Pet food contamination possibly intentional!

[Lady's Human]

If true, someone should go to jail for a long, long time.

The ingredients may have been spiked with melamine to boost their apparent protein content.

Pet Food May Have Been Intentionally Tainted
By ANDREW BRIDGES
AP
WASHINGTON (April 20) - Imported ingredients used in recalled pet food may have been intentionally spiked with an industrial chemical to boost their apparent protein content, federal officials said Thursday.

http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles...00010000000001

[lvpets2002]

Ggrrrr That is just so horrible.. However I was wondering if that could be the case.. SickOOSS..

[Jadapit]

I had read that somewhere also. I've been reading about the dog and cat foods a lot this week my head is spinning. This whole thing is so scary and way out of control. I agree, the person or persons that might have done that should go to jail for a very long time. What a sad world we live in these days its all about the all mighty dollar anymore....

[Lizzie]

I just posted this in Cats General, Royal Canin recall thread. It's from the VetPet Digest:

"I've looked on the various international commodity trading sites and it is
very clear that the price of wheat, rice and corn protein is directly
related to the protein content. Further, it appears that this is the only
thing that differentiates 'feed' from 'human' grade. In the case of wheat
gluten, supplies advertised as 'human' grade had a protein content of 80% or
higher while 'feed' grade offers or requests were all below 80%.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that these products have been spiked
with melamine to increase the nitrogen and hence protein content.

Having spent 30 years working with various non-Japanese Asian suppliers in
the electronics industry, I think it highly likely that these same suppliers
will find something else to spike their products with once they know that
they will be tested for melamine. They will dump their existing supplies in
places like Thailand and Brazil or anywhere else where they can be
reasonably sure they won't be tested.

There is basically nothing the U.S. buyers or government can do about this.
Test for melamine, they'll use something else.

If we ban a company, it will simply close down and reappear minutes later
under a new name.

Or, they will set up a front company in some place like Pakistan to sell the
product, although it will still be shipped from China complete with
documentation showing it originated in Pakistan.

There is a report today that the Chinese government won't provide visas for
FDA inspectors to visit these suppliers."

[AbbyMom]

This is so awful. You know the human food/pet food business is not going to stop buying less expensive ingredients from overseas. They're addicted to the low cost and they have to compete to stay in business.

The only way to guarantee safe food for our pets and ourselves is for the manufacturers to test every shipment and you know they won't do that.

Time to rethink the homemade cat food strategy.

[dukedogsmom]

I've been saying all along it was intentional

[dukedogsmom]

I've been saying all along it was intentional I'm kind of scared to keep feeding the big names now. Don't know what to do, really. I've been using Pro Plan Senior dry.

[smokey the elder]

There may be ways of testing which aren't too expensive, which will tell genuine protein from other nitrogen-containing materials. I would be willing to pay a little extra for them to put near infrared or Raman (the two tests that would be most effective) to look at each shipment of product.

[Daisy and Delilah]

I think we'll find out alot more about this situation being not so accidental before it's over. If this grain has been fed to animals that have been slaughtered for food, our human food supply is contaminated as well. I wonder if anything any of us eat is safe now.

In the beginning, I thought of terrorists doing this somehow. Am I crazy to think this could be true or is it all just for the money?

[Ginger's Mom]

I have a question. Is it being implied that it was intentionally added by the grain supply companies to make the grain seem "richer?" Or is it being implied that the dog food companies used grains they knew were "supplemented" to make the dog food appear to have more protein. I have heard it said in such a way I am not sure who is accusing who of what anymore. Of course whichever way, we would have to assume that the companies were unaware of the possible side effects. (?)

[Laura's Babies]

Then they need to change the laws that ONLY ingredients grown in our own country be used for us and our pets consumption... They know we will pay for a safer product so why would that be a problem?

[lizbud]

Then they need to change the laws that ONLY ingredients grown in our own country be used for us and our pets consumption... They know we will pay for a safer product so why would that be a problem?

I think this is a great idea for the pet food industry to adopt. We place
our trust in their companies.

I agree it was probably done intentionaly but probably not done with
malice. Big bucks $$$$$ was probably the motivation.

[Lizzie]

A pig farm in California has been quarantined because the farmer fed his pigs the recalled pet food and the urine samples from pigs show traces of melamine. Apparently, this farm only produces pigs to be killed for individuals, so not a mass-production enterprise.

[RICHARD]

Dick Van Patten owns a pet food store here in my town - he's had to recall the brands of food he sells......

this is madness.

[Zippy]

this is madness.

I couldn't agree more.I have been throw 3 brands of cat food(nutro,natural balance,and blue Buffalo)sense the recall.