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Chinese Companies Blamed for Pet Poisonings Closed Down

U.S. Inspectors Find the Plants Deserted; One Executive Detained

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

May 11, 2007

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The two Chinese companies that exported the tainted -- and mislabeled -- ingredients linked to the deaths of thousands of pets in the United States are now closed and all their equipment is dismantled.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent food inspectors to China nearly two weeks ago to investigate the companies that made the melamine-tainted ingredients -- Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. and Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd.

“We visited the two facilities, but there's essentially nothing to be found in that they are currently closed down, not operating,” Walter Batts, deputy director of the FDA’s Office of International Programs, told reporters Thursday.

“There's essentially nothing, as they have determined, that is available to be seen at the facilities. They've been closed down, machinery dismantled, nothing to really get access to.”

All Ingredients Traced

The FDA traced all the tainted ingredients that triggered one of the largest pet food recalls in U.S. history to those two Chinese companies. Eighteen companies have recalled more than 5,500 pet food products since March.

The FDA on Thursday also reiterated that those Chinese companies mislabeled the melamine-tainted ingredients shipped to the United States. Those ingredients -- labeled as wheat gluten and rice protein -- are really wheat flour.

“When our forensic chemistry center specifically looked into that…they were able to measure the starch level of this product and determine that it wasn't in fact wheat gluten, but the wheat flour,” said Dr. David Acheson, the FDA’s new assistant commissioner for food protection.

He added: “I can tell you that some of our testing has indicated that some of the melamine-positive material labeled as rice protein concentrate was not rice protein concentrate. It was indeed the ground up wheat flour with melamine…so certainly some of the rice protein concentrate that we tested was mislabeled.”

The FDA said the mislabeled melamine-tainted rice protein entered the U.S. in August of 2006; the mislabeled wheat gluten first came into the country in November 2006.

“Those are the only two companies that we are aware of that sold this contaminated protein concentrate,” said the FDA’s Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine.

The FDA also confirmed that China has detained at least one official from these companies. U.S. food inspectors -- who are expected to return to the U.S. next week -- have not interviewed any officials with the Chinese manufacturers.

More Contaminated Fish Feed

In related news, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says additional hatcheries have received fish feed that is potentially tainted with melamine — the same chemical found in the pet food linked to the deaths and illnesses of thousands of pets in the United States.

Melamine is used to make plastics and fertilizers. It is not approved for use in pet or human food in the United States.

Earlier this week, the FDA confirmed the presence of melamine in fish feed from the Canadian company, Skretting. FDA tests revealed one sample of fish feed at the Marion Forks Hatchery in Oregon contained that chemical.

The Skretting company recalled all the tainted fish feed -- made with contaminated rice protein from China -- earlier this week.

“Recent testing by the USFDA has found a very low level of melamine in a batch of Bio-Oregon brand fish feed shipped to the United States,” the company said in a written release. “To date, Skretting has received no complaints related to unusual fish health issues.”

Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife said the following hatcheries received the tainted feed: Sandy, Willamette, Cole Rivers, Oak Springs, Oxbow, Salmon River, Butte Falls, Cascade, Wizard Falls, Marion Forks, Bonneville, Leaburg, South Santiam, Bandon, Elk River, Rock Creek, Fall River, Nehalem, Trask, McKenzie, Gnat Creek, Umatilla, Cedar Creek, Klamath, Looking Glass and Big Creek.

“Based on our initial review it does not appear that any legal-sized rainbow trout from our hatcheries were fed any of the recalled product,” said Steve Williams, Oregon’s deputy fish division administrator. “However, we are working with the Oregon Department of Agriculture to test a sampling of fish that received the Skretting feed to determine if they contain melamine and in what levels.”

Fish and Wildlife officials said the tainted product is a starter feed given to juvenile salmon and trout -- usually for a short time. These fish are eventually released and caught by anglers.

“I want to emphasize that none of the fish appear to have any ill effects and there are no plans to destroy any of the fish,” said Williams, adding his department is getting certification from all fish feed manufacturers to verify the products contain no melamine.

Minimal Risk to Humans

The FDA said the risk to humans who eat these fish is minimal.

Earlier this week, scientists from several federal agencies said the risk to humans who eat meat from the thousands of hogs and millions of chickens that consumed melamine-tainted feed is also minimal.

"We do not believe this poses any significant human-health threat," the FDA’s Dr. Acheson said.

Regarding the specific health risks associated with these fish, Acheson added: “Federal scientists from multiple agencies concluded that humans who may have eaten fish fed the melamine-containing feed face a very low health risk.”

The FDA, however, will continue to sample fish that received the tainted feed.

Critics in Congress

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) continues to criticize what she calls the country’s antiquated food safety system.

When the FDA announced last week that million of chickens in the U.S. may have consumed melamine-tainted feed, she said: “The FDA initially tried to minimize the impact of the pet food recall and dismissed claims that the contaminated pet food could threaten the human food supply. And they were wrong.

"This discovery that as many as 20 million chickens on farms across the country may have been fed melamine contaminated feed highlights the egregious holes in our food safety system. Had this situation been approached with an open mind, these connections to animal feed could have been made sooner. We finally need to acknowledge that our antiquated food safety system has collapsed and is unable to protect the public health.”

She added: “This latest disclosure in the pet food recall demonstrates that our food safety system needs to be reformed. It is time to grant the FDA and other food safety agencies clear mandatory recall and inspection authority. These initial steps would help create a modern, comprehensive food safety agency that will be capable of protecting our food supply and restoring consumer confidence.”

In other pet food recall news:

• All vegetable protein products -- like wheat gluten or rice protein concentrate -- imported from China cannot come into the United States unless they've been tested for melamine, cyanuric acid, or other melamine-derived compounds, the FDA said.

• The FDA is sampling pet food imported from China to see if those products contain melamine or melamine-related compounds. The agency said it will soon start sampling animal feed and fish feed imported from China;

• FDA officials are visiting manufacturers in the United States that use protein concentrates in human, pet, or animal foods—and testing samples of the companies’ products for melamine and melamine-related compounds. The agency said it will also sample some of the finished products;

• The FDA said there are no indications that melamine-tainted bulk products were shipped directly to firms that manufacture products for humans;

More about the Pet Food Recall ...

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