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FDA finds melamine used by U.S. company for animal feed
By Kevin Freking, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, May 31, 2007 | No comments posted.
WASHINGTON - The same industrial chemical that led to a massive pet food recall was used in animal feed ingredients made by a U.S. company, health officials said Wednesday.
The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration was the first indication that a U.S. company had used melamine as an animal feed ingredient. Agency officials said that melamine and related compounds were used to bind feed for cattle, sheep and goats, or fish and shrimp.
Previously, the problem of melamine in animal feed was thought to be contained to China, where manufacturers had added it to wheat gluten.
Melamine is not approved as an additive for the feed. It has a number of industrial uses, including as a binding agent and flame retardant. It's also used as fertilizer in some parts of the world, but not in the U.S.
U.S. officials said the use of melamine in animal feed posed no threat to human health. In China, they said, the chemical was probably added to show greater levels of protein.
The FDA alerted feed manufacturers that ingredients containing melamine and related compounds were found in products made by Tembec BTLSR Inc. of Toledo, Ohio, and used by Uniscope Inc. of Johnstown, Colo.
Tembec makes two products, AquaBond and Aqua-Tec II, which it distributes for Uniscope. The products are used in fish feed.
Uniscope also makes a product for livestock feed called Xtra-Bond, and it uses ingredients produced by Tembec. The FDA advised feed manufacturers and others not to use the products and to contact the two manufacturers.
The agency also advised manufacturers to recall feed made from AquaBond or AquaTech II. Official did not make the same recommendation for feed made from Xtra-Bond, based on the low levels of melamine and related compounds.
Officials said they had no idea how much feed contains the ingredients in question.
The FDA learned on March 15 that certain pet foods were sickening and killing cats and dogs. The agency found contaminants in vegetable proteins imported from China. The discovery prompted thousands of news stories, some congressional hearings and much scrutiny of China's manufacturing processes.
FDA officials said Uniscope contacted the agency about two weeks ago. The officials could not say how long Tembec had used melamine in the manufacturing process.
“All I can tell you is that this came to our attention on May 18 when Uniscope let us know what they found, and we followed that up,” Acheson said. “What Tembec knew, didn't know, and what their activities were is part of the investigation.”
Uniscope officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment. John Valley, an executive vice president at Tembec, said melamine was an element in the product made for Uniscope.
“That binder in turn is a small component of the overall fish pellets. It's a minor part of a minor part, if you will, so the concentrations are very low,” Valley said.
Valley said that in response to concerns that have been raised about melamine byproducts, the Toledo company stopped using melamine in any form in spring.
“We believed that for the intended uses, we were making a compliant product,” Valley said.
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On the Net:
Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01643.html
The announcement by the Food and Drug Administration was the first indication that a U.S. company had used melamine as an animal feed ingredient. Agency officials said that melamine and related compounds were used to bind feed for cattle, sheep and goats, or fish and shrimp.
Previously, the problem of melamine in animal feed was thought to be contained to China, where manufacturers had added it to wheat gluten.
Melamine is not approved as an additive for the feed. It has a number of industrial uses, including as a binding agent and flame retardant. It's also used as fertilizer in some parts of the world, but not in the U.S.
U.S. officials said the use of melamine in animal feed posed no threat to human health. In China, they said, the chemical was probably added to show greater levels of protein.
The FDA alerted feed manufacturers that ingredients containing melamine and related compounds were found in products made by Tembec BTLSR Inc. of Toledo, Ohio, and used by Uniscope Inc. of Johnstown, Colo.
Tembec makes two products, AquaBond and Aqua-Tec II, which it distributes for Uniscope. The products are used in fish feed.
Uniscope also makes a product for livestock feed called Xtra-Bond, and it uses ingredients produced by Tembec. The FDA advised feed manufacturers and others not to use the products and to contact the two manufacturers.
The agency also advised manufacturers to recall feed made from AquaBond or AquaTech II. Official did not make the same recommendation for feed made from Xtra-Bond, based on the low levels of melamine and related compounds.
Officials said they had no idea how much feed contains the ingredients in question.
The FDA learned on March 15 that certain pet foods were sickening and killing cats and dogs. The agency found contaminants in vegetable proteins imported from China. The discovery prompted thousands of news stories, some congressional hearings and much scrutiny of China's manufacturing processes.
FDA officials said Uniscope contacted the agency about two weeks ago. The officials could not say how long Tembec had used melamine in the manufacturing process.
“All I can tell you is that this came to our attention on May 18 when Uniscope let us know what they found, and we followed that up,” Acheson said. “What Tembec knew, didn't know, and what their activities were is part of the investigation.”
Uniscope officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment. John Valley, an executive vice president at Tembec, said melamine was an element in the product made for Uniscope.
“That binder in turn is a small component of the overall fish pellets. It's a minor part of a minor part, if you will, so the concentrations are very low,” Valley said.
Valley said that in response to concerns that have been raised about melamine byproducts, the Toledo company stopped using melamine in any form in spring.
“We believed that for the intended uses, we were making a compliant product,” Valley said.
---
On the Net:
Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01643.html
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