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Updated 4.2.08
For a summary of recalled pet food, visit this page.
News & Developments
A summary of key points and developments in this ongoing story. Jump to newest entries
- March 16, 2007: Menu Foods, Inc., a private-label manufacturer of wet pet foods, issued a recall of the company’s “cuts and gravy” style food, which consists of meat in gravy and sold in cans and foil pouches, manufactured between December 3, 2006 through March 6, 2007. More than 60 million containers of dog and cat food sold under dozens of brand names were recalled.
- Since the initial recall in mid-March 2007, over 5,600 pet food products have been recalled due to the melamine contamination in protein products, such as wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate, that were used in the production of the food.
- Since mid-March 2007, Oregon veterinarians have been reporting suspect cases of illness and death related to consumption of contaminated foods to the Oregon State Public Health Veterinarian.
- March 30, 2007: FDA laboratory testing identified melamine in samples of wheat gluten used in the production of the recalled pet food. Melamine is used in Asia as a fertilizer, but is not approved for that use in the United States. The contaminated wheat gluten was imported by Las Vegas- based ChemNutra.
- In early April 2007, the FDA stated that it was investigating the theory that melamine was added intentionally. Adding melamine to an ingredient could increase the protein reading during chemical analysis. This would, in turn, raise the value of the ingredient when sold to food manufacturers.
- April 12, 2007: The FDA advised pet owners that recalled pet food may still be on the shelves in some retail establishments. FDA urges retailers across the country to be vigilant in removing all products associated with the pet food recall.
- April 19, 2007: San Francisco importer Wilbur-Ellis recalled all of its rice protein that it shipped to pet-food manufacturers as some of the rice protein concentrate contained melamine.
- April 19, 2007: The American Hog Farm, a 1500-animal facility in Ceres, California, was quarantined. Lab testing revealed the presence of the chemical melamine in pig urine. Through Wilbur-Ellis, rice protein concentrate was distributed to Diamond Pet Foods, a pet food manufacturer, which sold salvage pet food to the farm for pig feed.
- April 24, 2007: The FDA confirmed that contaminated food had gone to hog farms in several states and to a poultry farm in Missouri. Some of the hogs who ate the contaminated food entered the human food supply. The FDA states that the risk of human illness from consuming the pork is "very low."
- April 26, 2007: The FDA confirmed that cyanuric acid, which is chemically related to melamine, has been found in pet food.
- April 27, 2007: The FDA stated that it has collected approximately 750 samples of wheat gluten and products made with wheat gluten and, of those tested thus far, 330 were positive for melamine and/or melamine related compounds. FDA has collected approximately 85 samples of rice protein concentrate and products made with rice protein concentrate and, of those tested thus far, 27 were positive for melamine and/or melamine related compounds. FDA's investigation has traced all of the positive samples as having been imported from China.
- April 27, 2007: The FDA stated that it has received over 17,000 consumer complaints relating to this outbreak. Those complaints included reports of approximately 1,950 cat deaths and 2,200 dog deaths.
- April 27, 2007: The FDA issued an import alert for vegetable proteins. The FDA is detaining and testing 100% of the wheat gluten, corn gluten, corn meal, soy protein, rice bran and rice protein concentrate imported from China for use in both human and pet food.
- April 28, 2007: The New York Times reports that,
according to Chinese melamine scrap traders and agricultural workers, melamine is routinely added to animal feed as a fake protein.
Melamine appears to boost the protein content of a material, but does not provide any nutritional benefits.
- April 30, 2007: It was reported that
approximately 30 broiler poultry farms and eight breeder poultry farms in Indiana received contaminated feed in early February and fed it to poultry.
- May 1, 2007: Over 2 million broiler chickens have since been processed into the human food chain.
The USDA will not approve any more meat from animals that ate adulterated food.
The FDA states that the risk of human illness from consuming the poulty is "very low" and does not plan to recall any poultry that may still be on the shelves.
