Pet Food Recall: Now Corn Gluten a Concern for Cat & Dog Food Recall

Article obtain from http://www.nationalledger.com.

By Susan Hatch, Apr 22, 2007

The pet food recall has now grown to include even more pet food ingredients. Will the dog and cat food scare ever end? Investigators have announced that they are now looking into the tainted dog and cat food originally honed in on Chinese wheat gluten. But this week two more pet food ingredients exported from China also tested positive for melamine. Rice protein concentrate was bound for five U.S. pet food makers -- and corn gluten sent to South Africa -- now the gluten is blamed for the deaths of 30 dogs there.

CBS is reporting that with more than 100 brands on the recall list, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it looks more and more likely the Chinese manufacturers intentionally spiked their products with melamine -- normally used in fertilizer.

This is unconscionable to many pet owners - so why did they do it? One theory tossed out by the report is that they mistakenly thought the animals' bodies would break the chemical down into harmless and beneficial protein.

"The other possibility is that it's being done deliberately to make it look as if there's more protein," said Marion Nestle. "So they can get more money for it -- a simple matter of greed." FDA officials say they need to inspect the plants in China. But the Chinese government has not yet let them in.

The AVMA has a full recall list here and is advising the public that there have been new recalls, nationally and internationally, of pet foods contaminated with melamine from Chinese sources. The Blue Buffalo Company has recalled Spa Select Kitten dry food with the printed instructions "Best Used By Mar. 07 08 B." Blue Buffalo received rice protein concentrate from Wilbur-Ellis, the same company that supplied this ingredient to Natural Balance. Subsequent testing indicated that the Blue Buffalo protein concentrate tested positive for melamine.

Royal Canin South Africa has announced a recall of Vets Choice dog food because it contains melamine-contaminated corn gluten imported from China. This food is sold in South Africa and Namibia. Royal Canin, which is headquartered in Southern France, has announced that none of the company's contaminated pet food has reached the United States. Nineteen dogs that consumed Vets Choice food in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, have been diagnosed with kidney problems.

Please click here for the full lists of recall as at 30.4.2007

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