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Petco Will Stop Selling Treats from China

ABC News is reporting that Petco “will stop selling dog and cat treats made in China by the end of this year”.

ABC News is reporting that Petco “will stop selling dog and cat treats made in China by the end of this year”.

From ABCNews.go.com

Petco said Tuesday that it will stop selling dog and cat treats made in China by the end of this year due to ongoing fears that the imported treats are making pets sick.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t been able to figure out why pets are getting ill. Since it launched an investigation late last year, the FDA said it received more than 4,800 complaints of pet illnesses and 1,000 reports of dog death after eating Chinese-made chicken, duck or sweet potato jerky treats. Last week, the FDA said tests found antiviral drug amantadine in some samples of imported chicken jerky treats sold a year or more ago, but doesn’t think it caused the illnesses. The FDA said it will continue to investigate.

Petco said that shoppers have asked the pet food retailer to stop selling treats from China. Petco said it is switching them out for treats that are made in the U.S., New Zealand, Australia and South America. It started cutting down on the amount of treats it sold from China about three years ago, said Petco Vice President John Sturm. It doesn’t sell any pet food made in China.

Petco, which is based in San Diego, runs 1,300 stores around the country.

Rival PetSmart Inc., which is based in Phoenix and runs about 1,300 stores, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

Win for the pet people…somebody listened. Of course it took 1,000 pet deaths, thousands of pet illnesses, years of pleading, begging, petitions and phone calls to get them to listen…but finally pet treat consumers got your attention. We thank you.  Thank you Petco. Let this become a trend. Who’s next? Petsmart? Walmart? Target?

By the way, not to discount this effort from Petco, but many independent pet food stores months and even years ago got rid of these Chinese treats (many will not sell a pet food or treat if it contains even one ingredient sourced from China).

Thanks to every pet food retailer that thinks more of the pets than the profits they would receive from these dangerous treats.

Thanks to every pet treat consumer that has signed a petition, warned a fellow consumer, posted warnings in stores or online, and done oh so much more.  Your determination is why this happened.

 

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients?  Chinese imports?  Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 2500 cat foods, dog foods,  and pet treats.  30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com

 

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41 Comments

41 Comments

  1. Patti

    May 20, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    Great news. HOWEVER, “the end of the year” is six months away. What about the health of the pets that are compromised in that six months?

    • Vicki

      May 20, 2014 at 10:09 pm

      Way To Go Susan! I know it’s a “bitter sweet” moment, but you have worked so hard! and this is due to your ” Momma Pit Bull stance” against FDA and etc………
      I’m very, very happy about this! I may once again shop there, after this “6 month period, of course”.
      I’ve been only shopping online, very carefully for my two babies ( Rescued GSD’s)
      And thanks to you and others like you, FINALLY they are listening!

      Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! 🙂

    • Dick

      May 21, 2014 at 9:55 am

      A big step on the part of Petco, and I applaud their action. It is certainly one that should be taken by all sellers of these products…..

      …..BUT, I agree with Patti that six months (actually seven) is a long time away. Too long.

      Why the delay? These products should be taken off the shelf NOW. Every day they remain on sale is further risk of death and/or suffering – by animal companions & their humans. If Petco is truly being a good citizen, they will forego the “clearing the existing inventory by selling the stuff” process, trash it & write it off to goodwill on their corporate tax returns. That’s the truly compassionate thing to do.

      Get this stuff off the shelf NOW!

    • GeoC

      May 24, 2014 at 12:44 am

      I’ve been thinking exactly the same thing. Unbelievable!

  2. Larry

    May 20, 2014 at 5:12 pm

    So PetCo is going to continue selling their poisonous inventory for 6 more months because it would be the end of their world if they didn’t make a profit on the poison, no matter how many pets got sick and/or died.

  3. Leannan

    May 20, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    Sorry, but BFD. If they Really cared it wouldn’t take them a YEAR.

