[Cagdu] FW: [G-Dogs] Pet Foods May Have Been Intentionally Poisoned

Sat Apr 21 19:52:52 PDT 2007

Pet Foods May Have Been Intentionally Poisoned

Pet Foods May Have Been Intentionally Poisoned

Food And Drug Administration Seeks Reasons Why So Many Pets Were Affected

(CBS) WASHINGTON Imported ingredients used in recalled pet food may have
been intentionally spiked with an industrial chemical to boost their
apparent protein content, federal officials said Thursday.

That's one theory being pursued by the Food and Drug Administration as it
investigates how the chemical, melamine, contaminated at least two
ingredients used to make more than 100 brands of dog and cat foods.

In California, state agriculture officials placed a hog farm under
quarantine after melamine was found in pig urine there. Additional testing
is under way to determine whether the chemical was present in the meat
produced by American Hog Farm in Ceres since April 3, the state Department
of Food and Agriculture said.

So far, melamine's been found in both wheat gluten and rice protein
concentrate imported from China. Media reports from South Africa suggest a
third pet food ingredient, corn gluten, used in that country also was
contaminated with melamine. That tainted ingredient has not been found in
the United States, according to the FDA, which is maintaining a pet food
recall website with advice for worried pet owners.

FDA investigators are awaiting visas that will allow them to visit the
Chinese plants where the vegetable protein ingredients were produced.

"Melamine was found in all three of those - it would certainly lend
credibility to the theory that it may be intentional. That will be one of
the theories we will pursue when we get into the plants in China," Stephen
Sundlof, the FDA's chief veterinarian, told reporters.

Chinese authorities have told the FDA that the wheat gluten was an
industrial product not meant for pet food, Sundlof said. Still, melamine
can skew test results to make a product appear more protein-rich than it
really is, he added. That raises the possibility the contamination was
deliberate.

"What we expect to do with our inspections in China will answer some of
those questions," said Michael Rogers, director of the division of field
investigations within the FDA's office of regulatory affairs.

Wilbur-Ellis Co., the U.S. importer of the tainted rice protein, said
Thursday it was recalling all the ingredient it had distributed to five
U.S. pet food manufacturers. The San Francisco 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 Thursday 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.

FDA officials would not release the names of the other two manufacturers
that Wilbur-Ellis supplied, citing its ongoing investigation.

The huge scale of the recall has alarmed public and animal advocacy groups
alike.

"This has exposed that the safety standards for pet foods are not in place
in any significant way and the kind of drumbeat, day after day, of recalls
has shaken consumers' confidence in the pet food industry's adherence to
food safety standards," said Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive
officer of the Humane Society of the United States.

The FDA could not provide updated numbers of pet deaths or injuries due to
the contaminated pet food. The agency has received more than 15,000 calls
since the first recall was announced more than a month ago.

The FDA and Agriculture Department also were investigating whether some pet
food made by one of the five companies supplied by Wilbur-Ellis was
diverted for use as hog feed after it was found unsuitable for pet
consumption.

"We understand it did make it into some hog feed and we are following up on
that as well," Sundlof said.

Later Thursday, California officials said they believe the melamine at the
quarantined hog farm came from rice protein concentrate imported from China
by Diamond Pet Food's Lathrop facility, which produces products under the
Natural Balance brand and sold salvage pet food to the farm for pig feed.

"Although all animals appear healthy, we are taking this action out of an
abundance of caution," State Veterinarian Richard Breitmeyer said in a
statement. "It is unknown if the chemical will be detected in meat."

Officials are investigating American Hog Farm's sales records to determine
who may be affected by the quarantine, said Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the
California Department of Food and Agriculture. The 1,500-animal farm
operates as a "custom slaughterhouse," which means it generally does not
supply meat to commercial outlets.

"Mostly it is not so-called mainstream pork. This is an operation that
sells to folks who come in and want a whole pig," said Lyle said.

Officials urged those who purchased pigs from American Hog Farm since April
3 to not consume the product until further notice.

Dr. Mark Horton, state public health officer, said so far "evidence
suggests a minimal health risk to persons who may have consumed pork" from
the farm.

A man who answered the phone for American Hog Farm late Thursday declined
to comment and referred calls to state officials. Phone calls to Diamond
Pet Food's Lathrop facility and Meta, Mo., headquarters were not
immediately returned.

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