Testing Reveals Melamine in Recalled Pet Food, but Not Rat Poison: FDA

Mar 30, 04:05 PM

Current Headlines: By TOBI COHEN

TORONTO (CP) - A chemical used to make plastic has been identified as the new primary suspect in a massive North American recall of some 60 million cans and pouches of dog and cat food, the head of the product's Canadian manufacturer said Friday.

However, it still wasn't clear how melamine, which is also used as a fertilizer in Asia but banned for that purpose in the U.S., found its way into the wheat gluten that was used in the manufacturing process, said Menu Foods CEO Paul Henderson.

Nor was it clear why earlier tests identified the foreign agent as aminopterin, a form of rodent poison - a finding U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said Friday they were unable to confirm.

"We are angered that a source outside the company has apparently adulterated the product, causing this regrettable loss," Henderson told a news conference.

He said the contamination was discovered in Chinese wheat gluten provided by a new American supplier and has been discontinued.

The contamination has led to one of the largest consumer product recalls in North American history.

Anecdotal evidence suggests hundreds, if not thousands, of animals have been affected. Henderson said Menu Foods (TSX:MEW.UN), based in Mississauga, Ont., has fielded more than 300,000 calls from concerned pet owners.

"All of us at Menu Foods want to express our sympathy to those people who have suffered with sickness and loss of pets," he said.

"We are pet people. We have almost a thousand caring employees who are dedicated to making food that is safe, nutritious and palatable."

Henderson refused to name the supplier in question, saying U.S. authorities were still investigating and the contamination could become the subject of legal action.

However, he insisted all products made since March 6 are safe.

"One supplier's products were adulterated in a manner that was not part of any known screening process for wheat gluten," Henderson said. "The source of that adulteration has been identified and removed from our system."

That news appeared to give a boost to units of Menu Foods Income Fund, which were up 14 cents at C$4.07 in late-day trading Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Earlier Friday, the FDA said it found melamine in samples of the pet food, as well as in wheat gluten used as an ingredient in the "cuts-and-gravy" style products.

FDA officials said that the apparently melamine-contaminated wheat gluten also was shipped to a company that manufactures dry pet food, but refused to name the company. They said they were working to determine whether that company used any of the wheat gluten to make dry pet food.

The agency also said its tests had failed to confirm earlier findings by Department of Agriculture officials in New York that the culprit was aminopterin.

The FDA said it was working to rule out the possibility that the contaminated wheat gluten could have made it into any human food, but was not aware of any risk to people.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the melamine was the culprit in the deaths and illnesses, said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.

Wheat gluten, a source of vegetable protein, is also used in some human foods, but the FDA emphasized it had found no indication the contaminated ingredient had been used in food for people.

Cornell University scientists also found melamine - used to produce plastic kitchen wares and used in Asia as a fertilizer - in the urine of sick cats, as well as in the kidney of one cat that died after eating the company's wet food.

It is not clear how many pets have been poisoned, although anecdotal reports suggest hundreds, if not thousands, have died. The FDA has received more than 8,000 complaints.

The new finding comes a week after scientists at the New York State Food Laboratory identified a rat poison and cancer drug called aminopterin as the likely culprit. The FDA said it could not confirm that finding.

The recall involved nearly 100 brands of dog and cat food made by Menu Foods sold across the continent.