Taint of Melamine Spreads: Industrial Additive Was Used in Animal Feed Products Made By Two U.S. Com

May 31, 05:21 AM

Current Headlines: By Jennifer Mann, The Kansas City Star, Mo.

May 31--Melamine-tainted ingredients aren't just coming from China, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.

At least two U.S. feed manufacturers also have sold products used to feed livestock and fish that contain the industrial additive.

The disclosure offered a new twist in an ongoing investigation that started with the March recall of pet food tainted by ingredient products imported from China.

FDA officials said that several feed products manufactured in the United States for cattle, goats, sheep, fish and shrimp were made using an ingredient in which melamine was added as a "binding agent." Melamine, a substance used in plastics and as a fertilizer, is not approved in the United States for use in any products for animal or human consumption.

The new announcement is unrelated to the recent flurry of reports of protein concentrate ingredients imported from China that were heavily spiked with melamine to make them appear to have high levels of protein. Those ingredients were used by dozens of pet food manufacturers, setting off the largest pet food recall ever.

Some of that tainted pet food was later used in feed for livestock and chickens. It was also used in feed for fish raised for human consumption and release into lakes and streams.

The FDA on Wednesday said it was not asking that any of the livestock or fish that were fed the contaminated feed manufactured in the United States be recalled.

FDA officials reiterated their position that the levels of melamine are too low to pose any risk to humans.

An investigation by the FDA into how long the firms have been using melamine as a binding agent, and how widely their products are distributed, is ongoing.

"Part of the investigation is determining how far back this went," said David Acheson, assistant commissioner for food protection at the FDA. "It's probably been going on for at least a little while, but how long and to what extent, we don't yet have those specifics."

The feed ingredients were made by Tembec BTLSR Inc. of Toledo, Ohio, and Uniscope of Johnstown, Colo. Tembec supplies a binding ingredient to Uniscope. It also makes and distributes some products under the Uniscope brand.

On May 18, Uniscope contacted the FDA after testing ingredients it buys from Tembec, part of a publicly traded Canadian-based forest products company.

The FDA then did its own testing and asked the two firms to voluntarily recall products and issue alerts to the companies that purchased the products, including ones outside the United States.

The companies issued a recall Wednesday. The companies had no further comment.

The FDA does not have the authority to require recalls.

The FDA said both firms are cooperating. The FDA declined to say whether it would pursue action against either firm, although it does have power to prosecute companies that violate food safety laws, including adding nonapproved substances to food for animals and humans.

To reach Jennifer Mann, call 816-234-4453 or send e-mail to jmann@kcstar.com

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