Contamination of pet foods may be intentional

[hattielee]

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Contamination of pet foods may be intentional

Melamine in gluten raised protein content

Friday, April 20, 2007
By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette




U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials are investigating the possibility that Chinese suppliers intentionally put the industrial chemical melamine into wheat gluten to make it appear that pet food was higher in protein than it actually was.
Melamine, used in this country in the manufacture of plastic products, and in other countries, including China, as fertilizer, has shown up in samples of voluntarily recalled dog and cat foods.
FDA has confirmed that 15 cats and one dog died from kidney failure after eating the food. More than 15,000 consumers have called the FDA since the recall began March 16, many of them reporting that their cats and dogs died after eating the food.
Federal officials hope to travel to China to inspect production facilities, but so far have not received permission to do so, they said yesterday in a national telephone news conference.
"We are aware of the theory that melamine would artificially increase protein content" in food. "That's still a theory but it seems to be a plausible one," said Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, a veterinarian who is director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.
The list of recalled pet foods has continued to grow, with more than 100 U.S. pet food companies affected. All of the companies received shipments of wheat gluten from China.
On Wednesday, the FDA reported that melamine also had been found in rice protein concentrate imported from China. That report led to more pet food recalls.
Rice protein concentrate "does not appear to be as widely used" in pet food as wheat gluten, Dr. Sundlof said yesterday.
But some of the pet food made with melamine-contaminated rice protein ended up in food that was fed to hogs "and we are following up on that as well," he said.
The FDA is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to track the disposition of pigs that may have eaten contaminated feed.
U.S. Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, issued a Wednesday news release saying he has learned that the Chinese government "has blocked requests from the FDA to send personnel to China to inspect the facilities suspected of producing the contaminated products."
The FDA first contacted the Chinese government on April 4, but has not been granted permission to send food inspectors into the country.
Mr. Durbin and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chairwoman of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, have sent a letter to the Chinese ambassador to the U.S., Zhou Wenzhong, asking that government to issue visas to U.S. food inspectors.
"Last year the United States imported more than $2.1 billion of agricultural goods from China, up from nearly $1.8 billion the year before. Clearly this is an important trading relationship," Mr. Durbin and Ms. DeLauro said in their letter. They also requested a meeting with the Chinese ambassador.
The rice protein concentrate came from China and was distributed by Wilbur-Ellis Co. of San Francisco.
The company said yesterday it was recalling all the ingredients it had distributed to five U.S. pet food manufacturers. The company in turn urged its customers to recall any products that may be on store shelves.
So far, just two of those companies have done so: Natural Balance Pet Foods and Blue Buffalo Co.
Natural Balance, of Pacoima, Calif., announced a limited recall Monday of its Venison and Brown Rice canned and bagged dog foods, Venison and Brown Rice dog treats and Venison and Green Pea dry cat food.
Blue Buffalo, of Wilton, Conn., followed yesterday by recalling 5,044 bags of its Spa Select Kitten dry food. The company intercepted most of the kitten food before it reached distribution centers, company co-founder Billy Bishop said.
The FDA would not release the names of the other manufacturers that Wilbur-Ellis supplied, citing its ongoing investigation.
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[katlnhats]

That's sick. Truly.

Kat