Poisoned Pet Food Additive Being Siezed and Chinese Company Identified!

FDA - Center for Vetrinary Medicine ^ | Sunday April 1, 2007 | Milwaukee_Guy

[Milwaukee_Guy]

IA #99-26, IMPORT ALERT #99-26, "DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION AND INTENSIFIED COVERAGE OF WHEAT GLUTEN DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF MELAMINE"

TYPE OF ALERT: Detention Without Physical Examination

(Note: This import alert represents the Agency's current guidance to FDA field personnel regarding the manufacturer(s) and/or products(s) at issue. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person, and does not operate to bind FDA or the public).

PRODUCT: Wheat Gluten

PRODUCT CODES: 02F[][]08 Wheat gluten 02E[][]06 - Wheat flour gluten 71M[][]01 wheat gluten

PROBLEMS: Poisonous or deleterious substance Unsafe food additive

PAF: PES FAD

PAC FOR COLLECTION: 71003A 09006A

COUNTRY: See Attachment

MANUFACTURER/ FEI#: See Attachment

CHARGES: The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to section 801(a)(3)in that it appears to bear or contain a poisonous or deleterious substance, which may render it injurious to health [Adulteration, section 402(a)(1)]" (Oasis Charge Code; POISONOUS)

and/or

The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to section 801(a)(3)in that it appears to bear or contain a food additive that is unsafe within the meaning of section 409 [Adulteration, section 402(a)(2)(C)(i)]" (Oasis Charge Code: UNSAFE ADD)

RECOMMENDING OFFICE: Division of Compliance, CVM (HFV-230)

REASON FOR ALERT: In March 2007, FDA became aware of the illness and death of cats and dogs associated with certain pet food. Subsequently, samples of the implicated pet food were analyzed and found to contain melamine. The consumption of pet food containing melamine may be associated with acute renal failure in cats. Investigations have revealed that the sour ce of the melamine was wheat gluten which is an ingredient in the pet food. The attachment to this alert includes manufacturers whose wheat gluten products have been found to contain melamine. GUIDANCE: Districts may detain without physical examination, products offered for importation from manufacturers and shippers listed in the Attachment to this import alert. Report wheat gluten samples found positive for melamine to Cathie Marshall, CVM, Division of Compliance, HFV-232, at (240) 276-9217.

Appropriate screening criteria have been set for wheat gluten from China and the Netherlands, as a country through which transshipping of Chinese wheat gluten may occur. Sampling has been recommended. Recommendations for detention without physical examination of firms with violative product should be forwarded to DIOP, HFC- 170.

For questions or issues concerning science, science policy, sample collection, analysis, preparation, or analytical methodology, contact Tom Savage, Division of Field Science, at 301-827-1026.

To enable the agency to assess whether the firm has identified the source of the problem, and has taken the appropriate steps to correct and prevent future occurrences, FDA recommends that a firm requesting removal from detention without physical examination provide the following information:

1. a. Results of the firm's investigation(s) into the problem of melamine contamination

b. Documentation showing corrective action(s)such as:

i. a description of the process(es) currently being used ii. verification that the process is adequate iii. measures that have been taken to prevent recontamination

c. Copies of three (3) production records showing the process, quantities processed, lot numbers and dates of processing.

AND

d. Documentation showing that a minimum of five (5) consecutive entries have been released by FDA based on third party laboratory analyses that show the shipments of wheat gluten do not contain melamine.

All requests for removal from DWPE should be forwarded to DIOP,(HFC-170) which in turn will forward the requests to CVM (HFV-230) for evaluation.

PRIORITIZATION GUIDANCE: I

FOI: No purging required

KEYWORDS: Feed, pet food, melamine, wheat gluten

PREPARED BY: Cathie Marshall, CVM, HFV-232, 240-276-9217 and Linda Wisniowski, DIOP, HFC-172, 301-443-6553

DATE LOADED INTO FIARS: March 30, 2007 ATTACHMENT 3/30/07

Firms and products currently under detention without physical examination

CHINA (CN)

Firm: Date DWPE Product /Code:

Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology 3/30/07 Wheat gluten Development Company Ltd. 02F[][]08 Wangdian Industrial Zone, Peixian, CN-32, China 221623 FEI# 2000023594

[AuntB]

Tainted Wheat Gluten Sold as "Food Grade" (2 comments ) Del Monte Foods has confirmed that the melamine-tainted wheat gluten used in several of its recalled pet food products was supplied as a "food grade" additive, raising the likelihood that contaminated wheat gluten might have entered the human food supply. "Yes, it is food grade," Del Monte spokesperson Melissa Murphy-Brown wrote in reply to an e-mail query.

