Exotic Nutrition has agreed to update their labels on their 40 pound bags.
Pet Pro will be adding labels to ALL of their packaging.
I have put in calls and e-mails to Reliable Protein and Briskys, with no response.
I also left a message for Lisa at Suncoast to try to help me with Reliable Protein (Zookeepers and Insectivore-Fare)
If any of you would be willing to help me out and send e-mails or make calls to either of these companies stating that you would like to see Expiration dates, Lot numbers and SPECIFIC STORAGE SOLUTIONS on the packaging, I would really appreciate it.
* I editited the e-mail addresses and phone numbers to reduce webcrawlers from catching them*
Reliable Protein Products Gary Diner 480 361 3940 E-mail: info at zoofood dot com & zoofood at zoofood dot com
Briskys Pet Products Dick Brisky 1 800 462 2464 freecatalog at brisky dot com or sales at brisky dot com
I added the last picture taken of Jorn... It was taken the morning before he crossed the rainbow bridge.
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#301829 05/30/0708:08 PM05/30/0708:08 PM
It is so kind of you to do this. Helping others through your awful tragedy. Your picture just makes me cry. How brave you are to do such a positive act in the midst of tragedy.
Molly, son & husband:
Chairman Meow Oscar & Thomas Sam, Diego, Delilah, Delia Nevada, Noel Marcel, Dakota, Latte Dexter, Didi, Almond, Joy and Fitz
Karl,Lenny,Jynxie,Chamille, Kee & Mr. Beans in my heart forever. Teaching teenagers-part joy, part guerilla warfare!
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: Mel2mdl]
#301832 05/30/0708:12 PM05/30/0708:12 PM
Mel, thank you. I had to do something to help the community, otherwise the deaths of my two babies would be for nothing. I have put lily in with Logan tonight... I am hoping all goes well once they get up tonight... Cross your fingers!
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#301833 05/30/0708:13 PM05/30/0708:13 PM
OH! and if any of you are members of another glider forum that I am not aware of... Besides Animal Craze, please let me know. I would be more than happy to post on them as well...
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#301835 05/30/0708:14 PM05/30/0708:14 PM
Could this be posted at sugarglideralley.com as well? You will have to join to post the information.
"My doctrine is this: that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and we do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt." ~ Anna Sewell, English Novelist
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#301853 05/30/0708:33 PM05/30/0708:33 PM
im sorry to hear of the passing of your little one. i was wondering if this isn't to painfull was it something to do with the labels not being provided, i'm sorry this is proabably a sore subject to talk about.
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#301865 05/30/0708:59 PM05/30/0708:59 PM
Hi Laura, Just cried my eyes out again for you. I can't believe how much Jorn looked like Kumar. Thank you so much for all you are doing. If there's anything I can do to help, call me or email me.
and
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#301992 05/30/0711:13 PM05/30/0711:13 PM
We don't know where the aflatoxin came from for sure. The lack of labeling prevented us from being able to contact the other glider owners that could have been affected by the aflatoxin. This is not acceptable to me, nor should it be to the rest of the glider community. If it comes down to it, I am prepared to go to the very top with the Jorn act to get these requests to be a requirement on ALL pet food labels, not just glider foods. This will help protect all pets as well as pet owners.
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#302016 05/30/0711:41 PM05/30/0711:41 PM
Thank you Lindsay! The more people we can get to call/write the better. Once they realize that this is actually important to the community, they may be more willing to listen. I am even willing to go to the USDA or FDA to make it a requirement for labeling... We WILL get this done guys, but I need your help! I am only one little person that lost a couple of gliders... That doesn't mean anything to most of these companies. But what they don't realize is I am one little person that will not go down without one heck of a fight!
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#302028 05/30/0711:51 PM05/30/0711:51 PM
Maybe you can make a "generic" letter for people to send. Thats what the SPCA does when they need laws to be passed..
Do you have a website??? If not, i can donate a page of mine for you and we can keep updates of suggie related legislations.. much like what the aspca and humane society does.
