Petco said in early January 2015 that it had stopped selling dog and cat treats made in China in its more than 1,300 stores. PetSmart said it would pull China-made treats by March 2015.
What changed
Petco first said in May 2014 that it would remove the products. The chain had not carried dog or cat food from China for several years, and the final step extended the policy to treats.
Petco Vice President John Sturm told ABC6 that all of the chain’s treats now came from the USA or from places such as the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and South America. He said the company risked tens of millions of dollars by changing treat vendors.
In a statement to NBC Bay Area, Petco said the decision “meant letting go of some of our top-selling products” and that it was focusing on “100 percent Made in the USA jerky treats.”
Why retailers acted
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received thousands of complaints since 2007 about pets falling ill after eating jerky treats, mostly made in China, and more than 1,000 reports of dog deaths. The agency’s tests had not confirmed what caused the illnesses.
California-based Pet Food Express began pulling Chinese jerky treats from its shelves in 2012.
USA origin claims on pet treats later drew legal scrutiny of their own (our coverage).
Source & credit
Source: ABC6 (WLNE-TV): “Petco pulls Chinese-made treats from shelves”, January 6, 2015.
Additional sources: NBC Bay Area: “Petco and PetSmart to Stop Selling Chinese Chicken Jerky Dog Treats”, January 7, 2015; KSBY: “Petco stops selling Chinese-made pet treats”, January 6, 2015.