Ready to Assemble Pet Food Recalled

By Meghan Clark in Food on Apr 3, 2007 11:35PM

Del Monte, which Chicagoist has always associated with fruit cups, has announced they're own "voluntary" recall of certain pet food brands. Wheat gluten supplied from a particular manufacturing plant in China was found to include melamine — one of the components of our kitchen counters and much of our cheap IKEA furniture. Thankfully, the FDA is watching out for Fido, Fluffy and Chicagoist as they have not approved melamine for use in food. It's good to know the FDA won't let one of the ingredients of Formica saddle up alongside high fructose corn syrup, FD&C Red No. 3 or "meat byproducts."

In related Del Monte/potentially toxic news, the company has an integral role in the pimping of Oprah's personal chef, Art Smith, and his new book. The new campaign, called "Just One More for Healthy Living" encourages families to eat "just one more" serving of something wholesome, such as tuna, canned tomatoes or those infamous fruit cups. Additionally, it encourages "just one more dinner" together with the family during the week. The release trumpeting this new partnership quotes research which suggests that "children who do not typically eat dinner with their parents are more likely to be overweight and are more likely to use illegal drugs, cigarettes and alcohol than those who eat dinner with their parents at least six times a week." Yes, that's right, the fall of our children and western civilization will happen because kids don't eat dinners with their family six nights a week. Chicagoist hopes these family dinners include Fido and Fluffy. Since all their food has been recalled, they might as well eat ours. Besides, Fluffy's been hitting the catnip pretty hard lately, and quite frankly, we're sure Nancy Reagan would agree that it's time for an intervention.