- May 1, 2007: The FDA announced the creation of a new position, the Assistant Commissioner of Food Protection, to provide advice and counsel on strategic and substantive food safety and food defense matters.
- May 2, 2007: Menu Foods expands its recall due to the possibility of cross contamination. The recall includes "cuts and gravy" and select other products which do not include ChemNutra wheat gluten, but which were manufactured at any of Menu Foods’ plants during the period that ChemNutra wheat gluten was used.
- May 3, 2007: The New York Times reports that the head of the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company has been detained by Chinese authorities. According to published reports, Xuzhou Anying supplied ChemNutra with wheat gluten which was discovered to be contaminated with melamine. According to the FDA, Xuzhou Anying may have avoided Chinese export inspections by labeling it a nonfood product. Xuzhou Anying was not the original producer of the tainted wheat gluten; the FDA says the company may have purchased the wheat gluten from any of up to 25 different, unknown suppliers.
- May 3, 2007:
Government inspectors are checking other food makers who use protein concentrates.
The FDA states there is no evidence that any contaminated wheat gluten or rice protein from China has ended up as an ingredient in human food.
- May 4, 2007:
Federal officials placed a hold on 20 million broiler chickens in several states because their feed was mixed with contaminated pet food.
According to the USDA, three government agencies are overseeing a risk assessment to determine whether the chickens would pose a threat to human health if eaten.
- May 7, 2007: The FDA and USDA states that there is very low risk to human health from consuming meat from hogs and chickens known to have been fed animal feed supplemented with pet food scraps that contained melamine and melamine-related compounds. In the most extreme risk assessment scenario, when scientists assumed that all the solid food a person consumes in an entire day was contaminated with melamine at the levels observed in animals fed contaminated feed, the potential exposure was about 2,500 times lower than the dose considered safe, or what the FDA and USDA believe is well below any level of public health concern.
The same team is now compiling a scientific assessment of the risk to animal health associated with ingestion of animal feed containing melamine and its compounds.
- May 8, 2007: KOIN news reported that the FDA states that farmed fish, including some in Oregon, were fed fish food that was contaminated with melamine. The FDA was unsure if any of the fish entered the human food supply, but stated that the risk to humans would be very low.
- May 8, 2007: The FDA determined that the contaminated wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate imported from China was mislabeled and was really wheat flour contaminated with melamine and melamine-related products.
Wheat gluten is a component of wheat flour. Processing flour from whole wheat is simpler than extracting the gluten from wheat flour. Wheat flour contains some ground gluten but the total protein content of flour is low. Iinvestigators believe that melamine, which is high in nitrogen, was added to the wheat flour. As a result, protein level test results on the flour were consistent with those of wheat gluten and/or rice protein concentrate.
- May 8, 2007: The FDA issued a hold on 50,000 swine at three facilities in Illinois due to concerns that the animals had consumed contaminated livestock feed.
- May 8, 2007: The FDA released to inspection and possible slaughter 10 million previously restricted broiler chickens. The chicken feed consumed by the released broilers tested negative for melamine.
- May 9, 2007: The LA Times reported that
China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said Tuesday that Xuzhou Anying (wheat gluten) and Binzhou Futian (rice protein) had evaded quality checks by labeling their products as exports not subject to inspection.
- May 9, 2007: The LA Times reported that
Mao Lijun, currently held by Chinese authorities, demolished the brick factory of
Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co., the source of the wheat gluten (now determined to be wheat flour), days before the investigators from the FDA arrived in China to investigate the source of the tainted pet food ingredients.
- May 12, 2007: Royal Canin US recalled dry dog and cat foods after they test positive for a melamine derivative.
- May 14, 2007: In a release dated May 4, the FDA determined that there were melamine and/or melamine derivatives in rice protein concentrate produced by Chinese supplier Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd. and shipped by US-based Cereal Byproducts to a total of three midwest US customers between July 19, 2006 and March 14, 2007.
Cereal Byproducts has recalled the rice protein concentrate it shipped to these US pet food manufacturers and the remaining rice protein concentrate has been quarantined.
- May 14, 2007: An Oregon House panel voted to create a task force on food safety.
The House Elections, Ethics and Rules Committee endorsed House Bill 3556 in a unanimous vote, sending the bill to the House floor, where it passed unanimously. The bill now moves on to the Senate.
- May 15, 2007: The FDA & USDA announced that testing confirms that meat from swine fed rations supplemented with pet food scraps containing melamine and related compounds is safe for human consumption, prompting USDA to allow swine held on farms to be released and approved for processing. According to the USDA, testing of meat from swine exposed to the feed in question confirms that melamine and melamine compounds does not accumulate in pork and is filtered out of the body by the action of the kidneys.
- May 15, 2007: The FDA & USDA provided an update on poultry and fish. Approximately 80,000 poultry continue to be held at USDA's request at farms in Indiana while a validated test for detecting melamine in poultry meat is developed. That test is expected later this week. The Canadian company Skretting is recalling all fish feed from all commercial fisheries and fish hatcheries that may have received it, including those in the United States. FDA has confirmed there are two U.S. commercial aquaculture establishments that received the feed. The fish in those two establishments are on hold and samples of the fish and the feed are being tested for melamine levels. Based on the human risk assessment, there is very low risk from eating fish that consumed feed containing melamine.
- May 15, 2007: The FDA & USDA provided an updated human risk assessment, which concludes that, in the most extreme risk assessment scenario, when scientists assumed that all the solid food a person consumes in an entire day contained melamine and the melamine compound cyanuric acid at levels potentially present in the meat, the potential exposure is about 250 times lower than the dose considered safe. This means that a person weighing 132 pounds would have to eat more than 800 pounds per day of pork or other food containing melamine and its compounds to approach a level of consumption that would cause a health concern. Previously, the agencies reported that the potential exposure was about 2,500 times lower than the safe level.
- May 16, 2007: Menu Foods announces claim process for pet owners, which is later put on hold due to court order (see May 24 and May 29).
- May 17, 2007: According to the FDA, fish in Hawaii and Washington that were fed melamine-contaminated food have tested negative for the compound. Harvesting of these fish can resume.
- May 17, 2007: According to the FDA,
since April 27, 46 import shipments of vegetable protein concentrate have been detained. To date, none has been confirmed as melamine free and so will continue to be detained until tested clear.
- May 18, 2007:
The USDA released for processing 80,000 chickens that had been held because they were fed contaminated pet food. According to the USDA, testing showed meat from the birds is safe to eat.
- May 18, 2007: Chenango Valley Pet Foods, a NY-based pet food manufacturer, recalls several foods due to cross-contamination risk, including ferret food.
- May 20, 2007: USA Today reports that Menu Foods, Chenango Valley Pet Foods, and Royal Canin are "phasing out" or are no longer using vegetable proteins and/or other ingredients from China.
- May 21, 2007: Proposed legislation in New Jersey which would allow pet owners to seek compensation, including loss of companionship up to $15,000, for pets that became sick or died after eating contaminated food, has moved out of committee and now awaits a vote by the assembly.
- May 22, 2007: Nutra Nuggets recalls select Lamb Meal and Rice dry dog food sold at Costco due to cross-contamination at the manufacturer, Diamond Pet Foods. Two dogs in California reportedly became ill after eating the food, which their veterinarian then submitted to UC Davis for testing.
- May 23, 2007:
According to the Arkansas State of Department of Health and Human Services, they sampled catfish imported from Asia and found one sample to be positive for melamine. The DHHS was testing the imported catfish for antibiotics when they found the positive melamine result.
- May 24, 2007: According to the Menu Foods Web site, "a United States federal court issued an order that, for the time being, prevents Menu Foods from having direct contact with individual US pet owners." In effect, this stops the company's claim process with customers who believe that food produced by Menu sickened their pets.
- May 25, 2007: According to the CBC,
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has tested 32 samples of wheat, rice, soy and corn gluten and protein concentrates imported from China and has, to date, found one shipment of corn gluten that tested positive for melamine and cyanuric acid.
