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We all knew this was coming....Tainted Human Food
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<blockquote data-quote="TexasTornado" data-source="post: 39206" data-attributes="member: 3379"><p>I got this today -thought you all would be interested......sigh.....</p><p></p><p>Forbes.com</p><p>Tainted Pet Food Found in Hogs in Several States</p><p>04.24.07, 12:00 AM ET</p><p> </p><p>TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Contaminated pet food, the</p><p>focus of a massive nationwide recall last month, has been fed to hogs</p><p>in at least five states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration</p><p>announced Tuesday.</p><p>Ten pet food manufacturers sent unusable dog and cat food containing</p><p>the toxic chemical melamine to hog producers in California, New York,</p><p>North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and possibly Ohio, FDA officials</p><p>announced during a late afternoon press conference. Contaminated pet</p><p>food was also sent to one chicken farm in Missouri, the officials</p><p>added.</p><p> </p><p>"Hogs that have been fed salvage pet food in North Carolina, South</p><p>Carolina and California were tested, and levels of melamine were</p><p>detected in their urine," Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, FDA's director of</p><p>the Center for Veterinary Medicine, told reporters at the</p><p>teleconference.</p><p> </p><p>Whether any of the contaminated meat has entered the U.S. food supply</p><p>isn't known, Sundlof added. But all the hogs at the farms have been</p><p>quarantined, he said.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, he said, the FDA has begun to test several types of</p><p>imported protein supplements used both in human and pet food for the</p><p>presence of melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and</p><p>fertilizers.</p><p> </p><p>The imported melamine found in dog and cat food was apparently used</p><p>to boost the protein content of the foods, and has sickened and</p><p>killed an unknown number of animals.</p><p> </p><p>"The FDA will begin testing a variety of protein ingredients in</p><p>finished products commonly found in the U.S. food and feed supply for</p><p>the presence of melamine," Sundlof said. The agency will focus on</p><p>newly imported products as well as products already in the country,</p><p>he added.</p><p> </p><p>Products to be tested include wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate,</p><p>corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein and rice bran, Sundlof said.</p><p>Other products may be added to the list later.</p><p> </p><p>These ingredients are used widely in human foods, Dr. David Acheson,</p><p>FDA's chief medical officer at the Center for Food Safety and Applied</p><p>Nutrition, told reporters. "Things like breads, pastas, cereals,</p><p>pizza dough, energy bars and protein shakes," he added.</p><p> </p><p>However, he said, "At this time there is no indication that melamine</p><p>has been added to ingredients other than those used in the pet food."</p><p> </p><p>Melamine was first found in pet foods manufactured by the Canadian</p><p>company Menu Foods, which began its recall March 16 with moist dog</p><p>and cat foods made with melamine-contaminated wheat gluten from China.</p><p> </p><p>The recall has since expanded to other pet food manufacturers and</p><p>other pet food ingredients, including the imported rice protein</p><p>concentrate and corn gluten.</p><p> </p><p>On Tuesday, however, Sundlof also announced that in addition to</p><p>melamine, the FDA has now found cyanuric acid in the rice protein</p><p>concentrate used for the pet food.</p><p> </p><p>Like melamine, cyanuric acid is a chemical that can be used to boost</p><p>the apparent protein content of foods but is normally used as a</p><p>stabilizer in outdoor swimming pools and hot tubs.</p><p> </p><p>"We are testing for that compound as well," Sundlof said.</p><p> </p><p>The pet food recall has gotten the attention of the U.S. Congress,</p><p>and two senators have asked the FDA to be more forthcoming in</p><p>disclosing information about the companies involved in importing pet</p><p>food ingredients.</p><p> </p><p>In a letter to the FDA, Democratic Senators Richard Durbin of</p><p>Illinois and Maria Cantwell of Washington state asked the agency to</p><p>reveal the names of all importers of the contaminated rice protein</p><p>concentrate, which was first recalled last week by Wilbur-Ellis Co.</p><p>of San Francisco, and the names of the companies that received the</p><p>shipments.</p><p> </p><p>"We have learned that in addition to Wilbur-Ellis, a second United</p><p>States company imported a shipment of rice protein from China that is</p><p>also likely to be contaminated with melamine," the senators</p><p>wrote. "We request the FDA identify this second importer as well as</p><p>those manufacturers to which it may have sold the contaminated</p><p>product."</p><p> </p><p>The FDA confirmed at Tuesday afternoon's teleconference that another</p><p>company also imported rice protein concentrate from the same Chinese</p><p>company as Wilbur-Ellis, but the agency continued to refused to</p><p>identify the U.S. company.