  4. Jamie Newsome

    May 20, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    If they recognize the danger in these products, then why wait until the end of the year to stop selling them? Are they afraid of losing the profits to be made on their current inventory of poison? It would seem they are simply bending to public pressure and the probable decline in sales, rather than a true concern for pet health and safety. Otherwise, they would have stopped selling them long ago and stop selling them NOW rather than later. Sadly, PETCO is still a FOR PROFIT business concerned with the bottom line and the pets really do come in second.

  5. Angela

    May 20, 2014 at 5:37 pm

    Why wait until the end of the year? I suppose they have warehouses full of the treats and rather than cut their loses they prefer to put pets at continued risk of illness and possibly death. (nice Petco)!

    • Regina

      May 20, 2014 at 8:55 pm

      Angela, I hope that your guess is correct. Maybe they are just trying to get rid of the stuff they already bought. I’d love to know that they have actually stopped buying from China, and they’re just trying to sell off what is in their warehouses.

      Yes, it’s a shame that it took (and is taking) so long, but at least this is one step on the path to healthier options.

      Susan, can you ask Petco if they have indeed already stopped buying from China, they’re just trying to unload what they already have bought? It seems to me, that if they are making this announcement, enough thought and planning would have already been done. If they are still actively buying from China, I can’t help but wonder if this is just PR on their part, and in December they’ll announce that too many customers still want treats from China and they will go back on their word.

  6. Marsha

    May 20, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    My only question is why do they have to wait until the end of the year to stop selling them? Why not send them back and have done with it.

  7. Kenneth Kalligher

    May 20, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    Why is it taking so long? It is May and they need until end of December? They have been cutting back for 3 years? This is unacceptable. So, they started cutting back 3 years ago and now will add yet another 7 months to poison our pets. It needs to stop immediately. The FDA and the retail industry have demonstrated that either they are totally inept or they just don’t give a damn. We shouldn’t accept this feeble attempt by Petco as a statement of responsibility. Either you STOP or you don’t; sounds like Petco wants to have it both ways. And in the meantime they get to kill more pets. Shameful Petco!

    • Larry

      May 20, 2014 at 6:09 pm

      That is why Petco will NEVER get ANY of my money. EVER.

  8. TNReedy

    May 20, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    Why end of the year? Why not now?

  9. Peter

    May 20, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    This commitment would also free PetCo from becoming entangled in legal issues, such as several class action lawsuits that have had the retailers added to the list of defendants. The problems with China-based sourcing will continue to plague the industry. It wouldn’t surprise me if this was part of the decision-making process?

  10. CB

    May 20, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    Let’s see if they really do it. And will they stop selling the oh-so-profitable Dogswell line of jerky treats? They will probably keep selling them and then say they ‘didn’t know’ because Dogswell has done such a good job hiding the information on the bags. It’s a shame we have to be so cynical about this whole industry, but we do.

  11. Mare

    May 20, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    IMMEDIATELY comes to mind!!

  12. Samantha Sanchez

    May 20, 2014 at 6:54 pm

    Did anyone think that for a huge corporation, major changes take time and planning. Yeah a mom and pop could walk over and just dust off the shelf. Petco has been impressing me a lot lately. They have also been the first retailer to stock and endorse raw food. Way to go Petco, I’m impressed.

  13. Bonnie

    May 20, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    While its great that Petco has decided to stop selling these treats… this should not be considered a noble act by them. Im sure their bottom line is the real reason. They realize that they are losing customers so really its an economic decision. Especially since they will continue selling these treats for the next few months…. if they were really so concerned with our pets health they would stop selling these NOW !!
    I am one of those consumers that had been shopping in Petco for years…before I knew what was going on…(Im sure that the Purina food that I had been buying there had a big impact in my 2 goldens getting sick!) I have been buying better food for my new puppy at a local independent pet store. Every once in a while I will go into Petco or PetSmart (they are both a few blocks from each other) as they are convenient to check out their treats. Virtually all are from china!! I have spoken to the managers about why they carry treats from china and have told them I refuse to buy any of it!! I have always walked out empty handed!!

