FDA Blocks Wheat Gluten From China

Government Takes Action After Pet-Food Deaths Of Cats And Dogs

(AP)  The United States is blocking imports of wheat gluten from a company in China from where an investigation implicated the contaminated ingredient in recent pet-food deaths of cats and dogs.

The Food and Drug Administration acted against wheat gluten from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. in Wangdien, China, after the recall in the United States of almost 100 brands of pet food made with the chemically contaminated ingredient. The pet food, tainted with the chemical melamine, apparently has resulted in kidney failure in an unknown number of animals across the country.

Wheat gluten from China has been suspected in the outbreak since the first of multiple recalls was announced in mid-March. Even more pet food might be recalled in the next few days, although probably no contamination of human food has occurred, FDA officials said Monday.

The FDA reported last week that it had found melamine in samples of the vegetable protein source used in the recalled wet and dry pet foods and treats, as well as in cats that died after eating contaminated food.

"The wheat gluten that is positive for melamine all has come from this manufacturer," Neal Bataller, director of the division of compliance with the FDA's veterinary medicine office, told reporters. Melamine is used in plastics, countertops, glue, fire retardants and other products. Its toxicity to dogs and cats is unknown, but it is not allowed in human food in any quantity.

The FDA still does not know where all the contaminated imported wheat gluten ended up, although it appears unlikely any made it into human food.

"At this time, we can say that there is no evidence to suggest that any of the imported, suspect wheat gluten formed positive lots that made it into the human food supply," said Michael Rogers, who oversees field investigations for the FDA's office of regulatory affairs.

The imported product was only minimally labeled but apparently went only to pet food producers. The FDA considers the contamination an aberration since wheat gluten generally is not considered a product at risk for contamination.

"This should not be viewed as suddenly our food supply is unsafe, because I don't believe that to be the case. In fact, the opposite is true," said agency chief Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach.

"It is impossible for us to say at this time that there won't be additional recalls. We're continuing to follow the trail," said David Elder, who oversees enforcement in the FDA's office of regulatory affairs. Menu Foods, a major manufacturer of nearly 100 store- and major-brand pet foods, announced the first recall March 16. Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc., Del Monte Pet Products and Nestle Purina PetCare Co. all have since recalled some of their products as well.

The FDA's import alert, disclosed Monday but posted on its Web site Friday, notifies its field offices to detain any wheat gluten offered for import from the Chinese company.

The order also recommends inspectors screen all wheat gluten from China as well as from the Netherlands, a country through which transshipping of Chinese products can occur.

The FDA could not immediately say how much wheat gluten was exported to the United States by Xuzhou Anying. The FDA also was working to determine whether it shipped any other food products to the United States, said Ellen Morrison, director of FDA's office of crisis management.

The FDA has received in recent weeks more than 9,400 pet food-related complaints from consumers — nearly twice what the agency receives in a full year for all the products it regulates, von Eschenbach said.

"The sheer volume of this is extraordinary," he said.

The number of confirmed pet deaths remains at roughly 15, although anecdotal reports suggest hundreds of pets may have died. Cats appear to have been especially susceptible to the contamination.

[bliz179]

PLEASE update the number of pets affected. The FDA has had thousands of calls about this recall. The media still wants to use numbers supplied early in the recall by Menu Foods.

[hober_mallow]

Someone please explain this to me...

Why are we importing wheat ANYTHING from CHINA ???

Don't we grow enough wheat in the U.S.A. ???

Or, are we too busy paying subsdidies to U.S. farmers to NOT grow wheat ???

[Syndicate]

Nice to know the opening salvo in a war with china will be boats loaded with poisoned goods.

[walt1944-2009]

What scares me about all this is where was the FDA which is supposed to be checking what we and our pets eat and take as drugs. First now, after probably hundreds of pets (including 4 cats of mine) have died does the Bush government do something about it besides sitting around counting the money the food and drug corporations have been "contributing" to them. This country has become a country of "profit seekers", like the Ferengi in the Star Trek shows. At least the Ferengi lived by a code; the only code the Republican politicians and big corporations live by is GREED and the public can go scratch.

[samrensho]

The Bush administrations cutbacks at the FDA led to this situation. Now his big campaign contributors can get away with murder, literally!!