</p><p> </p><p>On Monday, however, China finally gave U.S. regulators permission to</p><p>enter the country to investigate whether Chinese suppliers had</p><p>exported contaminated pet food ingredients to the United States this</p><p>year, The New York Times reported.</p><p> </p><p>Previously, China had barred FDA representatives from entering the</p><p>country despite evidence that the contaminant in the U.S. pet food</p><p>supply came from Chinese exporters of wheat gluten and other animal</p><p>feed ingredients, the Times said.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, another manufacturer, SmartPak of Plymouth, Mass.,</p><p>announced that it has recalled its LiveSmart Weight Management</p><p>Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food, which it said could contain</p><p>contaminated rice protein concentrate.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>San Diego Union Tribune</p><p>2:31 p.m. April 26, 2007</p><p> </p><p>WASHINGTON Several hundred of the 6,000 hogs that may have eaten</p><p>contaminated pet food are believed to have entered the food supply</p><p>for humans, the government said Thursday. The potential risk to human</p><p>health was said to be very low.</p><p>The government told the three states involved it would not allow meat</p><p>from any of the hogs that ate the feed to enter the food supply.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>No more than 345 hogs from farms in California, New York and South</p><p>Carolina are involved, according to the Agriculture Department. It</p><p>appears the large majority of the hogs that may have been exposed are</p><p>still on the farms where they are being raised, spokeswoman Nicol</p><p>Andrews said.</p><p>Salvaged pet food from companies known or suspected of using a</p><p>tainted ingredient was shipped to hog farms in seven states for use</p><p>as feed.</p><p> </p><p>The government will compensate farmers if they kill those hogs, said</p><p>Kenneth Peterson of department's Food Safety and Inspection Service.</p><p>The department knew of no countries moving to suspend imports of U.S.</p><p>pork products.</p><p> </p><p>Also, a poultry feed mill in an eighth state, Missouri, also received</p><p>possibly contaminated pet food scraps left over from production. The</p><p>fate of the feed made from that waste was under investigation.</p><p> </p><p>The pet food sent to the farms later was discovered to have an</p><p>ingredient, rice protein concentrate, imported from China that was</p><p>tainted by an industrial chemical, melamine. Testing also revealed</p><p>other related and similarly banned compounds, including cyanuric</p><p>acid. Food and Drug Administration inspectors were preparing to visit</p><p>China as part of the agency's investigation.</p><p> </p><p>Melamine is not considered a human health concern. But there is no</p><p>scientific data on the health effects of melamine combined with the</p><p>other compounds, said David Elder, director of enforcement for the</p><p>FDA.</p><p> </p><p>Still, the FDA and Agriculture Department believe the likelihood of</p><p>someone becoming ill after eating pork from hogs fed contaminated</p><p>feed is very low. Meanwhile, the University of California, Davis, is</p><p>developing a test to measure melamine levels in tissue, Andrews said.</p><p> </p><p>Since mid-March, pet food companies have recalled more than 100</p><p>brands of dog and cat food and treats; more recalls were announced</p><p>Thursday. An unknown number of cats and dogs have fallen ill or died</p><p>after eating products made with contaminated rice protein concentrate</p><p>or a second tainted ingredient, wheat gluten.</p><p> </p><p>Some pet food, while unsuitable for sale for that purpose, was still</p><p>considered safe for animals to eat as it had not been recalled at the</p><p>time it was forwarded to hog farms. Its use at hog farms raised the</p><p>possibility that melamine entered the human food supply.</p><p> </p><p>The department on Thursday released the following state-by-state</p><p>breakdown of its investigation into farms thought to have received</p><p>the contaminated pet food for use as hog feed. The farms were not</p><p>identified.</p><p> </p><p> CALIFORNIA: State officials are working to contact the purchasers of</p><p>50 whole hogs raised on a single farm.</p><p> </p><p> NEW YORK: A breeder farm's 125 to 140 swine are under quarantine</p><p>pending the results of urine and manure tests. None of the hogs went</p><p>to slaughter.</p><p> </p><p> SOUTH CAROLINA: Urine tests done on some of the 800 hogs now</p><p>quarantined at a farm have tested positive for low levels of</p><p>melamine. None went to slaughter. According to the state</p><p>veterinarian, none of the suspect feed was fed to the hogs. Federal</p><p>tests on the feed have come up negative. The positive urine tests</p><p>could not be immediately explained, although contaminated feed could</p><p>have escaped detection during tests, the FDA said.</p><p> </p><p> NORTH CAROLINA: A farm with 1,400 hogs is under quarantine. It</p><p>shipped 54 animals to a slaughterhouse, where they are on voluntary</p><p>hold.</p><p> </p><p> UTAH: Eight hogs sent to slaughter by one farm remain on hold. Also</p><p>on hold are 3,300 hogs at a second farm, as well as 40 to 50</p><p>carcasses at a slaughterhouse supplied by that producer. Meat from no</p><p>more than 100 other hogs from the producer, all processed earlier by</p><p>that same plant, may have entered the food supply, Andrews said.