- May 25, 2007: The FDA's
interim melamine and analogues safety/risk assessment describes the risk to human health associated with eating pork, chicken, fish and eggs from animals that had been inadvertently fed animal feed that may have been adulterated with melamine and its analogues (cyanuric acid, ammelide and ammeline).
- May 29, 2007: USA Today reports that Menu Foods repeatedly called and harrassed pet owners who had entered claims against the company, even if those owners were represented by counsel.
U.S. District Judge Noel Hillman ordered Menu Foods to not contact people who had joined any one of several lawsuits against the company.
- May 30, 2007: The FDA alerted livestock and fish/shrimp feed manufacturers about a recall of products used in feed production due to contamination with melamine and related compounds.
The recalled products are binding agents that are used to make pelleted feed for cattle, sheep, and goats, or fish and shrimp. More information on this story can be found here.
- June 4, 2007:
Zeigler Bros. recalled its pelleted and crumbled shrimp feeds. The recalled products include the feed ingredient, AquaBond, which has been found to contain the chemical melamine and related compounds. AquaBond is a binding agent purchased in the United States by Zeigler and used in its production of pelleted and crumbled shrimp feeds. More information on this story can be found here.
- June 5, 2007: Sergeant's Pet Care Products recalled some of its ornamental fish food products. A portion of the production lots of Atlantis® Goldfish Flake Food and Atlantis® Tropical Fish Flake Food were found to contain the contaminant melamine. It is not known whether melamine is harmful to ornamental fish.
- June 5, 2007: The Pittsburg Tribune-Review reports that acetaminophen was found in at least five samples of pet food submitted for testing by pet owners and pet food manufacturers. The medication was found mostly with cyanuric acid and found in pet foods that have not been recalled. Varying levels of melamine were also found. The lab, ExperTox, said that the highest level of acetaminophen was found in a dog food sample submitted by a pet food manufacturer, which it declined to name. The FDA is now investigating. According to the ASPCA's Poison Control Center, acetaminophen can be toxic to cats, dogs and other pets, with as little as one extra-strength tablet causing fatal consequences to an average sized cat. Cats are especially sensitive to acetaminophen toxicity, because they lack a specific enzyme that enables the body to metabolize it well, and because cats are typically more susceptible to red blood cell damage.
- June 7, 2007: The Wall Street Journal reports that melamine-contaminated products made in the US, including feed ingredients and shrimp feed, may have been exported to 13 countries, including Panama, Venezuela, Belize, Suriname, Costa Rica, Honduras, Ecuador, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Gambia, Lebanon and Canada.
- June 11, 2007:
The Oregon Humane Society confirmed the first known death of an animal adopted from the OHS shelter by pet food contaminated with melamine.
The six-month kitten, named Sushi, left the shelter as healthy animal on April 16, but about a month later began to show signs of kidney failure. The pet’s owner brought her new kitten to a private veterinarian, but doctors were unable to pinpoint the cause of kidney failure because contaminated pet food was not suspected at the time.
It was later discovered that pet food purchased by the cat’s owner, Spa Select Kitten dry food manufactured by the Blue Buffalo Company, was subject to an April 19 recall because it contained a rice protein ingredient that had tested positive for melamine.
“The lab results OHS has just received from Michigan State University confirm that melamine was present in the cat’s urine and kidneys,” said Dr. Kris Otteman, director of shelter medicine for the Oregon Humane Society. The owner of Sushi brought her pet to OHS to be euthanized after her doctor made the diagnosis of acute kidney failure with no hope of recovery. There have been no suspected cases of melamine poising caused by food consumed by animals while at the OHS shelter.
- June 12, 2007: The public is being asked to comment on the decision-making process that led the
Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service
to conclude that the feeding of pet food scraps containing melamine and melamine-related compounds to swine and poultry is unlikely to pose a human health risk. Comments to the Federal Register must be received by Aug. 28, 2007. Submissions must include the agency name and docket number FSIS-2007-0018. Comments may be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov; by mail, to Docket Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 300 12th St. SW, Room 102 Cotton Annex, Washington, DC 20250; or e-mail to: FSIS.RegulationsComments@usda.gov.
