[Vision2020] Quarantine:Melamine Contamination In Human Food

[Saundra Lund]

Visionaires,

My thanks to Ted for broadening the scope of discussion.

It's not just CA or pigs:
http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSWBT00688020070424

"FDA says probing "thousands" of hogs for tainted feed

. . . Livestock feed that may have been contaminated with ingredients
imported from China was sent to hog farms in North and South Carolina,
California, New York, Utah and "possibly" Ohio, he said."

AND
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/24/tuesday/index.html
"FDA to begin testing human food supply for melamine

NEW YORK (CNN) - The Food and Drug Administration says it will, for the
first time, test ingredients imported for use in the human food supply in
connection with the nationwide pet food recall that has killed, by some
estimates, thousands of pets.

In addition, the FDA on Tuesday announced plans to expand testing of the
animal food supply after hogs on farms in three states were quarantined
after testing positive for the substance at the center of the recall, the
toxic agent melamine.

A poultry farm in Missouri is also being investigated, federal officials
said.

Wheat gluten, corn gluten, corn meal, rice bran and rice protein are among
the imported products being tested in both the animal and human food supply.
-From CNN's Richard Davis"

AND
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/04/24/food.melamine/index.html

"FDA to test imported food ingredients for contamination

Story Highlights
. The FDA will test imported ingredients for contamination
. Wheat gluten, corn gluten, cornmeal, rice bran, rice protein to be checked
. Hogs on farms in three U.S. states test positive for melamine
. No contamination has been found in human food, the FDA says

NEW YORK (CNN) -- For the time, the Food and Drug Administration said it
will test ingredients imported for use in the human food supply in
connection with the nationwide pet food recall that has killed, by some
estimates, thousands of pets.

"The FDA wants to take a proactive stance right now and ask, 'Could this be
in other concentrates that may be getting into other pet food or human
food?' " asked Dr. David Acheson, chief medical officer for the FDA's Center
of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

"Right now, there's no indication that that is happening, but we know there
are other types of protein concentrates that come into the United States,
and we think in the interest of public health, that we should get out there
and look for it," Acheson said Wednesday.

Families victimized by tainted spinach and peanut butter put a human face
Tuesday on a recent string of high-profile outbreaks of foodborne illness,
urging lawmakers to strengthen federal oversight of the nation's food
supply.

A poultry farm in Missouri also is under investigation, federal officials
said.

Wheat gluten, corn gluten, cornmeal, rice bran and rice protein are among
the imported products being tested in both the animal and human food supply.
(Watch suggestions for improving U.S. food inspections)

"I want to emphasize that this is a proactive step," Acheson said.

The comprehensive testing will begin at the end of the week and focus on
public awareness and checking of samples, according to Acheson.

The FDA said hog farms in California, North Carolina and South Carolina have
been quarantined after tests found melamine in the swine's urine. Owners of
a hog farm in Ohio also are working with the FDA.

Hogs from farms in New York and Utah also have been placed on hold for
distribution, but testing has yet to confirm the presence of melamine in
those animals, federal officials said.

The FDA has officially tallied 16 animal deaths related to the wheat
gluten-pet food recall, but other organizations have put the death toll in
the thousands. Cats seem to be more susceptible; one of the confirmed deaths
was a dog.

The recall started March 15 with Menu Foods Inc., a Canadian company that
makes a long list of popular pet food brands, including Eukanuba, Iams and
Wal-Mart's Special Kitty. (Check for pet food on the FDA's list)

Investigators from the Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine
found those products contained wheat gluten contaminated with melamine, a
plastic compound used in fertilizer in some countries but banned for that
purpose in the United States.

Little research has been done to show that melamine causes kidney failure,
but its association with the recent pet deaths is undeniable, the FDA said.

Signs of kidney failure in animals include vomiting, lethargy and loss of
appetite, the veterinary school noted.

The contaminated wheat gluten, and later other ingredients, came from a
single distributor in China, FDA investigators found.

Now, 80 food products for dogs and 56 for cats -- including such major
brands as Alpo, Mighty Dog and Hill's Science Diet -- have been recalled
because they contain ingredients that could be tainted.

CNN's Richard Davis and Katy Byron contributed to this report."
__________


Saundra Lund
Moscow, ID

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do
nothing.
- Edmund Burke


-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Ted Moffett
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 1:32 PM
To: Vision 2020
Subject: [Vision2020] Quarantine:Melamine Contamination In Human Food

 
All-
 
If this info has already been posted to Vision2020, excuse the redundancy.  
 
This recent development might help promote the local (are there any local
ones after SaraJoes stopped their organic pig meat operation?) organic pig
or hog farmers who monitor more closely what their animals meant for human
consumption eat.  Not to mention they might treat their animals with more
compassion than many of the large hog (this farm quarantined is a 1500
animal operation) or pig farms. 
 
This is just as should be expected, given that some of the contaminated
products that were in pet food might have been (how can we know for sure how
many animal operations fed contaminated feed?) fed to animals meant for
human consumption:  a hog farm has been quarantined after melamine was
discovered in the hogs urine, melamine being one of the substances that
contaminated pet food.  "...evidence suggests a minimal  health risk to
persons..." the article below states.  This "suggestion" will not stop my
hesitation to purchase animal food products unless I know more about where
they came from and how they were fed: 
 
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/12615606/detail.html
 
California agriculture officials placed a hog farm under quarantine after
melamine was found in pig urine there. 
 
The 1,500-animal farm operates as a "custom slaughterhouse," which means it
generally does not supply meat to commercial outlets. 

"Mostly it is not so-called mainstream pork. This is an operation that sells
to folks who come in and want a whole pig," Lyle said. 

Officials urged those who purchased pigs from American Hog Farm since April
3 to not consume the product until further notice. 

Dr. Mark Horton, state public health officer, said so far "evidence suggests
a minimal health risk to persons who may have consumed pork" from the farm. 

A man who answered the phone for American Hog Farm late Thursday declined to
comment and referred calls to state officials. Phone calls to Diamond Pet
Food's Lathrop facility and Meta, Mo., headquarters were not immediately
returned. 

So far, melamine's been found in both wheat gluten and rice protein
concentrate imported from China.
 
------
Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett