More tainted pet food products surface in the United States and concerns are escalating that the contamination may have been deliberate by Chinese suppliers.

The possibility exists that the human food supply could be at risk because melamine, the same contaminant found in the nation's pet food supply which has killed and sickened thousands of cats and dogs, has now been found in pigs meant for human consumption at a 1500-animal facility in California.

Additionally, Royal Canin USA has announced a voluntary nationwide recall of its dry pet food products containing rice protein concentrate and contaminated corn gluten has been found in South African dog food. The Wilbur-Ellis Company is also recalling all lots of rice protein concentrate shipped to pet food manufacturers because of a risk of melamine contamination.

The American Hog Farm, a 1500-animal facility in Ceres, Ca., has been quarantined by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and lab testing has revealed the presence of the chemical melamine in pig urine. Additional testing of tissues, serum and urine from animals at the farm is underway at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory at UC Davis to determine if melamine is present in meat.

"Although all animals appear healthy, we are taking this action out of an abundance of caution," said State Veterinarian Dr. Richard Breitmeyer. "It is unknown if the chemical will be detected in meat. The farm is cooperating with us to determine the disposition of all animals that have left the premises since April 3."

CDFA was notified of the potential problem by the FDA on April 18. A quarantine was established immediately and urine samples were sent to the lab for analysis. The results became known on April 19.

It is believed the melamine originated with rice protein concentrate shipped from China. Through an importer, the concentrate was distributed to Diamond Pet Foods, a pet food manufacturer in Lathrop, which sold salvage pet food to the farm for pig feed.

Tests of salvage pet food/pig feed at the farm were positive for melamine, as were tests on the pet food in question, Natural Balance - the subject of a recall announced April 16.

The American Hog Farm operates a sizable part of its business through a "custom slaughterhouse," which processes animals on-site and sells them to individuals for personal use and not for resale. Additional sales by the farm continue to be investigated.

The California Department of Health Services (CDHS) recommends that individuals who purchased hogs from the American Hog Farm after April 3 not consume the product until further notice.

"At this point in the investigation, evidence suggests a minimal health risk to persons who have consumed pork purchased from these facilities over this timeframe," said State Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Horton.

On Friday, the Blue Buffalo Company announced a voluntary recall of one production run of its Spa Select Kitten dry food.

The recalled 3 lb. and 7 lb. bags of Spa Select Kitten dry food have the production code "Best of used by MAR 07 08 B" printed on the bag. Consumers should check this information on the bag, which is printed on the back panel below the seal.

The company said it has taken this action because the rice protein concentrate used for this particular production run was obtained from Wilbur-Ellis, the same company who supplied this ingredient to Natural Balance. Test results received the evening of April 18 indicated that this rice protein concentrate tested positive for melamine. This was the only production run that used rice protein from Wilbur-Ellis.

Upon receiving the test results, the company notified the FDA Friday and immediately began this recall process.

Of the 5,044 bags produced in this particular production run, the company was able to prevent the majority from ever entering retail distribution. The company is working closely with its retail partners and believes that most of the recalled product that had reached retail distribution has already been pulled off the shelf.

Consumers should immediately stop feeding Spa Select Kitten dry cat food with the above-listed date codes to their kittens and consult with a veterinarian if they have any health concerns with their pet. The company is claiming that no other cat or dog foods, canned or dry, made by them, are affected by the recall.

Should consumers have a specific question, they can email the company at info@bluebuff.com or call 1-800-919-2833, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, to receive more information.

The Canadian division of French pet food company Royal Canin has also determined there is a melamine derivative in the rice protein concentrate in some of its pet food products including Sensible Choice Diet.

Although Royal Canin USA has no confirmed cases of illness in pets, officials said they had decided to voluntarily remove all of their dry pet food products containing rice protein concentrate. They said they were taking this proactive stance to avoid any confusion for our customers about which Royal Canin USA products are safe and which products may be affected.

As a precaution, Royal Canin USA is voluntarily recalling the following dry pet food products:

ROYAL CANIN VETERINARY DIET™ (available only in veterinary clinics)

Dry dog food: Canine Early Cardiac EC 22™ and Canine Skin Support SS21™

Dry cat food: Feline Hypoallergenic HP23™

ROYAL CANIN SENSIBLE CHOICE® (available in pet specialty stores nationwide)

Dry dog food: Chicken Meal & Rice Formula Senior, Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Puppy, Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Adult, Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Senior, Rice & Catfish Meal Formula Adult

Royal Canin USA said it would no longer use any Chinese suppliers for any of their vegetable proteins.

