Mr. Watchdog

Gas pumping up to $3?

The Charlotte-area's average gas price stands at an eight-month high at $2.86 a gallon for regular, according to AAA data.

And current wholesale prices -- up as much as a dime a gallon this week, according to Bloomberg -- suggest prices creeping past $2.90 soon.

Is $3 is next?

Perhaps. That's a big change from the days before Easter when the prospect of $3 regular gas seemed remote. (Mid- and premium-grades have already passed that mark.)

Prices three weeks ago were 30 cents less a gallon, and the oil and wholesale markets seemed to be slowing.

Instead, the markets rose on any real or perceived hiccup in the oil production -- Nigerian elections, refinery woes, threats from Iran -- and fears of higher gas demand draining supplies has pressured prices.

The bottom line from all this fear: You pay more for fill-ups.

And if it doesn't stop soon, you could see $3 gas for the first time since October 2005 -- a month after the Gulf hurricanes shut off gas supplies to the region.

P.S. This is my last Mr. Watchdog blog entry for the Observer. I leave today for a new job as an editor at our sister paper, The State in Columbia, S.C. I want to thank readers for their comments and questions. I hope to continue my consumer coverage in the Palmetto state where at least know I will get to pay a little less for gas.

Easter gas high, but not like a year ago

Heading into the Easter holiday, Charlotte-area drivers are paying the year's highest average gas prices at $2.61 a gallon. Pumps have added 45 cents since early February, according to AAA data.

(Well, it could be worse. Take a look at this recent photo from Reno, Nev. Much of the West is paying $3-plus.)

Charlotte-area stations are charging eight cents more than a year ago, but compared to same period before Easter 2006 (which was a week later than this year), prices are actually eight cents lower. 

Last Easter was kind of weird for gas prices. Already high from the usual spring run-up, they shot up again -- starting at $2.67 the week before Bunny day and ending at $2.91 a week after the holiday.

That's not expected this year. Drivers are paying an extra dime a gallon over the past week from oil price spikes fueled on fears of fighting with Iran. Those concerns have eased this week and wholesale gas prices are coming off their six-month highs.

Bottom line: Expect stations to add another nickel or so a gallon through Easter, bringing averages into the mid-$2.60s in the Charlotte region. (Knock off a dime if you travel deep into South Carolina.)

Still no $3 gas forecast in the Carolinas this summer ... unless Mideast tensions create headaches in the oil markets. 

Pet food recall widened - again

Every week, more news creeps out about the big pet food recall.

Thousands of dogs and cats have been sickened or died after apparently eating food with a wheat gluten that contained a chemical usually used in plastics.

Here's the latest:

-The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an import alert for wheat gluten from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. of China. "This is the only firm with positive samples," an FDA spokesman told Bloomberg News today.

-Del Monte has recalled some Jerky Treats, Gravy Train and Pounce Meaty Morsels as well as some food and treats sold under private labels. The company has posted details on its Web site.

-Purina has pulled some Alpo Prime Cuts in Gravy after finding it contained the tainted ingredient. Again look for details on the company Web site.

-And now dry food is involved. Colgate-Palmolive has recalled some Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry Food. Get details on the Hill’s Pet Nutrition's Web site.

-Menu Foods, which produced most of the pet food removed from shelves, said its dog and cat food made outside the dates included in the recall is safe.

The Canadian company has a list of 95 brands of recalled food on its Web site, including national brands and private labels for Carolinas grocers Harris Teeter, Food Lion and Bi-Lo.

More pet food coming off shelves

The Canadian company that recalled 60 million cans and pouches of wet pet food this month now has asked stores to remove all varieties of recalled products.

The initial recall involved dog and cat food made from December to March, but Menu Foods called for removing recalled products no matter the production date after receiving reports of possibly tainted food remained on store shelves. Non-recalled food can still be sold.

At least 15 cats and one dog have died from the food produced for major national brands (Iams, ScienceDiet, Nutro) as well as for store's private labels (Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, Food Lion, Wal-Mart).

Tests found a rat poison in some of the recalled food that can cause kidney failure in cats and dogs. Menu Foods does not know how the poison got into the food. The company has tied the illnesses to using an ingredient from a new supplier.

The recall now includes 53 brands of dog food and 42 brands of cat food.

Menu Foods said it is trying to end the log-jam at its toll-free hotline (866-895-2708 or 866-463-6738), but added a Q&A on its Web site to help customers.

Report: Rat poison in recalled pet food

A rat poison has been found in some of the cat and dog food recalled last week after a number of pets died or were sickened from kidney failure.

ABC News has reported that doctors at New York's Animal Medical Center found traces of the poison in the food. Doctors speculate that this could be a toxin included in an ingredient of the food.

Federal regulators have suggested the recall by Canada's Menu Foods of more than 95 brands of wet dog and cat food appeared to be tied to wheat gluten.

A news conference is planned this afternoon.

The recalled food has been tied to more than 15 cat and dog deaths nationwide. A number of animals have suffered kidney failure after eating the food.

The recall included national brands, such as Iams and Mighty Dog, as well as store brands from Wal-Mart, Food Lion, Harris Teeter and Bi-Lo.

More information on pet recall

Here are some additional resources and information for pet owners concerned about the Menu Foods dog and cat food recall.

The tainted food has been linked to at least 14 deaths, mostly cats, so far:

-Carolinians can file complaints with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration: 404-253-1169.

