FDA Finds Chemical Used to Make Plastic in Tainted Pet Food

Mar 30, 04:20 PM

Current Headlines: KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ The Food and Drug Administration has found a chemical used to make plastic in samples of wheat gluten imported from China in pet food made by Menu Foods.

The substance found by the FDA, melamine, is used in some countries as a fertilizer, but is not approved for that use in the U.S. The regulatory agency today said that the substance is unsafe at any level in pet food.

The latest find is in addition to one last week of aminopterin, used as a rodent poison outside of the U.S. Both the FDA and Cornell University, which is one of the labs trying to identify what's caused renal failure in an undetermined number of cats and dogs, said it's premature to assume either substance is what's causing the illnesses and death.

The FDA said the wheat gluten in question was shipped to a second pet food manufacturer that makes dry dog food, but as of this morning it had not been determined whether that wheat gluten had been used to make pet food. The FDA declined to identify the manufacturer.

Canadian-based Menu Foods Income Fund issued a recall of 60 million cans and pouches of wet style cat and dog food on March 16 after nine of 25 cats it used in taste tests died. All of the tainted product was made at the company's plant in Emporia, Kan., which was set to resume production today after being shut down for more than a week.

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