Really, what's going on at Diamond Pet Foods?

And so it continues.  Diamond pet foods just can't get it right.

This time the Diamond issues involves cat food.

This food was manufactured in the Gaston, SC facility between December 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012.  Salmonella contamination is the cause...again.

The Calgary Herald in Alberta, Canada divulged last Friday that 2 cats in a Montreal animal shelter have died due to the Diamond cat food recall and 1 more is very ill.  

Another recall was also announced last Friday which affected certain sizes of Diamond naturals lamb and rice dog food which was manufactured on August 26, 2011. 

The FDA began an investigation on April 12, 2012 and after investigating the Gaston location, discovered numerous violations.  Some of the violations include factory workers not covering hands when handling equipment; factory uses damaged equipment making cleaning of tools challenging.  There also were not enough hand washing stations throughout the plant.

Even after the FDA results, Diamond didn't issue a recall until a week after the FDA inspections. 

Diamond isn't returning calls these days, but the best way to find out if you have any of the recalled foods is to check the 'best by' dates and codes.  

Affected brands manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods are:

Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul

Country Value

Diamond

Diamond Naturals

Premium Edge

Professional

4 Health

Taste of the Wild

Apex

Kirkland Signature/Kirkland's Signature Nature's Domain

Brands manufactured at the Gaston facility that have issued separate recalls are:

Natural Balance

Solid Gold

Wellness

Salmonella in dog food sickens 14 people

Fourteen people in at least nine states have becomes ill by salmonella after handling contaminated dog food from a South Carolina plant that just a few years ago produced food tainted by toxic mold that killed dozens of dogs.

At least five people were hospitalized because of the dog food, which was made (yet again) by Diamond Pet Foods at its plant in Gaston, S.C., the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. No pets were sickened.

"People who became ill, the thing that was common among them was that they had fed their pets Diamond Pet Foods," said CDC spokeswoman.

Three people each were infected in Missouri and North Carolina; two people in Ohio; and one person each in Alabama, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the CDC said.

"Our folks are really wanting people to be aware of it. They want to be aware that this is causing people to get sick because they may have product in their homes. For every one that is reported, there may be 29 others," the spokesperson said.

People can get salmonella by handling infected dog food, then not washing their hands before eating or handling their own food, health officials said.

The South Carolina plant temporarily was shut down April 8. 

Diamond Pet Foods has issued four rounds of recalls for food made at the plant, located outside of Columbia, S.C., between Dec. 9 and April 7. 

"We took corrective actions at the plant, and today the plant is up and running. Our mission is to produce safe pet foods for our customers and their pets in all Diamond facilities," the company said in a written statement.

In 2005, a toxic mold called aflatoxin ended up in food made at the same Diamond Pet Foods plant in South Carolina and dozens of dogs died. The company offered a $3.1 million settlement. The Food and Drug Administration determined the deadly fungus likely got into the plant when it failed to test 12 shipments of corn.

Agriculture officials in Michigan found the strain of salmonella during routine testing of dog food on April 2 and health investigators noticed there was a possible link to the food made by Diamond Pet Foods. 

The recall covers pet food brands made at the Gaston plant, including Canidae, Natural Balance, Apex, Kirkland, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, Country Value, Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Premium Edge, Professional, 4Health and Taste of the Wild.

What is wrong with Diamond Pet Foods?

What is wrong with Diamond Pet Foods?
These people have had pet food recalls in 2007, 2008 and several times 2009.
We didn't bother to look back any further.

Again, Diamond Pet Foods have recalled bags of dry cat food after 21 reports of health problems in cats.
Bags of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball could lead to gastrointestinal or neurological problems for cats, because they do not contain enough thiamine, an essential nutrient for cats.
If cats fed these foods have no other source of nutrition, they could develop thiamine deficiency.
Left untreated, this disorder could result in death.
Symptoms of thiamine deficiency include decreased appetite, salivation, vomiting and weight loss.
Neurological problems could develop including, bending the neck toward the floor, wobbly walking, circling, falling and seizures.

Bottom line - Buyer Beware!

The 21 cases of thiamine deficiency in New York and Pennsylvania.
The recalled bags of food were distributed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
For a full refund, consumers can return the recalled cat food to the place it was purchased.
For more information call 800-977-8797.

The affected date codes were RAF0501A22X 18lb. (BB28NOV10), RAF0501A2X 6 lb. (BB28NOV10), RAF0802B12X 18lb (BB30FEB11), RAH0501A22X 18lb. (BB28NOV10), RAH0501A2X 6lb. (BB28NOV10, BB30NOV10, BB08DEC10).