Killer Pet Food Revisited

 
Do you remember the scandal from last March were pet cats and dogs were dying, allegedly from pet food manufactured by Menu Foods of Mississauga, Ontario (Canada)? At the time I was skeptical of the claims. It didn't seem to me that there were very many confirmed cases and it didn't seem likely that pet food from a reputable supplier could be so poisonous [Killer Pet Food?].

Well, the scientists have returned a verdict. A recent study has confirmed 348 cases of pet food-induced nephrotoxicity (236 cats and 112 dogs) [300 Pets May Have Died From Contaminated Pet Food Due To Lethal Combination Of Contaminants].

Initial reports suggested that the deaths were due to melamine contamination even though melamine is relatively harmless. It turns out that the pet food also contained unusual levels of cyanuric acid and melamine and cyanuric acid together form a very insoluble salt that blocks kidney function, causing death in some animals.

The pet food was contaminated and more than 300 pets died as a result. The study does not say how the food came to be contaminated but other sources attribute it to wheat gluten supplied by ChemNutra Inc. This company imported the wheat gluten from Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. in Wangdien, China.

Here's the original press release that's posted on the Food ad Drug Administration (USA) website [ChemNutra Announces Nationwide Wheat Gluten Recall].

ChemNutra Inc., of Las Vegas, Nevada, yesterday recalled all wheat gluten it had imported from one of its three Chinese wheat gluten suppliers – Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd.

The wheat gluten ChemNutra recalled was all shipped from China in 25 kg. paper bags, and distributed to customers in the same unopened bags. The bags were all labeled "Wheat Gluten Batch No.: _______ Net Weight: 25 kg Gross Weight: 25.1 kg Made in China". The batch numbers included in the recall are 20061006, 20061027, 20061101, 20061108, 20061122, 20061126, 20061201, 20061202, 20061203, 20061204, 20061205, 20061206, 20061208, 20061221, 20070106, 20070111, 20070116, and 20070126. Each ChemNutra shipment had the certificate of analysis information from the supplier, including batch number and the supplier's content analysis and test results. ChemNutra shipped from its Kansas City warehouse to three pet food manufacturers and one distributor who supplies wheat gluten only to the pet food industry. ChemNutra's shipments commenced November 9, 2006 and ended March 8, 2007. ChemNutra did not ship to facilities that manufacture food for human consumption, and the distributor ChemNutra shipped to supplies wheat gluten only to pet food manufacturers. The total quantity of Xuzhou Anying wheat gluten shipped was 792 metric tons.

ChemNutra learned on March 8 from one pet food manufacturer that the wheat gluten it had sold them – all from the Xuzhou Anying - was among ingredients suspected as a potential cause of pet food problems. ChemNutra immediately quarantined its entire wheat gluten inventory and assisted this customer's investigation.

After that manufacturer issued a pet food recall, the FDA immediately commenced a thorough investigation of ChemNutra's wheat gluten, including documentation analysis, inspection, and laboratory testing. ChemNutra cooperated fully with the FDA and immediately notified its other three wheat gluten customers about the FDA's investigation. Those customers had all purchased smaller amounts of the Xuzhou Anying wheat gluten commencing in January, 2007.

On Friday, March 30, the FDA announced they had found melamine in samples of the wheat gluten ChemNutra had imported from Xuzhou Anying. The FDA did not inform ChemNutra of any other impurities in the Xuzhou Anying wheat gluten, nor of any impurities in the wheat gluten from ChemNutra's other two Chinese suppliers.

The toxicity of melamine is not clear. However, since melamine is not approved by the FDA for pet food, it should absolutely not have been in wheat gluten. ChemNutra is extremely concerned about the purity of all of its products. The company is particularly troubled that the certificates of analysis provided by the above-named supplier did not report the presence of melamine.

The Mississauga company, Menu Foods is selling off assets in order to cover the court costs and the liability settlements. They recently sold a manufacturing plant in South Dakota to Mars, Incorporated.

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