Pet Food Recall: Dog and Cat Food Facts on Poisoned Pet Food, Treats

Pet food recall facts - Confusion reigns in the largest pet food recall in history as cat and dog lovers search for answers.  It has been weeks since the pet food recall stunned and frightened dog and cat owners across America.  This week, a Senate panel looked into the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation of the pet food industry.

With answers being demanded, manufacturers are blaming everything from salmonella to toxins. According to a report from CBS, Menu Foods, the pet-food maker whose use of contaminated ingredients spurred the recall of more than 60 million cans and pouches of pet food last month — says a clerical error led to the company using tainted ingredients in 28 varieties of pet foods.

Pet Food Recall: Dog and Cat Food Facts on Poisoned Pet Food, Treats

An earlier report noted that China is believed to have been the source of the wheat gluten tainted with melamine, an industrial chemical, but the company says it had believed that the product originated in the United States.  Here is a good Q&A fact guide:

What is wheat gluten?

Wheat gluten is what remains when a dough made from wheat flour is washed and kneaded until its starch is rinsed away so that only the wheat's gluten remains. Wheat gluten is a popular meat substitute in Asia and in some Western markets. It is sometimes sold under its macrobiotic name, Seitan.

Why are we importing wheat from China?
   
Although the United States is a major producer of wheat (and the world's largest wheat exporter), it produces little wheat gluten, preferring to import it from Europe, Australia or China. According to Slate.com, the U.S. is the world's biggest consumer of wheat gluten due to its widespread use not only as a meat alternative and in pet food, but because it is used in many baked goods.

***

The FDA reported finding melamine in certain pet food last month — and found it in crystalline form in the urine of ill animals. Once in an animal's body, melamine can cause harm to the kidneys, though it is usually not considered a toxic ingredient. The U.S. government has banned the import of wheat gluten from China, suspecting a link between the melamine sometimes used in fertilizers in Asia and the wheat gluten imported from China. 

Okay - so what is melamine?

Melamine is a chemical both associated with fertilizers and plastics, though it is neither alone. Combining it with formaldehyde can produce a durable resin that is used in housewares and other products in which plastic and plastic coatings are found. It can also be used as a cleaning product.

Could human food be contaminated?

It is possible that the tainted wheat gluten that triggered the pet food recall also ended up in processing plants used for food consumed by humans, the FDA said, according to an April 3 report published in the Boston Globe. Despite assurances that the human food supply is safe, “agency leaders” cannot “completely rule out contamination of human food by the suspect wheat gluten,” the Globe reported.

CBS reports that the good news is that if it turns out gluten contaminated with melamine was used in human food, it is unlikely the contaminant would pose a serious health risk.