FDA Mulls Motive In Pet Food Case

Theory Probed On Imports As Melamine Turns Up At Calif. Hog Farm

(AP)  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 officials say they need to inspect the plants in China. But the Chinese government has not yet let them in, CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes reports.

"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.

Still, scientists examining the tainted products say even high levels of melamine should not have killed cats and dogs — and for that matter shouldn't be harmful to humans, Cordes reports. They're now examining what happens when the chemical breaks down.

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.

[erasmus6]

johnshen

It is truly amazing how many ignorant people are in this world.

[johnshenweixiang]

yes,we china can shot down the satellite now,but The USA had this ability 20 years ago!
U think we danger USA,we also think USA threaten China(u have forces in JP/s-korea)!
How do u think of invading Iraq?
How do u think of the USA force other country to do what u want?
USA is the world's plice?
Really Think about your police and remember every country has their own culture and interests not only you.
Don't make other country and people into corner!!

[johnshenweixiang]

yes,we china can shot down the satellite now,but The USA had this ability 20 years ago!
U think we danger USA,we also think USA threaten China(u have forces in JP/s-korea)!
How do u think of invading Iraq?
How do u think of the USA force other country to do what u want?
USA is the world's plice?
Really Think about your police and remember every country has their own culture and interests not only you.
Don't make other country and people into corner!!

[erasmus6]

lastdance2

If what your saying is true that would mean you have one f**cked up country. If what your saying isn't true, that means you are one f**cked up person.:)

[lastdance2]

Remember :

In 1967, When the CIA dumped a flu virus.
Into the New York subway system.

How many people, did they kill that year ??

At the same time, it was rumored :

The CIA dumped a flu virus in the :

San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sea-Tac Airports.

Those of us, who were at age at the time.
Remember, the newscasts and the newspaper headlines.

Go up on the net now !!
Try and find the information.

What you will find is :

The US Army, has been credited.
With dumping that flu virus.
_______________________________________

"Contaminated Pet Food"

May be in retaliation :

For a dumped : "Bird Ful Virus"


( a history lesson - worth thinking about)


lastdance

[erasmus6]

didntinhale

The contaminated wheat gluten that went into the food came from your country. It was your country that got it from China. And that bit of information came from this website which is in your country.

[incog-nito]

Looks like globalization is going real well. Manufacturing is overated anyway. We'll all just be salespeople and sell stuff to each other. I'm glad the Chinese are really looking out for our well-being.

[cgene1]

George did it.

[cgene1]

Knew *** well someone would drag G Bush into anything that happens, hope your wife dosent get pregnent

[tbweb]

Looks like Weapons of Mass Destruction have migrated to the food supply! Ever since the Caveman, humans have excelled at finding creative ways to kill.

[walt1944-2009]

I expect that more and more chemicals are going to be discovered in food as the investigation really picks up steam. God knows what is ending up in not just pet food, but ALL food. I wouldn't be surprised if it came out that we all have been eating junk from overseas that is unfit for human consumption. You can't trust what a big food company lists on the label of anything you buy because the big food companies know the FDA can not and won't police every one of them. It all boils down to that bottom line and the insatiable corporate greed at the top level. Who cares if animals and people get sick and die from being poisoned by the cheap food that's bought from China, just so long as the corporate big shots can get their expensive perks and bonuses! It's the George Bush way!!!!

[booyaw_77]

What are we importing food for anyway? We're the food capital of the world. Oil? Yah. Flags? Yah. But food? C'mon.

[barbaraf4]

Not too long ago, the Chinese government was ordering their citizens to kill their pets. This sounds like something was done to the food to accomplish just that.

[bythepeople]

This country is totaly capable of feeding everyone here, people and animals. we need to stop importing cheap stuff from cheap sources just so the CEO'S can have more yachts.

[susha4]

The additives that are being put in all food these days, and coming from God knows what third world county with unsanitary conditions, it's a wonder we haven't all been poisoned by now.

I think that the SOURCE of these additives should be on the label. From now on, if I can't pronounce the names of what is in a food, I'm not buying it!

Remember the movie "Soilent Green"? Well that time may be here!

[fatherteresa]

Remember the bird flu epidemic? Thousands of chickens, contaminated and not contaminated, were slaughtered. Could they have been disposed of via the pet food? Or our food via the pig feed?

[sevenveils]

"FDA investigators are awaiting visas that will allow them to visit the Chinese plants where the vegetable protein ingredients were produced. " Apparent Chinese stall tactics until the plants get a thorough cleaning.

"Chinese authorities have told the FDA that the wheat gluten was an industrial product not meant for pet food..." Recall earlier the FDA stated the wheat gluten was human grade.

With the sense of distrust of current Chinese evasion of the truth, and its obvious disregard for international public safety, the US should ban all Chinese vegetable products until that government gets its act together on this matter.

Those with a great degree of paranoia could suggest this is a Chinese plot to destabilize the western economy through its food industry.

[gkc99]

And as all our science and manufacturing goes to Asia, thanks to the globalizers, what kinds and qualities of products do you think we will continue to get from there, in increasingly greater numbers?

[cantshutup]

Is there one good reason why these products can not be produced by our own American farmers? Why on earth does AMerica need to import ANY foreign wheat or corn or whatever??? Our national anthem praises our AMBER WAVES OF GRAIN!!!! we don't need any cheap, polluted, cruddy chinese c r a p!!!

[erasmus6]

galaxiana

Do you not think that someone should be going over there? Yes they may have cleaned up, but if you are stupid enough to put c-r-a-p in food, maybe they aren't smart enough to clean up properly.
Regardless they need to be held accountable and know that we mean business. Someone needs to meet them face to face. Sometimes it just doesn't come down to MONEY.