</p><p> </p><p> KANSAS: Meat from 195 hogs from a single producer may have entered</p><p>the food supply via a Nebraska slaughterhouse. The farm is holding</p><p>another 150 hogs.</p><p> </p><p> OKLAHOMA: A show hog operation purchased contaminated feed but no</p><p>hogs have gone to slaughter.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, an Ohio hog farm has been cleared.</p><p> </p><p>Each year, about 105 million hogs are slaughtered and processed in</p><p>the United States.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It is coming to point where you can't trust commercial food</p><p>suppliers. You need to talk to farmers and primary producers so you</p><p>know what is being fed to the animals.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Luvz,</p><p> Kathy</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TexasTornado, post: 39206, member: 3379"] I got this today -thought you all would be interested......sigh..... Forbes.com Tainted Pet Food Found in Hogs in Several States 04.24.07, 12:00 AM ET TUESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- Contaminated pet food, the focus of a massive nationwide recall last month, has been fed to hogs in at least five states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday. Ten pet food manufacturers sent unusable dog and cat food containing the toxic chemical melamine to hog producers in California, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and possibly Ohio, FDA officials announced during a late afternoon press conference. Contaminated pet food was also sent to one chicken farm in Missouri, the officials added. "Hogs that have been fed salvage pet food in North Carolina, South Carolina and California were tested, and levels of melamine were detected in their urine," Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, FDA's director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine, told reporters at the teleconference. Whether any of the contaminated meat has entered the U.S. food supply isn't known, Sundlof added. But all the hogs at the farms have been quarantined, he said. In addition, he said, the FDA has begun to test several types of imported protein supplements used both in human and pet food for the presence of melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers. The imported melamine found in dog and cat food was apparently used to boost the protein content of the foods, and has sickened and killed an unknown number of animals. "The FDA will begin testing a variety of protein ingredients in finished products commonly found in the U.S. food and feed supply for the presence of melamine," Sundlof said. The agency will focus on newly imported products as well as products already in the country, he added. Products to be tested include wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein and rice bran, Sundlof said. Other products may be added to the list later. These ingredients are used widely in human foods, Dr. David Acheson, FDA's chief medical officer at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, told reporters. "Things like breads, pastas, cereals, pizza dough, energy bars and protein shakes," he added. However, he said, "At this time there is no indication that melamine has been added to ingredients other than those used in the pet food." Melamine was first found in pet foods manufactured by the Canadian company Menu Foods, which began its recall March 16 with moist dog and cat foods made with melamine-contaminated wheat gluten from China. The recall has since expanded to other pet food manufacturers and other pet food ingredients, including the imported rice protein concentrate and corn gluten. On Tuesday, however, Sundlof also announced that in addition to melamine, the FDA has now found cyanuric acid in the rice protein concentrate used for the pet food. Like melamine, cyanuric acid is a chemical that can be used to boost the apparent protein content of foods but is normally used as a stabilizer in outdoor swimming pools and hot tubs. "We are testing for that compound as well," Sundlof said. The pet food recall has gotten the attention of the U.S. Congress, and two senators have asked the FDA to be more forthcoming in disclosing information about the companies involved in importing pet food ingredients. In a letter to the FDA, Democratic Senators Richard Durbin of Illinois and Maria Cantwell of Washington state asked the agency to reveal the names of all importers of the contaminated rice protein concentrate, which was first recalled last week by Wilbur-Ellis Co. of San Francisco, and the names of the companies that received the shipments. "We have learned that in addition to Wilbur-Ellis, a second United States company imported a shipment of rice protein from China that is also likely to be contaminated with melamine," the senators wrote. "We request the FDA identify this second importer as well as those manufacturers to which it may have sold the contaminated product." The FDA confirmed at Tuesday afternoon's teleconference that another company also imported rice protein concentrate from the same Chinese company as Wilbur-Ellis, but the agency continued to refused to identify the U.S. company. On Monday, however, China finally gave U.S. regulators permission to enter the country to investigate whether