The
2007 pet food recalls comprise the contamination and wide
recall of many brands of
cat and
dog foods beginning in March 2007, and the ensuing developments involving the human food supply. The recalls in North America, Europe, and South Africa came in response to reports of
renal failure in pets. Initially, the recalls were associated with the consumption of mostly wet pet foods made with
wheat gluten from a single
Chinese company. After more than three weeks of complaints from consumers, the recall began voluntarily with the
Canadian company
Menu Foods on 16 March 2007, when a company test showed sickness and death in some of the test animals. Soon after, there were numerous media reports of animal deaths as a result of kidney failure. In the following weeks, several other companies who received the contaminated wheat gluten also voluntarily recalled dozens of pet food brands. One month after the initial recall, contaminated rice protein from a different source in China was also identified as being associated with kidney failure in pets in the United States, while contaminated corn gluten was associated with kidney failure with pets in South Africa. As a result of investigating the 2007 pet food recalls, a broader
Chinese protein export contamination investigation unfolded, raising concerns about the safety of the human food supply.