    Petco is a big corporation that depends on having consumers buy their goods…. Money is what motivates them!! This is simply an attempt to get consumers to go back… Treats made in china are sold virtually everywhere. Its almost impossible to get USA made treats in any supermarket chain or Target or Walmart!
    I only hope that the other big retailers will follow suit!!

  14. Gitta

    May 20, 2014 at 7:02 pm

    I am a bit baffled. For two reasons.
    1. I don’t understand why the target date is December. I don’t really care why Petco made that decision. If they are just afraid of lawsuits – who cares? Product comes off the shelves. That they go beyond the jerky treats is a very welcome step.

    2. I don’t understand the attacks on Petco. As flawed as this decision is – wouldn’t it be more productive to make other retailers the target of outrage? After all, they haven’t announced any plans to remove jerky treats, let alone other treats made in China. And lets not forget – this could have happened a LOT sooner had there been a widespread boycott of these products. We consumers have failed to organize and put substantial pressure on these retailers.

    http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061024/news_1b24petco.html
    Shareholders are the ones demanding profit. Shareholders are the ones to hold management accountable if expectations are not met.
    http://www.pehub.com/2010/11/petco-raising-17-billion-for-dividend-to-leonard-green-and-tpg/
    http://www.pehub.com/2012/10/petco-to-pay-603-mln-dividend-shareholders-including-leonard-green-tpg/
    http://www.pehub.com/2012/10/petco-to-pay-603-mln-dividend-shareholders-including-leonard-green-tpg/

  15. Hope Williams

    May 20, 2014 at 7:25 pm

    Independent pet retail stores such as mine removed chicken jerky treats from stock made in China years ago when the scare began. While we need to make a profit to stay in business our independent pet supply stores know what they are in business for and that is to inspire and support “the health of dogs and cats”. Petco and other large multi chair retailers are in it for the profit as their priority and while pet parents choose to continue to shop with their dollars at these chain stores it sends a direct message to them that’s it perfectly ok to sell products that can poison/sicken our pets. Shop with your dollars and your time at independent pet supply stores where the knowledge is greater and your pet’s health is our first priority.

    • Ann

      May 22, 2014 at 10:57 pm

      Hope, I agree with your comment 100%. I find a larger selection of Made in USA treats at my indy stores and often the price is cheaper than buying online.

  16. Tina

    May 20, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    My local Petco located in FL has already emptied the shelves of the treats made in China as of this past weekend.

  17. Some Guy

    May 20, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    As far as Petco dropping chinese treats- while it seems very noble of them, they aren’t doing this out of health concerns, or from consumer pressure- because both of those would have been ongoing for several years now- they are doing it because it is no longer as profitable, or someone ran a report, and it won’t be as profitable at some point in the future.

    If they were doing it out of health concerns, they would also stop selling foods that have chicken by products as the first ingredient, corn meal, whole grain corn, corn gluten meal, wheat middlings as well as foods with unnamed, vague ingredients such as meat by-products, meat broth, etc.

    Petco dropping chinese treats is good for the pet food industry as whole, but they can’t get too much credit having waited YEARS while profiting off of sick and dying pets in the process.

    I

  18. Regina

    May 20, 2014 at 9:05 pm

    My babies don’t get anything from China that goes into their mouths. In addition to the food, the TOYS I buy are always made in the USA. I can’t believe people still buy pet toys made in China after all the times the news has reported that children’s toys coming from China were toxic.

    I know Petco has to make a profit, but I’ve found reasonably priced American-made cat toys that fit my meager budget, so it is do-able. I hope that once the jerky is gone, they’ll start working on getting rid of the toys from China.

  19. Maxine Schmidt

    May 20, 2014 at 9:56 pm

    Do you know if the Petco announcement about not selling anything made in China include treats or foods sourced from China? It is significant, but unless it includes sourced from China as well, I wouldn’t go near it.

    • g.r.r.

      May 20, 2014 at 10:03 pm

      exactly right. That is a REAL issue.

  20. g.r.r.

    May 20, 2014 at 10:02 pm

    Hmmm.
    Does that mean that they will be checking all food/treat products to not include ingredients from China?

    So far, the only company that I see making that pledge is Merrick dog food.