-Keep checking the Menu Foods Web site for new brands included in the recall. Two more dog food brands were added today. The company also has a hotline at 866-895-2708. (Pet owners who used Iams or Eukanuba products should go here.)

-The American Veterinary Medical Association has a Q&A on its Web site.

A few things to remember:

-The recall involves wet food in cans and pouches only. Dry food has not been recalled.

-Not all wet-food sold under the 50-plus brands listed in the recall have the potentially tainted ingredient. Check Menu Foods list to make to see if the food you have has been recalled.

-If your pet food brand is not on the list, it's not been recalled and should be safe to give to your dog or cat.

Pet food recall continues

The Canadian company that recalled a reported 60 million cans and pouches of mostly store-brand dog and cat food over the weekend has improved its Web site so pet owners can see if they have any of the potentially tainted food.

That might be the best route since the telephone hotline set up by Menu Foods for the recall has been busy all Monday morning. The company suggests pet owners keep checking the Web site for updates.

Menu Foods said over the weekend that it failed to find any issues with the food. Still the company recalled the wet pet food when at least 10 animals that ate it died after Menu Foods started using an ingredient from a new supplier. Other animals became sick from kidney failure, Menu Foods said.

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating.

The recall involves Menu Foods products made under national names, such as Eukanuba and Iams, as well as private labels, such as President's Choice, Pets Pride and Best Choice.

The food was sold in the Charlotte region at Wal-Mart, PetSmart, Sav-A-Lot and Food Lion, among others.

As a precaution, Nestle Purina has recalled some Mighty Dog-brand pouches made by Menu Foods. (Mighty Dog cans are not included.) And Hill's Pet Nutrition recalled some cans of ScienceDiet cat food.

Menu Foods has not announced if it will offer refunds, but said in published reports that it would compensate people who lost pets.

Get details at Menu Foods Web site or try calling 866-895-2708.

Get details on the ScienceDiet and Mighty Dog recalls.

Gas prices steady -- for now

Charlotte-area gas stations have kept pump prices just under $2.50 a gallon for nearly a week.

But now a few stations have broken that psychological barrier -- usually at $2.51. That likely will open the way for another nickel to dime per gallon boost when it's time to search for Easter eggs.

Charlotte's wholesale gas cost averages over the past two weeks suggest pump prices climbing into the low- to mid-$2.50s soon. But there's little evidence now that stations will charge $2.60 or more before bunny time.

Charlotte gas prices might taper a little after Easter as they have three of the past four years, according to AAA data. They dropped by about 15 cents a gallon between Easter and Memorial Day during those years.

But there are no guarantees -- from 2000-2002 and in 2004, prices remained steady or even rose between the spring and summer holidays weekends.

The current averages from AAA:

-Charlotte: $2.49
-Raleigh: $2.49
-North Carolina: $2.49
-Columbia: $2.34
-Greenville-Spartanburg: $2.33
-South Carolina: $2.35
-Nation: $2.55

What's up with peanut butter Fridays?

You might have missed it, but the Food & Drug Administration has announced the fourth update of the month-old recall of peanut butter with ties to a Salmonella outbreak.

The latest announcement came Friday and didn't get printed in most papers until Sunday. The recall was extended to cover all Peter Pan brand peanut butter and all Great Value brand peanut butter with the product code 2111 dating back to October 2004. The recalls had been to May 2006.

Three of the four peanut-butter recall updates have been announced on Fridays. Updates on Feb. 16 and 23 clarified how much of the recalls involving Peter Pan products, including adding single-serving packs.

What's troubling is that the news was released when fewer consumers might learn about them. Web visits to news sites drop on the weekends. Saturday papers are among the least read.

This is crucial in the Carolinas -- where nearly 10 percent of nation's reported peanut butter-related ailments have been reported.

At least 425 people in 44 states have reported Salmonella sickness with ties to the recalled peanut butter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week.

North Carolina has the fourth-largest number of cases (25) behind New York (48), Pennsylvania (30) and Virginia (27). South Carolina has 10.

A spokeswoman for peanut-butter maker ConAgra said today that the FDA decides when to release news.

An FDA spokesman said all the Friday news is just "a coincidence."

I don't think the FDA should wait until Monday to release information it has on Fridays.

But consumers would benefit more if the FDA pushed ConAgra for information to send updates earlier in the week when readership is generally higher.

Weird times at the gas pumps

Something happened this weekend that I don't recall seeing in recent years: Gas prices in deep inside South Carolina that closely match those in North Carolina.

This is how fast-rising prices -- up around 15 cents a gallon in the past 10 days -- can wreak havoc on station owners raising prices to keep up with rocketing wholesale costs.

Wholesale averages have risen nearly 25 cents since Valentine's week on higher-than-usual demand and rising concerns about Western clashes with oil-rich Iran.

Traveling from the Myrtle Beach area Sunday through Conway, Aynor, Florence, Darlington, Hartsville and the hamlet of McBee, gas on the route ($2.40) was just a few pennies cheaper than what I saw along Independence Boulevard ($2.40 to $2.45).

Remember: South Carolina's state gas tax is 13 cents a gallon cheaper than North Carolina. Typically prices rise as the N.C. border approaches (Pageland and Jefferson), but seeing Charlotte-like prices 150 miles inside South Carolina -- and 60 miles from the more costly beach -- was a bit shocking.

But there's a silver lining for folks in the Palmetto state. Prices should not rise much more.

Meanwhile, those to the north will likely see prices edge up another nickel a gallon this week to match current average wholesale costs.