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Little Risk to Humans from Tainted Animal Feed, Feds Assert

Quarantined Chickens & Pigs Said Safe to Eat

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

May 7, 2007

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There’s little risk to humans who eat meat from chickens or pigs that consumed feed made with melamine-tainted pet food scraps.

That’s the message scientists with five federal agencies issued today.

Even in a worst case scenario -- in which a person ate only foods for one day contaminated with melamine at the levels in the adulterated animal feed -- the potential exposure would be about 2,500 times lower than the dose considered potentially harmful, the scientists said.

“In other words, it was well below any level of public health concern,” according to a written statement released today by the federal agencies involved in the risk assessment.

Scientists with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted the study.

In related news today, the federal government recommended lifting the holds placed on millions of chickens and thousands of pigs after their feed tested negative for melamine and melamine-related compounds. That means these animals can be slaughtered and enter the food supply.

Thousands of other chickens and pigs that ate the tainted feed are expected to be held for another week -- until scientists can determine the overall risk of melamine to the animals’ health.

Scientists, however, say the risk to animals that ate the tainted food is minimal. That’s because melamine -- a chemical used to make plastic -- doesn’t accumulate in these farm animals’ bodies.

Instead, it’s excreted in their urine.

“When exposure levels are much higher, as was the case with cats and dogs, the melamine and its compounds appear to cause the formation of crystals in the kidney systems, resulting in kidney damage,” the agencies said today.

“There was no indication of kidney damage in hogs. Both hogs and chickens known to have been fed contaminated feed appear to be healthy.”

The agencies added: “This dilution factor…helps to support the conclusion that there is very low risk to human health from eating meat from animals that were fed the contaminated product. This conclusion supports the decision announced on April 28 not to recall meat from animals that were fed contaminated product.”

The assessment done by the federal scientists is part of the ongoing investigation into wheat gluten and rice protein imported from China, which the FDA confirmed was tainted with melamine and three melamine-related compounds: cyanuric acid, ammelide, and ammeline.

The presence of these tainted ingredients triggered one of the largest pet food recalls in U.S. history. Since March, 18 companies have recalled more than 5,300 dog and cat food products.

SmartPak Canine Recall

The latest pet food company to pull its products off the shelves is SmartPak Canine. That company recalled all of its LiveSmart Adult Lamb and Brown Rice food last Wednesday after learning the product tested positive for melamine.

Thousands of dogs and cats that have eaten pet food tainted with melamine and melamine-related compounds have suffered kidney disease or died.

Last week, the FDA said it had received reports of 4,100 deaths of cats and dogs linked to the contaminated food.

The FDA also said more than 17,000 consumers had contacted the agency with complaints about the tainted pet food products. ConsumerAffairs.com has also received scores of complaints about dogs and cats becoming sick or dying from the tainted pet food.

A Cat's Death

One consumer who contacted us over the weekend is convinced her cat died from the tainted food.

And his death, she says, occurred a month before Menu Foods announced its massive recall in March of 60 million containers of wet dog and cat food.

“I fed my cat, Boy, Iams and Pet Pride wet cat food,” says Lee G. of Nevada City, California. Those cat food are now included in the recall. “He was an 11-year-old, very healthy, male, Tabby cat.”

In February, though, Boy suddenly became seriously ill.

“He was lethargic, had no appetite, and was overly thirsty,” she says. “We took him to the vet and she smelled an ammonia type odor from his mouth. She said that indicated kidney failure….he was in acute kidney failure.

“The vet hydrated him, had him on an I.V. and had to force feed him for nearly two weeks.”

Lee’s cat, however, didn’t respond to treatment.

“Despite all their best efforts to save him, Boy was euthanized on February 6, 2007. That is before the recall … but my vet is convinced Boy's death was due to tainted food.

“He was my best little tiger buddy; I miss him terribly,” she says. “How horrible to think that I poisoned my own buddy. To feed your pet a food that’s going to kill them … this whole thing is heinous.”

Imported Ingredients

Like many grieving pet owners, Lee wonders why the United States imports wheat gluten, rice protein, and other ingredients used in pet — and human — food from China.

“I think it would be best to buy local,” she says. “We have great agriculture here (in California). I don’t see why pet food companies are using foreign products. That’s ridiculous. I would pay more to buy something grown in the United States.”

Lee says she’ll never trust another commercially made pet food product.

“I cook my own cat food now. I don’t buy that canned stuff any more … This whole thing is all about money. And look what it’s doing to our pets.”

More News

In related pet food recall news:

• SmartPak Canine said the discovery of melamine in its Adult Lamb and Brown Rice food was “unexpected…since the formula does not contain rice protein concentrate, wheat gluten, or any of the ingredients on FDA’s import watch list. “ The company said all the ingredients in this formula -- with the exception of the lamb and lamb meal -- originate from U.S. sources. The lamb and lamb meal is from New Zealand.

According to the FDA, the pet food company has learned of two instances of vomiting and the death of a 10-year-old Rottweiler linked to this recalled food. “We are all very upset to have exposed our customers and their dogs to this situation,” SmartPak Canine wrote on its Web site. “We and other responsible members of the pet community will be working hard over the next several months to learn from this situation and to re-earn your trust.”

• Federal investigators believe they’ve traced all sources of the melamine-tainted ingredients from China that are linked to the deaths of dogs and cats in this country. That’s what the country’s new food safety czar, Dr. David W.K. Acheson, told The Baltimore Sun. He also told the paper that Americans shouldn’t worry about giving pet food to their dogs and cats. And the search for the pet food contaminant is "virtually closed" and investigators have a "very good handle" on its distribution;”

• The U.S. continues to monitor imported wheat and corn gluten and rice protein concentrate -- from China and other countries -- earmarked for human and animal consumption. Federal officials say there is no evidence that products bound for the human food supply are contaminated;

• PetHobbyist.com will hold a panel discussion of the pet recall crisis at 10 p.m. (EST) tomorrow, May 8. Interested pet owners can join the discussion, which will included panelist from PetConnection.com; PetSitUSA.com and PetFoodTracker;

More about the Pet Food Recall ...

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