  21. Terry

    May 20, 2014 at 11:44 pm

    • Angela

      May 21, 2014 at 8:54 am

      Terry, as of now Petsmart has made no claim – only Petco which Susan announced. Please refer to your link.

      • Terry

        May 21, 2014 at 10:36 am

        Angela,
        Please refer to the link, WITHIN which it says:

        “Rival pet retailer PetSmart Inc. said Tuesday that it would also end sales of China-made pet treats.

        “PetSmart will no longer sell dog and cat treats manufactured in China,” Erin Gray, a PetSmart spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement. “This is something we’ve been working toward for some time, and feel it’s the right thing to do for pets and our customers.”

  22. BC

    May 21, 2014 at 6:34 am

    PetCo could stop selling it now. However they could get total reimbursement from their insurance if the FDA issued a recall.
    Just please don’t donate this junk to animal controls or rescues or shelters.

  23. Christine

    May 21, 2014 at 11:39 am

    PetSmart has also made a similar announcement, but they’re giving themselves until March of 2015 to do it. Hopefully this will at least provide pressure for places like Target/Walmart to do the same soon

  24. Liz

    May 21, 2014 at 12:39 pm

    I am a very fussy pet parent & am constantly scanning labels and am trying to understand all the verbiage they put on pet food labels. Thank goodness a law was passed to let consumers know what is inside not only for pets, but for our own consumables. We just need to go even deeper than the superficial wording. I do shop at indy pet supply stores as well as Petco for some things, but support their non-China made products and have suggested they start to carry more American-made foods, treats and yes, toys. All that plastic and rubber material cannot be good for pet’s mouths or stomachs if they end up there. I’ve also discussed with the managers that being aware of foreign-sourced ingredients is still on the radar and needs to be watched and eliminated. If enough consumers start to communicate their concerns to store managers whether big box stores or ma and pa stores, that communication surely has to trickle up to the corporations. If we demand it, they have to listen! My cats mean the world to me and if anything happened to them, well, watch out! Makes me think of the Melamine scare in human baby formula that got immediately yanked off the shelves all around the world not too long ago. It’s high time that pet products with dangerous ingredients also be pulled immediately. I’ve even complained to supermaket store managers that they should not be stocking pet food in the same aisle as household chemical cleaners! Can you imagine feeding your pet dry food out of a porous paper bag that sat next to bleach or harsh cleaning products for who knows how long? Yuck! The whole issue of Pet food, treats, toys etc. is the oil slick coming to the surface and it simply cannot be denied any longer. People are finally waking up to the hard truth that profitability is more important than the health of pets who to some of us, are far more important to us than human kids as they up until now and until Susan’s wonderful work, have had no voice. Now they do! It’s through us the owners! Our voices are getting louder and are being heard, but we have to keep at it.

    Finally, after Susan’s dedication to get the truth out there and into the brains of we pet owners, change is coming about albeit slowly which is unfortunate as we are dealing with trade with a country who we are linked to whether we like it or not. Bottom line is that we the consumers DO have the power to initiate change. Our wallets are our voting ballots and we still have the ability to contact our elected officials and make our gripes heard and again, the louder our gripes, the more we are heard. Grassroots efforts do get lots of attention that leads to major changes. To see that major network news programs are actually addressing these pet food ingredient issues is encouraging. Perhaps a happy medium can be achieved between countries who supply/manufacture/export and the end destination places if we’re all on the same page and agree that if we are to continue to do business with them, full disclosure is absolute and if they want to continue to do business, they have to address our concerns and understand the utmost importance of what the end result will be when it comes to the consumer. I’m sure the US is not the only concerned nation who has experienced negative results from tainted products from China. A thought did occur to me though. In China, dogs and cats don’t stand much of a chance as animal abuse is rampant there. Perhaps reaching out beyond pets or commodities which they seem to be there will help change how they themselves view animals and animal rights and maybe a new global respect for animals will come about that might be applied to pet food manufacturing. Knowledge is power! To quote the X Files’ Agent Mulder’s poster: “The Truth is Out There”!

