FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

May 21, 2014 

Contact: Kate Fried, Food & Water Watch, (202) 683-4905 

Petco and Petsmart Phasing Out Sales of Chinese Pet Treats Commendable, But Not Enough
Statement of Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter

Washington, D.C.—“Yesterday, both Petco and Petsmart announced plans to stop carrying pet treats manufactured in China. The announcements came on the heels of last week’s FDA announcement that 1,000 dogs have died and 4,800 pets and three people have fallen ill from eating imported pet treats from China. For seven years, FDA has investigated these illnesses, and still has not determined a cause, but the common denominator has been pet treats manufactured in China.

“While these major pet food retailers should be commended for their actions, we are disappointed that they will not remove the products from their shelves immediately. Petco plans to deplete its current inventory of Chinese pet treats before its ban goes into effect. Petsmart has stated that its ban will not take effect until March of 2015.  But pets are already falling ill from consuming these products, and if these major companies want to be truly responsible corporate players, they’d immediately remove them from their shelves. 

“Meanwhile, Food & Water Watch calls on the FDA to ban the import of pet treats from China.”

Food & Water Watch works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainable. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping shared resources under public control.

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