Comments will also be posted on the FSIS Web site at www.fsis.usda.gov/.
- June 13, 2007: The
FDA ruled out acetaminophen as a pet food contaminant after a Texas lab, ExperTox, insisted it found the painkiller in numerous foods. The FDA found no trace of the medication in five pet food samples it tested, but it is not clear whether the agency tested the type of food in which ExperTox said it found the highest level of acetaminophen.
- June 13, 2007: HBH Pet Products recalled shrimp feed and ornamental fish food products that contained melamine.
- June 27, 2007: The ASPCA states that fears of widespread contamination of pet food with acetaminophen are unfounded.
It announced that veterinary toxicologists at the University of California (Davis) conducted independent tests on cat food submitted by a pet owner and claiming to be the same food that a Texas lab stated it had found acetaminophen in. UC Davis findings corroborate those of the FDA, which did not find the medication in five pet food samples it tested.
- August 27, 2007: Forbes.com reports that
Chinese authorities are pursuing criminal proceedings against Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. and Binzhou Futian Biotechnology Co. According to Li Changjiang, director of China's State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, they are accused of adding melamine to protein powder shipped to the US and used in the production of pet food.
- October 11, 2007: According to The Canadian Press, Menu Foods will trim its workforce by about 10-15 percent (or about 100 workers). Senior management, including CEO Paul Henderson, will take pay cuts averaging 20 percent. These changes are in response to expenses and business lost due the pet food recall, which began in March 2007. Menu Foods faces over 100 class action lawsuits relating to pet food contamination.
- November 13, 2007: A UC Davis research study shows that cats who were fed pet food that contained both melamine and cyanuric acid sickened within 12 hours, vomiting, losing their appetites and showing signs of kidney failure. Subsequent necropsies showed the same kind of tissue damage as pets who died earlier this year after consuming contaminated food. A necropsy on a fourth cat who was fed the two chemicals separately showed undamaged kidneys, suggesting it was the combination of the chemicals that caused the high toxicity in pets.
- November 14, updated November 30, 2007: The American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians released results of their "AAVLD survey of pet food-induced nephrotoxicity in North America, April to June 2007." The survey, which was designed and implemented by Michigan State University toxicologists, found that more than 300 dogs and cats may have died earlier this year as a result of eating contaminated pet food. 348 cases met the criteria for "pet food-induced nephrotoxicity.” The cases involved 235 cats and 112 dogs, with 61 percent of the cats and 74 percent of the dogs having died.
The study theorizes that more cats got sick than dogs because of their smaller size and that smaller-breed dogs were more susceptible. An equal number of male and female animals were affected. The average age of an affected animal was 8 years. The ages ranged from two months to 18 years. About 25 percent of the affected animals had a pre-existing condition that made them more susceptible. Most of the conditions were kidney or cardiovascular disease. On a related note, Dr. Emilio DeBess, Oregon State Public Health Veterinarian, has analyzed the Oregon case data reported to his office.
- December 11, 2007: The National Pet Food Commission
released its recommendations. The Pet Food Institute, which represents manufacturers, established the NPFC in April 2007 to review the recalls of pet food relevant to melamine contamination of ingredients from China. The independent commission included authorities on nutrition, toxicology, veterinary medicine, and quality control.
- February 6, 2008: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations announced that two Chinese nationals and the businesses they operate, along with a U.S. company and its president and chief executive officer, were indicted by a federal grand jury. The indictments are for their roles in a scheme to import products purported to be wheat gluten into the United States that were contaminated with melamine an later used to make pet food.
ChemNutra contracted with SSC, a Chinese registered export broker, to purchase food grade wheat gluten, according to the indictment. SSC then entered into a separate contract with XAC to supply the wheat gluten it needed to fulfill its contract with ChemNutra. The indictments allege that the products purported to be wheat gluten were misbranded because the labels incorrectly represented that the purported wheat gluten had a minimum protein level of 75%.
