contact IMS at 800-394-4467.