  25. barbara

    May 21, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    It boggles the mind that Waggin’ Train would spend millions to start up a brand new chicken jerky treat, assuming that folks have short memories, or they don’t pay much attention to the news. Here’s my opinion: The people buying junk pet food at the grocery and outlet stores will be the same folks who will buy the “new” Waggin’ Train treats and believe the hype: “New, improved, revamped, safe, tested, with only one supplier (in China), etc.” These folks, sad to say, are not on the same page as those who comment on Susan’s website or other Facebook sites that are ripping the CJT treats to shreds.

    Purina must believe that “consumer confidence” will outweigh any negative publicity seen by the average person. The is the AVERAGE PERSON… And there are millions of them, who either don’t watch or read the news, aren’t too smart, or possibly don’t care much one way or the other what their pets eat…esp if it’s cheap. We have neighbors like that; the only thing one can do is try to educate them…and spread the word. Petco must have considered their decision carefully. And now PetSmart. NestlePurina must be breathing down their necks to change their mind.

  26. For the Pets

    May 21, 2014 at 5:37 pm

    These jerky treats from China have poisoned, gotten contamined, and even made lots of pets pass away from these horrible treats. With all that said, Petco is going to remove the threats at the end of this year?
    Perhaps they should Google the 2012 recall of all those jerky treats that came from china. Maybe they’ll get a clue.

  27. Sage

    May 22, 2014 at 1:46 pm

    I agree that this is a step in the right direction and hope someday most of the inedible by-products, toxins and inappropriate ingredients will be removed from ALL Pet FOODS and consumables. As for dog TREATS, there are many natural and SAFE brands of “DOG BISCUITS” which most dogs would be just as happy to eat. The best brands are made with American Ingredients and NO by-products or toxins. For over a century BISCUITS were what most dogs ate for treats. Wikipedia has an interesting page on the history of dog biscuits -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_biscuit AND BISCUITS can easily be made at home from the safest ingredients.

  28. Aldon James

    May 26, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    I find all the negativity around Petco’s decision puzzling. They have made a decision that even the FDA has avoided given the lack of conclusive evidence. Petco’s decision here will have done more for this cause than any blog site could ever achieve. Already Petsmart is following Petco and perhaps this will lead to other chains (grocery, mass retail) to follow. As for the delay, Petco is a self-distributed chain. That means they they own lots and lots of inventory. Independent stores can easily get out of China jerky because they buy from distributors. I think if everyone pushes the emotion to the side here, it’s pretty obvious that the Petco decision will have the single greatest impact to this cause than anything else and it is not even close. Great job Petco!

    • Terry

      May 26, 2014 at 10:09 pm

      Aldon, I am in complete agreement agree with you! If you are hating on them, then will you shop instead at a place that has not made the committment to remove treats from China? I would prefer if everyone would channel their anger to Sam’s Club, BJ’s, Costco, Target, CVS, Tractor Supply and every grocery store chain! Why should any of them also decide to remove the treats if they will be villified also?
      My opinion is that the treats will be gone far before the end of the year – a business would have to use the worst case scenario when making a huge promise like this.

      • Aldon James

        May 27, 2014 at 1:19 pm

        Terry, I am not sure you understood my post. I take issue with all the people hating on Petco when this is the first major company to actually step up and make a bold move on this issue. I agree with you. All these other grocery, mass, and club stores are the ones that have done absolutely nothing. We should all be applauding Petco for taking a leadership position.

        • Terry

          May 27, 2014 at 2:51 pm

          Lol, I understand and agree. When I said “If you are hating on them” I thought it was obvious that I wasn’t referring to YOU, I was referring to those hating on PetCo. I guess you didn’t understand the rest of my post – I was urging those haters to turn their hate on the ones who have done nothing.

  29. Dillon

    May 28, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    What does this mean for a leading manufacturer of an expensive natural cat food that imports its rabbit from China and Petco sells? They’ve always assured me that they have the plant closely monitored, and it’s the only food my cat will eat. She’s allergic to many proteins and theirs is the only brand of canned rabbit she will eat?

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