I've been expecting that!! If it's in pet food, you can bet their globalist butts they'll put it in ours! I just got done making pet food. Pork chop, chicken, egg, flax seed, broccli, carrots potatos, oat bran. They really liked it!

[BagCamAddict]

I'm sorry. How old is the dog, and what breed? Keep us posted.

[AuntB]

"Why the hell would the United States or Canada need to import any grain product from China?"

Welcome to the new 21st century global economy!!! AND CHEAP LABOR! Seems rather ironic to me that such a 'modern' economy is supplied with 18th century uneducated, 3rd world laborers.

[seeker41]

bttt!!!

[AuntB]

Time to bring back Victory Gardens!

I'm at the point, if I can't grow it, I won't eat it.

It's really remarkable that a lot more of us aren't dead. I've known a couple of produce people who have gotten sick from handling the veggies from south of the border. They'll use any chemical they can get their hands on down there.

[Brad’s Gramma]

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/index.html

I found this last night. Somewhere on there you can enter in your zip code & find a store nearby.

I buy my dog food from http://www.paulspetfood.com/index.html

I wrote them an email over the weekend and heard back this morning saying their food was fine. (Boy howdy, do I hope it's fine..)

[null and void]

Mad as a hatter?

[milford421]

No, I hadn't seen it. Thanks very much for the information...anyone doubt that this was a purposeful act?

[girlangler]

Sorry if I have already pinged you all on this. This story is developing fast and you need to see this.

[Ladysmith]

mark

[Eastbound]

Here's a link for info on gluten-free foods from the source story:

Gluten-Free food link.

Thanks for the ping!

[Centurion2000]

Yur Ki Tees Be Gon

[Joe 6-pack]

"My kids make fun of me because I won't buy anything from China that touches food..."

You may want to consider letting them make fun of you with regards to Mexico. A lot of their pottery and ceramic glazes for tea pots, coffee mugs, etc. have lead in them...

[bannie]

I so agree: We’re selling our nation for cheap pottery and trinkets.

:-(

[bannie]

True! I’ve even seen mugs from Mexico which state that they’re for decorative purposes only. MUGS!!!

[nw_arizona_granny]

Here is lunch:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food)

http://www.google.com/search?q=wheat+gluten&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

[LegendHasIt]

But Melamine is GOOD for you!

I remember eating off melamine plates, drinking from melamine cups for years back in the ‘60s and 70s.

[John Leland 1789]

A little info from Shanghai, China, from where I am writing this.

The Chinese government is allowing some growth, of late, in the pet industry. But officially, the Communist Party and the central government tries to discourage pet ownership. The official position is still that pets like dogs and cats are a big waste and a drain on the economy and the incomes of individuals.

Veterinarians are trained here, of course. One of our best friends since 1993 is a vet. doctor, trained at the Northeast Agricultural University in Harbin. The training includes caring for farm animals and research animals, as well as training in food purity inspection and food industry sanitation (because of the animal meats, as anyone knows). PET CARE IS DISCOURAGED BIG TIME!!

Nevertheless, the pet food industry is booming here primarily because of the export market, and this also means a lot of jobs, including jobs for veterinarians, who are employed as inspectors in the production plants, and as advisers in the pet nutrition field.

But local governments recommend and practice the laying of POISONS to get rid of stray pets. They also send teams of men to club packs of dogs and cats to death. No animal rights people here!

Now, nobody will say directly to us, but WHAT IF(!) there is Chinese government collusion in this poison-tainted gluten industry, because of the official position of the central government and the Party?? WHAT IF much of this tainted stuff has gotten mixed up in the stuff going out for export?

[Major_Risktaker]

Milwaukee_Guy

Your doing research that lame street media reporters won't do or are not allowed to report. Great work and thank you very much.

Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology

Web Page Message Center

Tell Mao how you feel.

[AuntB]

What if, indeed, John Leland.

Thanks for the first hand account! I’ve wondered about China and their disdain for dogs.

Reminds me of some years ago when I was in Tahiti, taking a tour. I remarked why there were no dogs anywhere. Everyone just snickered. Yes, they are considered a ‘delicacy’.