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#302071 05/31/0712:52 AM05/31/0712:52 AM
Here is the page on my website dedicated to updates on this. I will work on a form letter tonight when i am in bed and can acutally think about it, lol
Last edited by Laura_Leigh; 05/31/0712:52 AM. Reason: fixing the link
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#302075 05/31/0712:58 AM05/31/0712:58 AM
Here is what I sent the FIRST time to Reliable Protein (I removed my numbers for obvious reasons:
Mr. Diner,
Thank you for your prompt response! I have been trying to contact all of the manufacturers of sugar glider feeds and pellets regarding their packaging and storage recommendations for their products. Many sugar glider owners use your product as a staple feed for their gliders.
To give you a little bit of the history on my mission: On Sunday, I lost two of my gliders to Aflatoxin in the pellets, and almost lost a third. The specifics on this can be found here. http://www.sugarglider.net/ubbthreads/ub...true#Post296616
This caused a big uprise in the community, and since there were no lot numbers, expiration dates, or storage recommendations, we were not able to contact anyone that could have been affected by the same lot of pellets that I had. I have been conversing constantly with some of the most experienced owners/breeders/rescuers in the community over the past few days, and this is not the first time that this has been a problem… We are hoping that it will be the last. We are asking that manufacturers start putting expiration dates, lot numbers, and ideal storage solutions on their packaging. We are doing the same with resellers of the products as well.
Exotic Nutrition is one that has agreed to start doing this immediately. I am asking for the same from you. Also, I would greatly appreciate it if you could e-mail me the ideal storage for the insectivore fare. This is a major issue within the gilder community, as I am sure it is in all the other communities that you provide such a wonderful product for as well.
Here are a couple of more threads on Glider Central that have been started regarding this:
Gathering Of Information for Manufacturers To Contact – You will see from this thread, that many in the community use Insectivore Fare/Zookeepers Secret as part of their diet, as well as some of the other manufacturers that I am trying to contact. http://www.sugarglider.net/ubbthreads/ub...true#Post297451
Please seriously consider this request. I have lost two of my babies, and numerous others have lost theirs as well. Please help us ease the minds of glider owners all over the place by helping us with this.
Please let me know your thoughts on this, and if you would be interested in looking at joining our Jorn Act movement. If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to e-mail me or you can call me at ***-***-**** (through the week 7 pm through 7 am, or all weekend long) or ***-***-**** anytime. I look forward to hearing from you.
Here is a letter I have written up for those of you interested in e-mailing the companies. If you would like to put my phone number or e-mail, you can PM me and i will give them to you.
The Jorn Act is a movement in the Sugar Glider Community requesting packagers and manufacturers of sugar glider foods and treats to add expiration dates, shelf life, specific storage instructions, and lot numbers to their product labels. Over the past few years, with several owners losing their sugar gliders to Aflatoxins in the foods fed to the gliders, this has become a huge issue within the community. Without expiration dates, shelf life, specific storage instructions, and lot numbers on the packaging of these foods, our pets are at a huge risk for several different molds, such as aflatoxin, and other problems, such as bacterial infestations. With expiration dates and specific storage instructions, we can greatly reduce these possibilities to almost nothing. By specifically putting the ideal storage for the feeds such as placing the food in the original packaging in an airtight container in the freezer, we can greatly reduce the amount of molds and bacteria that can contaminate the foods. By placing expiration dates on the packages, this also helps pet owners to know when the best time to use the product is. By adding shelf life to the labels, people will know approximately how long the item is good for after opening it, and how long freezing or other storage solutions will extend the life of the product. Lot numbers are a very important part of the Jorn Act. Lot numbers allow us to keep track of who gets what in the case of an outbreak of any kind that could possibly be related to the food. For example, if someone loses their sugar gliders to Aflatoxin, the entire lot of food could have been affected. The lot number on the label would allow them to alert the public of possible contamination, and other owners would be able to go out and get their food tested. As a sugar glider owner, I would like to request that you add expiration dates, shelf life, specific storage instructions, and lot numbers to your packaging labels. This has proven very important for the entire sugar glider community, and can help save many sugar gliders from very preventable fates.
