P&G Representative posted a concerning comment on the Iams recall notice, though I doubt she/they felt there was any problem with it (pet owners think differently than the corporate world). And some very wise empowering words from a pet owner.
Bev from P&G posted the following comment on the TruthaboutPetFood.com notice of recall for Iams Rx pet food. “Ms. Thixton, as you know, I work in Consumer Relations at Iams. Thank you for paying attention to the news and getting the word out about our recall of Iams Veterinary Formulas Feline Renal. While we knew that issuing a recall over the weekend would be complex, the FDA dictated the timing. We have been a little challenged to get all of our tools and processes in place so that we can notify and sufficiently answer pet parents.
Yesterday (Sunday), we sent a public press release out over PRNewswire, and we sent out a blast fax recall notification to all of the clinics that have purchased the Feline Renal diet, so that they can contact their clients. We also notified VIN (the Veterinary Information Network) and the AVMA. Today (Monday), our phone center is taking calls and notice is going up on our
web sites.
This all happened very quickly. We would have preferred to have all of our ducks in a row, but instead we are playing catch up. If anyone has questions or concerns about this recall, please give us a call at 877-894-4458 or email us from the Iams.com site.”
https://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/pg-recalls-two-lots-of-prescription-renal-diet-cat-food.html
I’m sure Bev was just doing her corporate job, but her comment was more than clear to me that P&G doesn’t have a clue about how pet owners feel. Why would a weekend make any difference for a recall? P&G was ‘a little challenged’ getting the word out?…What, do they have no experience with press releases or recalls? They ‘would have preferred to have all of our ducks in a row’…excuse me? Shouldn’t your ‘ducks’ already be in a row ready for any emergency?
P&G…shame on you for complaining about having to deal with a recall over a weekend. I’m sure your challenges with this weekend pet food recall are a real comfort to concerned pet owners. By the way, had your ‘ducks’ already been in a row, perhaps there would not have been a recall in the first place.
Kudos to FDA for forcing them to move on this recall regardless of P&G’s ducks.
DiedMarch172007 is a pet owner that frequently posts comments on TruthaboutPetFood.com. Her comment on the article ‘The Worst Horrors of Pet Food’ makes perfect sense. A partial quote “Refuse to watch TV that shows pet food commercials, cancel magazine subscriptions that shill pet food with lies, tell your vet that marketing and upselling is unacceptable, question EVERY place where you spend money on your pet. Give less money and time ( and EVERY instant of a pet owners attention is very valuable- do not GIVE it away) to pet charities that are just fronts for Purina marketing.
When the only way to get money from a pet owner is to treat both the pet and the pet’s people with respect, then things will get better and not until then.”
DiedMarch172007 is right. We have far more power than we realize, but only when we act. Every concerned pet owner can act with their wallet and their actions. Send a quick email to your favorite television show if they have Big Pet Food as sponsors. Call radio stations who advertise Big Pet Food. Your newspaper, your subscription magazines. Let them know, as an educated petsumer, you will be cancelling subscriptions and changing the channel unless these commercials stop. Do a little research on the multitude of other products pitched by the companies that own all of Big Pet Food. Don’t buy any of their products until they produce a pet food free of illegal left over garbage from human food processing. Things won’t get better by this website and other websites writing about the problem, they will only get better if we all act as concerned consumers/petsumers. When collectively we stop putting money in their wallets, they will have no choice but to listen.