- March 24, 2008: According to US Today, a year after the pet food recall, a "US Today/Gallup Poll of 574 dog or cat owners showed that 30% had less confidence in the safety of pet food than before the recall; 46% had more confidence; and 17% had the same level of confidence." Also, "about 20% of recalled products, mostly wet foods, have yet to return, and 10% of recalled products have been discontinued, says PetSmart, the nation's No. 1 pet-food chain."
- April 1, 2008: According to US Today, Menu Foods has reached a comprehensive settlement with pet owners in the United States and Canada whose pets died after eating contaminated food produced by Menu. The terms of the settlement are to be disclosed by May 1 and go before the court on May 14.
Sources: News reports, American Veterinary Medical Association, FDA, Oregon State Public Health Veterinarian, Pet Connection, Itchmo, ASPCA, Oregon Humane Society
Melamine & Cyanuric Acid Reaction Forms Same Crystals Seen in Sick Pets
Courtesy of the AVMA with additional information by the OVMA
Tests conducted on contaminated pet food and necropsies from affected animals have resulted in a new theory to explain how animals are being adversely affected by contaminated pet foods. A chemical reaction between melamine and cyanuric acid is suspected of forming crystals and blocking kidney function. Like melamine, cyanuric acid is a chemical that can be used to boost the apparent protein content of foods, but is normally used as a stabilizer in swimming pools and hot tubs.
The investigation into contaminated pet food has focused on melamine contamination of ingredients imported from China, such as wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate and corn gluten (imported into South Africa). It is now believed that cyanuric acid, as well as melamine, has been found in urine samples from animals that died.
Analysis of the crystals in the kidneys of affected animals have revealed that they are approximately 70 percent cyanuric acid and 30 percent melamine, and are extremely insoluble. Furthermore, tests mixing melamine and cyanuric acid in samples of cat urine resulted in almost immediate formation of crystals that were identical to crystals found in the kidneys of affected animals. Two other melamine-related substances—ammelide and ammeline—may also play roles and are under investigation.
Study: Melamine crystalluria in sheep
The toxic effects of melamine given directly or in the feed to merino wethers were studied. A single dose of 100 g increased urea in blood from 28 to 315 mg per 100 ml for a period of 11 days. There was complete loss of appetite and excretion of urine ceased on the tenth day. When the sheep was examined post mortem on the eleventh day the tubules of the kidney were packed with crystals. Nephrosis and erosive abomasitis were seen also. Daily doses of 50 and 25 g killed the sheep after 7 and 9 days, respectively. In those sheep the blood urea was high just before death and post mortem crystals in the kidney tubules, nephrosis, haemorrhagic cystitis and acute typhlitis were seen. The dose of 50 g also caused ulcers in the abomasum. With 10 g daily one sheep did not die but 2 did so after 16 and 31 days. The 2 sheep which died lost appetite and stopped urinating 3 days before death and urea and creatinine in blood then increased sharply. There were crystals in the kidneys and severe oedema of the lungs. In another experiment volume of urine was reduced by offering water freely for 1 h on alternate days. Melamine was mixed with maizemeal and offered to 3 sheep to supply 7 g per sheep per day. All sheep survived for 6 weeks and there was no excessively high value for urea in blood. When daily intake of water was restricted to 600 ml much of the maizemeal containing melamine was refused but the sheep showed no ill effect. The production of white crystals on cooling, the appearance of a white deposit on the addition of picric acid and absorbancy of acidified crystals at 235 m micro indicated the presence of melamine in the urine of treated sheep. Melamine had no effect on pH of contents or motility of rumen and there was no sign of damage to liver.
Source: Clark, R. 1966. Melamine crystalluria in sheep. Journal South African Veterinary Medical Assoc., 1966, Vol. 37, pp. 349-351. CAB Record Number: 19671407708 |