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#303034 06/01/0706:04 AM06/01/0706:04 AM
I was wondering, what will a blacklight tell about aflatoxin if we test our mealie farms using it? Is there something specific we should be looking for? Does it glow or come up a specific color? I don't want to take chances with my farm if it can be monitored on a regular basis to stop the spread of this toxin. PM me here if you need to.
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: Gliderbuff]
#303061 06/01/0708:08 AM06/01/0708:08 AM
My vet pushes Insectovore-Fare for all of the beardies and gliders that come through his clinic. As I own both, I have sent him an email with this thread, the loss of Jorn and Trinity thread and in general directed him here.
As he is a doctor of veterinary medicine, getting his support to write letters, I would think, would be invaluable. Please, to others on this thread, get your vets involved. The more people who are out there, not just us pet owners that stand up for this, the more the manufactures, and possibly, if we have to go that far, the USDA and FDA.
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: Gliderbuff]
#303079 06/01/0709:05 AM06/01/0709:05 AM
Thank you everyone for your help. The more letters we get to these people, the better our chances that we get the changes made
Originally Posted By: Gliderbuff
I was wondering, what will a blacklight tell about aflatoxin if we test our mealie farms using it? Is there something specific we should be looking for? Does it glow or come up a specific color?
If you put a black light over the farm, and there are aflatoxins present, it is supposed to glow... I have heard that this works and that it doesnt. I am trying to locate the quick tests for aflatoxin to see if they are cheaper than the "labs" that I have found so far. so that maybe those that do have their own mealie farms, can do random testing....
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#303174 06/01/0711:23 AM06/01/0711:23 AM
I just received this from Brisky's this morning. Someone a little more knowledgeable should talk to Stefan.
We received your email Dated 5/31/07 and were immediately intrigued! We rushed to the internet to research the Jorn act- and we found a small post in Glider Central making reference to the Jorn Act, but nothing else. We were a bit upset at the post stating that we (Brisky Pet) have not acted on this- We were never asked (either by e-mail or phone) or told about the Act, until your e-mail. We do have a request from you- and that is a copy of the Act. We do currently have storage instructions on our foods. We are in the process of adopting an expiration date system and hope to be including expiration dates in the very near future. We currently track lots in house but it should be pretty easy for us to add them to our product packaging. Shelf life is the same as expiration dating. Also we request the contact information for the veterinarian consulting on the Jorn act. We have several questions on Aflatoxins and testing methods for food born toxins. Again thank you for bringing this act to our attention- it is Brisky Pet Products goal to support the Jorn act to the best of our abilities. If you have any further questions or comments please feel free to call Stefan at 800-462-2464 or email sales@brisky.com
Last edited by Paula0442; 06/01/0711:37 AM.
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOOOO HOOOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: Paula0442]
#303182 06/01/0711:42 AM06/01/0711:42 AM
I can't believe it! Thank you soooo much Paula! I had been trying to contact Dick Brisky himself, which i think is the problem! I will call Stefan today and see what all they are going to be able to do to help us!
Woo Hoo Way to go! You all have no idea how much this means to me.... Some others have been trying to get brisky to do this for years... we did it!
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#303192 06/01/0711:55 AM06/01/0711:55 AM
Awwwwe Sweetie, anything for a friend. HUGS!!! :o)
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOOOO HOOOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: Paula0442]
#303219 06/01/0712:29 PM06/01/0712:29 PM
ok guys, I just talked with Stefan at Briskys. (Super nice guy by the way) They have been working on adding expiration dates to their packaging already. He is going to talk to Mr Brisky about the shelf life for different storage solutions such as refrigeration and freezing. He said that it would be fairly easy for them to add the expiration dates and lot numbers for us.
He did say that the best storage solution for their foods is to freeze it, and take out a week worth of food and refrigerate that, reducing the chance of additional moisture and problems. It is acceptable to store it in your cabinet IF your home is 60-70 degrees and 15% relative humidity.
Stefan did say that he will be working on a letter to send out with orders with specific information on storage solutions for their feeds.
He said that Mr Brisky was having a problem with his answering machine and they no longer use the e-mail address i was using.... which is why i didnt get a response! Stefan said that he is the operations director and deals more with this, and in the future to try to contact him rather than Mr Brisky directly.
This is awesome you guys... 3 down, 1 to go, and then we are off to make it a REQUIREMENT BY LAW! but that will take awhile and a lot of community involvement. I have a lot of research and planning to do before i do all of that.
Re: The Jorn Act *UPDATES*
[Re: ]
#303411 06/01/0703:54 PM06/01/0703:54 PM
This is fantastic news indeed!!! You are to be commended for all the hard work!!
I am wondering, however, for those of us who use smaller amounts.....for example.........I order from Exotic Nutrition & have for several years......the 3 pound bags....so that means that I (and others) will not know the expiration dates, etc. on the smaller bags. I have also ordered at times the 10 pound bag. I have e-mailed them myself & not received a response regarding the corn gluten which is now also a problem in dog food.
*sigh* dog food, small mammal food, livestock feed, people food *sigh* so much bad stuff floating around these days................
Beth
The Jorn Act Brochure... need advice!
[Re: ]
#304039 06/02/0703:21 PM06/02/0703:21 PM
I am wondering, however, for those of us who use smaller amounts.....for example.........I order from Exotic Nutrition & have for several years......the 3 pound bags....so that means that I (and others) will not know the expiration dates, etc. on the smaller bags. I have also ordered at times the 10 pound bag. I have e-mailed them myself & not received a response regarding the corn gluten which is now also a problem in dog food.
Beth, the corn gluten that EN uses is from locally grown corn. It is not from China, which is where the infected corn is from that is responsible for the recalls. If you are going to order smaller bags like that, I would either A.) CALL EN and request that they put the info on their smaller packaging, or B.) order from The Pet Glider, which is the same product, but she orders the big bags and will be passing on the info in her packaging.
For everyone else, I have added a copy of a brochure for the Jorn Act... I need comments and suggestions for it... Thanks bunches!
Re: The Jorn Act Brochure... need advice!
[Re: ]
#304073 06/02/0704:21 PM06/02/0704:21 PM
Laura, The brochure is very informative. Great job I'm so impressed by your progress with this... Since I carry mostly Brisky & Exotic Nutrition products through my web store, I am very pleased to see that they are both participating in this initiative. I will definitely add the information to any of their items that I buy in bulk and repackage once the information starts coming through on their items. Right now, I have a pretty large stock of products on hand already, so it may be a while before I have the information to add though
Wonderful Work so far!!! I think this is LONG overdue. We need higher standards for glider products NOW before bad products start selling so much that there is no chance...
KUDOS!!!
Re: The Jorn Act Brochure... need advice!
[Re: Gliderbuff]
#304597 06/03/0711:19 AM06/03/0711:19 AM
I get emails from this site - as do about 7 million other people - when there is a new petition or cause (they sometimes even ask for fundraising donations).
I would recommend that the Jorn Act be put into a petition and then we can go to the site and sign it.... so can thousands of others.
Very highly recommended....
Jes
Re: The Jorn Act Brochure... need advice!
[Re: ]
#305140 06/03/0711:04 PM06/03/0711:04 PM
i know earlier in this post i asked what was going on, noramally i don't read anything outside of glider talk and bonding and behavoir, because i'm at work and can't hold back the tears when i read the very sad stories, but i wanted to know what this was about and found the other post about her two little one's that passed, it breaks my heart to even think of what you went through as you lost your two little ones. the pic of your little one on the post was just adorable, he looks so precious, just like my little gizmo! my heart aches sp knowing that you lost them to this horrible tragedy sp i know i'm a little late with this but i hope your other little one is doing much better and you have many more happy years with her
Re: The Jorn Act Brochure... need advice!
[Re: ]
#305158 06/03/0711:42 PM06/03/0711:42 PM