[homespunlady]

So, is Melamine the last word on what caused the poisoning or will it be another chemical next week like Aminopterin was last week. Stopping shipments? I thought there was no purchasing from that company except for menu foods. Has ANYBODY looked into whether there has been human injuries or death over this?
There are still far too many unanswered questions from a corporate culture and government that has over the past 6 years become arrogantly non-communicative and distant from the people they are supposed to be here to serve..

[homespunlady]

hmmm...Come to think about it is that the same stuff the plastic dinnerware is made out of or was that just a twisted coincidence?

[randalds]

Has ANYBODY looked into whether there has been human injuries or death over this?

Posted by homespunlady at 01:07 AM : Apr 03, 2007

As far as I know no one has and it's truly frightening to think of what they might find if they do. The budget for FDA inspectors has been slashed to the bone partially to help pay for the war, mostly because it helps Bush's big business buddies out. If the FDA is not properly funded then this problem will undoubtedly spread to contamination of processed human food also. This is no different of a case of his administration slashing the Mine Safety and Health Administration and now mining deaths are starting to climb again. Too much government oversight is a drag on business, but we're beginning to see the results of too little and the neoconservative goal is ultimately no oversight at all. They themselves say that their goal is a return to pre-McKinley days when there was virtually no government regulations on any business. This pet food disaster is just a glimpse of things to come.

[homespunlady]

Here's a thought. Since they apparently can't nail down the cause.
Could the variety of wheat be some type of new genetically modified strain that "Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co." decided to run through the American pet food route for testing?
What if this is in the human supply as well but it takes more time to show up than it does in cats??

[randalds]

I'm not familiar with genetically altered wheat myself, so I honestly don't know. I do suppose it's possible that the reason it hasn't adversely effected humans yet is that it's in such small amounts that we're not harmed, but small animals are. Still it's obviously something that should not be there at all.

[hermit22]

southern grown tobacco kills over 1000 human beings per day. how about a recall on that?

[gunownerdan]

Not only is China killing all the dogs in several Chinese cities, now they are killing dogs in America too. Very sad.

[carolyn345a]

I do know that my dead dog weighed 96 lbs, almost as much as I do and something that she ate killed her. So how large do you have to be before what you eat does not kill you?

Homespunlady -- I like your theory. We all need to definitely watch what we consume.

Human injuries!! Last night on t.v. there was a story about a woman who was eating the Iams pouch food in an attempt to coax her dog to eat it. The dog didn't want to. Well, they both ate it and they both got real sick. So, yeah, there are human ramifications from eating this stuff as well. And FDA "funding" may have something to do with it because they get more money from the pharmaceutical companies to push drugs than they get for inspecting people or pet food.

Now if you really want to know what is in the pet food they are peddling across the counter, and in your local vet's office, this is a must read. http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/784/Patrick06.html It is quite lengthy but very enlightening and well documented.

[carolyn345a]

I do know that my dead dog weighed 96 lbs, almost as much as I do and something that she ate killed her. So how large do you have to be before what you eat does not kill you?

Homespunlady -- I like your theory. We all need to definitely watch what we consume.

[carolyn345a]

Human injuries!! Last night on t.v. there was a story about a woman who was eating the Iams pouch food in an attempt to coax her dog to eat it. The dog didn't want to. Well, they both ate it and they both got real sick. So, yeah, there are human ramifications from eating this stuff as well. And FDA "funding" may have something to do with it because they get more money from the pharmaceutical companies to push drugs than they get for inspecting people or pet food.

Now if you really want to know what is in the pet food they are peddling across the counter, and in your local vet's office, this is a must read. http://leda.law.harvard.edu/leda/data/784/Patrick06.html It is quite lengthy but very enlightening and well documented.

[carolyn345a]

The food that finally killed my dog was availabe by prescription only, through the vet. I am not blaiming the vet for anything other than thinking they were doing the right thing for my dog. But I am blaming the FDA for selling me (very expensive) food that was never insepected for safety much less nutrition. It's not about money or vet bills. It's about more than rat poison or wheat gluten I want heads to roll, a total re-org and accountability for all of this needless suffering. And I'm going to be a pain in somebody's rear until I get it.