Chinese suppliers had exported contaminated pet food ingredients to the United States this year, The New York Times reported. Previously, China had barred FDA representatives from entering the country despite evidence that the contaminant in the U.S. pet food supply came from Chinese exporters of wheat gluten and other animal feed ingredients, the Times said. Meanwhile, another manufacturer, SmartPak of Plymouth, Mass., announced that it has recalled its LiveSmart Weight Management Chicken and Brown Rice Dog Food, which it said could contain contaminated rice protein concentrate. San Diego Union Tribune 2:31 p.m. April 26, 2007 WASHINGTON Several hundred of the 6,000 hogs that may have eaten contaminated pet food are believed to have entered the food supply for humans, the government said Thursday. The potential risk to human health was said to be very low. The government told the three states involved it would not allow meat from any of the hogs that ate the feed to enter the food supply. No more than 345 hogs from farms in California, New York and South Carolina are involved, according to the Agriculture Department. It appears the large majority of the hogs that may have been exposed are still on the farms where they are being raised, spokeswoman Nicol Andrews said. Salvaged pet food from companies known or suspected of using a tainted ingredient was shipped to hog farms in seven states for use as feed. The government will compensate farmers if they kill those hogs, said Kenneth Peterson of department's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The department knew of no countries moving to suspend imports of U.S. pork products. Also, a poultry feed mill in an eighth state, Missouri, also received possibly contaminated pet food scraps left over from production. The fate of the feed made from that waste was under investigation. The pet food sent to the farms later was discovered to have an ingredient, rice protein concentrate, imported from China that was tainted by an industrial chemical, melamine. Testing also revealed other related and similarly banned compounds, including cyanuric acid. Food and Drug Administration inspectors were preparing to visit China as part of the agency's investigation. Melamine is not considered a human health concern. But there is no scientific data on the health effects of melamine combined with the other compounds, said David Elder, director of enforcement for the FDA. Still, the FDA and Agriculture Department believe the likelihood of someone becoming ill after eating pork from hogs fed contaminated feed is very low. Meanwhile, the University of California, Davis, is developing a test to measure melamine levels in tissue, Andrews said. Since mid-March, pet food companies have recalled more than 100 brands of dog and cat food and treats; more recalls were announced Thursday. An unknown number of cats and dogs have fallen ill or died after eating products made with contaminated rice protein concentrate or a second tainted ingredient, wheat gluten. Some pet food, while unsuitable for sale for that purpose, was still considered safe for animals to eat as it had not been recalled at the time it was forwarded to hog farms. Its use at hog farms raised the possibility that melamine entered the human food supply. The department on Thursday released the following state-by-state breakdown of its investigation into farms thought to have received the contaminated pet food for use as hog feed. The farms were not identified. CALIFORNIA: State officials are working to contact the purchasers of 50 whole hogs raised on a single farm. NEW YORK: A breeder farm's 125 to 140 swine are under quarantine pending the results of urine and manure tests. None of the hogs went to slaughter. SOUTH CAROLINA: Urine tests done on some of the 800 hogs now quarantined at a farm have tested positive for low levels of melamine. None went to slaughter. According to the state veterinarian, none of the suspect feed was fed to the hogs. Federal tests on the feed have come up negative. The positive urine tests could not be immediately explained, although contaminated feed could have escaped detection during tests, the FDA said. NORTH CAROLINA: A farm with 1,400 hogs is under quarantine. It shipped 54 animals to a slaughterhouse, where they are on voluntary hold. UTAH: Eight hogs sent to slaughter by one farm remain on hold. Also on hold are 3,300 hogs at a second farm, as well as 40 to 50 carcasses at a slaughterhouse supplied by that producer. Meat from no more than 100 other hogs from the producer, all processed earlier by that same plant, may have entered the food supply, Andrews said. KANSAS: Meat from 195 hogs from a single producer may have entered the food supply via a Nebraska slaughterhouse. The farm is holding another 150 hogs. OKLAHOMA: A show hog operation purchased contaminated feed but no hogs have gone to slaughter. In addition, an Ohio hog farm has been cleared. Each year, about 105 million hogs are slaughtered and processed in the United States. It is coming to point where you can't trust commercial food suppliers. You need to talk to farmers and primary producers so you know what is being fed to the animals. Luvz, Kathy [/QUOTE]
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We all knew this was coming....Tainted Human Food
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