Last week, the company's South African division recalled products manufactured at its Johannesburg plant between March 8 and April 11 and sold in South Africa and Namibia, after investigating reports found pets were falling ill.

An official with the South African Veterinary Association said Friday 30 dogs have died across the country in the last two weeks after eating pet food found to contain corn gluten contaminated with melamine.

Pet owners who have questions about this recall and other Royal Canin USA products should call 1-800-592-6687 or visit our web site at www.royalcanin.us.

The Wilbur-Ellis Company is voluntarily recalling all lots of the rice protein concentrate the San Francisco company's Feed Division has shipped to pet-food manufacturers because of a risk that rice protein concentrate may have been contaminated by melamine, an industrial chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers that can lead to illness or fatalities in animals if consumed.

Wilbur-Ellis noted that it obtained rice protein from a single source in China and shipped to a total of five U.S. pet-food manufacturers located in Utah, New York, Kansas and two in Missouri.

Last Sunday, April 15, Wilbur-Ellis notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that a single bag in a recent shipment of rice protein concentrate from its Chinese supplier, Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., had tested positive for melamine. Unlike the other white-colored bags in that shipment, the bag in question was pink and had the word "melamine" stenciled upon it. Wilbur-Ellis separated that bag and quarantined the entire shipment for further testing and since that time, no further deliveries of rice protein concentrate have been made. Samples from the white bags tested negative for melamine. However, subsequent and potentially more sensitive tests by the FDA came back positive for melamine, leading Wilbur-Ellis to voluntarily issue the recall.

Wilbur-Ellis began importing rice protein concentrate from Binzhou Futian Biology Technology in July 2006. A total of 14 containers holding 336 metric tons of rice protein concentrate were sent from Futian to Wilbur-Ellis. Wilbur-Ellis has distributed 155 metric tons to date.

On Monday (April 16), a pet food distributor issued a voluntary recall of its pet food, believing the source of contamination to be rice protein concentrate supplied by Wilbur-Ellis. As an additional precaution, Wilbur-Ellis is urging all pet food manufacturers using rice protein concentrate supplied through Wilbur-Ellis to recall any pet food that may be on supermarket shelves.

Consumers with questions about the pet food they use should visit the FDA Web site at www.fda.gov.

The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will conduct a hearing into the pet food recall on Tuesday, April 24 at 9:30 Eastern time, entitled "Diminished Capacity: Can the FDA Assure the Safety and Security of the Nation's Food Supply?" Steve Miller, CEO of ChemNutra, is scheduled to testify.

ChemNutra was the middleman that sold wheat gluten containing melamine to Menu Foods and other companies. Full subcommittee schedule is here.

An official with the South African Veterinary Association said Friday 30 dogs have died across the country in the last two weeks after eating pet food found to contain corn gluten contaminated with melamine.

The pet food recall has been expanding virtually daily since the Ontario-based Menu Foods Income Fund recalled 60 million cans and pouches of its "cuts and gravy" style food, sold under 95 different brand names, for fear of contamination after it received reports of kidney failure and even death among dogs and cats.

Chinese authorities have told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that the wheat gluten was an industrial product not meant for pet food. However, Stephen Sundlof, chief veterinarian for the FDA said that melamine can skew test results to make a product appear to contain more protein that it actually does which leads the FDA and others to speculate that the contamination may have been deliberate by the Chinese.

Initially it was said that wheat gluten imported from China was the contaminant in the tainted pet food but now the second pet food ingredient, rice protein concentrate, has been found to be contaminated by melamine as well as a third, corn gluten.

More than 100 brands of pet food have now been recalled after reports of cases of pets developing kidney failure.

A comprehensive American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians Pet Food Recall List is available at http://www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/products.asp. The latest news on pet food recalls is available at http://www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/default.asp.

Dogs or cats who have consumed the suspect food and show signs of kidney failure (such as loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting) should be seen by a veterinarian.

To read the extensive coverage of the pet food recall, visit www.northcountrygazette.org and search the site for pet food recall. 4-20-07

© 2007 North Country Gazette