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China Opens Investigation into Pet Food Contaminant

Food Safety a Longtime Problem in China

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

April 7, 2007

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China says it is investigating claims that a Chinese company exported the melamine-tainted wheat gluten linked to the illnesses and deaths of scores of pets in the United States.

It the first time China has responded to the U.S. ban on wheat gluten imported from the Chinese company Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. That company reportedly supplied the tainted wheat gluten that trigger a massive recall of nearly 100 brands of pet food in the Untied States.

"We are investigating this," Zeng Xing, an official with the press office of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said, according to The Associated Press.

Zeng refused to give details of the probe other than to confirm China is looking into allegations that the exported wheat gluten contained melamine, a chemical found in plastics and pesticides.

The state-run Xinhau News Agency cited another agency official as saying that "sampling and examination" of wheat gluten was underway nationwide.

Reuters, however, reported on Friday that Xuzhou Anying claimed it never shipped wheat gluten to America.

"We haven't sold an ounce of wheat gluten to the U.S. and I don't understand how come they are blaming us," a manager for Xuzhou Anying said in a telephone interview with Reuters.

The company also said it's cooperating with the Chinese government's investigation into the tainted wheat gluten.

Xuzhou Anying's manager told Reuters that it was only a domestic feed dealer -- and had not produced anything itself. The company's Web site, however, describes it as a feed manufacturer and exporter.

Following the Trail

The FDA has said that Xuzhou Anying sold the contaminated wheat gluten to ChemNutra Inc. of Las Vegas, Nevada. That company then sold the tainted ingredient to Menu Foods and other companies, which have since recalled pet products.

ChemNutra Inc. said this week that Xuzhou Anying never reported the presence of melamine in its content analysis. The company also said none of the melamine-tainted wheat gluten went to companies that make human food.

The FDA said it's not sure whether melamine, a chemical commonly used in plastics, caused the pets to become ill. FDA officials said limited studies have found melamine is "fairly nontoxic," but investigators are considering whether dogs and cats are sensitive to the chemical or whether another chemical might be present.

New York agriculture officials earlier said they discovered the rat poison, aminopterin, in the wheat gluten used to make the recalled pet food. Chinese authorities, however, denied claims that the wheat gluten contained that toxin and caused the pets' deaths.

Chinese officials said they would stay in touch with the U.S. Embassy in Beijing about the results of their inspection.

Food Safety in China

Chemical scares and mass poisonings are common in China, which has struggled to improve its dismal food-safety record. Chinese manufacturers often mislabel food products or add illegal substances to them. And cooks in that country routinely disregard hygiene rules or mistakenly use industrial chemicals instead of salt and other ingredients.

Seven Chinese companies last year were punished for using banned Sudan I dye to color egg yolks red, according to China People's Daily. The industrial dye, a possible carcinogen used for leather, floor polish and other household chemicals, has been found in various consumer products sold in China, including roasted meat, chili powder, and lipstick.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that in the fourth quarter of 2005 alone, China reported 54 serious food poisoning cases, with 1,897 people becoming sick and 39 killed. Toxic zoic and vegetal food -- such as poisonous fungus, globefish, and kidney beans -- caused the most mischief, Xinhua reported.

Dog Biscuits

The pet food recall expanded Friday as Sunshine Mills Co. announced that it's recalling some of its dog biscuits after learning the products were made with tainted wheat gluten imported from China.

The company said the dog biscuits involved in the recall were made at its Red Bay, Alabama, plant during part of March, 2007, and include such brands as Nurture Chicken & Rice, Pet Life Large, Lassie Lamb and Rice, and Pet Life People Pleasers Dog Treats.

The Red Bay, Alabama, company used wheat gluten that may contain melamine, the toxin blamed for a fast-growing number of animal deaths throughout North America.

"We still have a lot of work in understanding why melamine is involved," said Stephen Sundlof, the director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, at a news conference.

The company said no illnesses or deaths have been reported -- to date -- in connection with these dog biscuits. It also said none of its small and medium sized biscuits -- or its dry dog and cat food and soft and chewy treats for dogs and cats -- are involved in the recall. A complete list of the recalled products is available on the company's Web site: www.sunshinemills.com. Pet owners can also call the company at 1-800-705-2111.

Menu Foods announced it's extending its original recall of 95 brands of "cuts and gravy" style cat and dog food to include a broader range of dates.

The company said it's expanding its recall to include all products manufactured with wheat gluten -- that was purchased from ChemNutra Inc. -- from November 8, 2006 to March 6, 2007.

Menu Food's earlier recall included products manufactured during a three month window-from December 3, 2006 through March 6, 2007.

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