Hermit Crabs ~R~ us - View Single Post

crabbycrazy2 · 01-26-2008, 03:30 AM

It has come to my attention yesterday of a certain preservative found in a product on the The Crabbage Patch website. A few of us fellow crabbers on here were doing some research on it and have found some awful facts. The Colorado Care Co. has several products sold on their website. The one in question is their Hermit Crab Kibble. Yesterday, when I visited the site it stated that it had metabisulfite in it. We looked it up online and found these results.

"It is used as a food additive, mainly as a preservative and is sometimes identified as E223. As an additive, it may cause allergic reactions, particularly skin irritation e.g. eczema; gastric irritation and asthma. It is not recommended for consumption by children. It is present in many dilutable squashes (i.e. fruit juice concentrates) and in candy bars such as Mounds."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_metabisulfite

It is also used as a sterilization / Cleaning agent, and a aid in stump removal and it's chemical properties are alarming!

"When mixed with water, metabisulfite releases sulfur dioxide (SO2), a pungent, unpleasant smelling gas that can also cause breathing difficulties in some people. For this reason, metabisulfite has fallen from common use in recent times."

This is the kicker though! I emailed The Crabbage Patch asking them about this and how it can be good for the crabs. When revisting the site late last night they had taken it off the ingredient list and substituted calcium and mineral supplements in it's place. I was shocked and appalled that they could misinform people like that, what if someone buys it now and think their getting a great product for their crabs!
This is their reply to my initial email asking about the ingredients.

" I am not sure where you are finding metabisulfite in any of the Colorado Care Products’ ingredient lists. Here are links to the 3 products we offer by them. Colorado Care Company Strawberry Color Supplement Colorado Care Company Indo Color Supplement Colorado Care Company Hermit Crab Kibble

The Colorado Care Company line contains no preservatives."

Regards,

Kirk Weick

I also was concerned that CCC's products stated using salt, or pure plain salt and the metabisulfite . So, I have emailed CCC about all of this. This is what I wrote:

"Since the recent pet food scare, I've been very interested in feeding all organic foods to my animals. I was visiting The Crabbage Patch website and came across your products. I am a little concerned about some of the items used in them. I noticed that one was salt. That is harmful to crabs, unless it's sea salt. The other is a preservative that was listed as metabisulfite. That kind of preservative has been know to cause allergic reactions, particularly skin irritations,eczema; gastric irritation and asthma. It is not recommended for consumption by children. I was wondering if you could email me all the ingredients that are in the product. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter, but I want only the best for my pets."

Sincerely,
Jeffiegfan24

This was their reply to my email:

From Sara Elizabeth Ann Taylor <blaze88@gmail.com> Block Sender | Block Domain
Date 2008/01/25 Fri PM 11:16:43 CST
To jeffiegfan24@verizon.net
Subject Re: Question about product
"All of my ingredents are listed on the crabbage patch website. There is no metabibulfite in my product. The salt is 100% salt, with no iodine added or anti-cracking agents. I do not use table salt in my product."

As you can see, she didn't send me a complete list of ingredients. I received a very short reply. So, I am currently waiting other reply emails from both companies. I have asked The Crabbage Patch how and why they changed the product ingredients after receiving my concerned email. Also, to the Colorado Care Co. I have restated a complete list of the calcium/ mineral supplements used in making their products. Also, for her to confirm if it's pure sea salt. When I receive those replies, I will post them here. I just want everyone on here to know what's going on, even though most of us order food from Vicki. There are those who are new to crabbin' and need to be informed of the problem!

01-26-2008, 03:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
crabbycrazy2 "Never Molted" Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Rhoadesville, Va Posts: 36	Concerned About A Product It has come to my attention yesterday of a certain preservative found in a product on the The Crabbage Patch website. A few of us fellow crabbers on here were doing some research on it and have found some awful facts. The Colorado Care Co. has several products sold on their website. The one in question is their Hermit Crab Kibble. Yesterday, when I visited the site it stated that it had metabisulfite in it. We looked it up online and found these results. "It is used as a food additive, mainly as a preservative and is sometimes identified as E223. As an additive, it may cause allergic reactions, particularly skin irritation e.g. eczema; gastric irritation and asthma. It is not recommended for consumption by children. It is present in many dilutable squashes (i.e. fruit juice concentrates) and in candy bars such as Mounds." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_metabisulfite It is also used as a sterilization / Cleaning agent, and a aid in stump removal and it's chemical properties are alarming! "When mixed with water, metabisulfite releases sulfur dioxide (SO2), a pungent, unpleasant smelling gas that can also cause breathing difficulties in some people. For this reason, metabisulfite has fallen from common use in recent times." This is the kicker though! I emailed The Crabbage Patch asking them about this and how it can be good for the crabs. When revisting the site late last night they had taken it off the ingredient list and substituted calcium and mineral supplements in it's place. I was shocked and appalled that they could misinform people like that, what if someone buys it now and think their getting a great product for their crabs! This is their reply to my initial email asking about the ingredients. " I am not sure where you are finding metabisulfite in any of the Colorado Care Products’ ingredient lists. Here are links to the 3 products we offer by them. Colorado Care Company Strawberry Color Supplement Colorado Care Company Indo Color Supplement Colorado Care Company Hermit Crab Kibble The Colorado Care Company line contains no preservatives." Regards, Kirk Weick I also was concerned that CCC's products stated using salt, or pure plain salt and the metabisulfite . So, I have emailed CCC about all of this. This is what I wrote: "Since the recent pet food scare, I've been very interested in feeding all organic foods to my animals. I was visiting The Crabbage Patch website and came across your products. I am a little concerned about some of the items used in them. I noticed that one was salt. That is harmful to crabs, unless it's sea salt. The other is a preservative that was listed as metabisulfite. That kind of preservative has been know to cause allergic reactions, particularly skin irritations,eczema; gastric irritation and asthma. It is not recommended for consumption by children. I was wondering if you could email me all the ingredients that are in the product. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter, but I want only the best for my pets." Sincerely, Jeffiegfan24 This was their reply to my email: From Sara Elizabeth Ann Taylor <blaze88@gmail.com> Block Sender \| Block Domain Date 2008/01/25 Fri PM 11:16:43 CST To jeffiegfan24@verizon.net Subject Re: Question about product "All of my ingredents are listed on the crabbage patch website. There is no metabibulfite in my product. The salt is 100% salt, with no iodine added or anti-cracking agents. I do not use table salt in my product." As you can see, she didn't send me a complete list of ingredients. I received a very short reply. So, I am currently waiting other reply emails from both companies. I have asked The Crabbage Patch how and why they changed the product ingredients after receiving my concerned email. Also, to the Colorado Care Co. I have restated a complete list of the calcium/ mineral supplements used in making their products. Also, for her to confirm if it's pure sea salt. When I receive those replies, I will post them here. I just want everyone on here to know what's going on, even though most of us order food from Vicki. There are those who are new to crabbin' and need to be informed of the problem!