Second chemical eyed in Chinese pet food scandal

International Herald Tribune ^ | 5/8/07 | By David Barboza

[mom4kittys]

SHANGHAI: A second industrial chemical that regulators have found in contaminated pet food in the United States may also have been intentionally added to animal feed by producers seeking larger profits, according to interviews with chemical industry officials here. Three Chinese chemical makers said that animal feed producers often purchase, or seek to purchase, the chemical, cyanuric acid, from their factories to blend into animal feed. The chemical producers said it was common knowledge that for years cyanuric acid had been used in animal and fish feed. In the United States, cyanuric acid is often used as a disinfectant for swimming pools. Two of the chemical makers said feed producers used it because it was high in nitrogen, enabling feed producers to lift the protein reading of the feed artificially. "Cyanuric acid scrap can be added to animal feed," says Yu Luwei, general manager of Juancheng Ouya Chemical Company in Shandong Province. "I sell it to fish meal manufacturers and fish farmers. It can also be added to feed for other animals." The disclosure is noteworthy not just because it is another indication that Chinese animal feed producers were intentionally doctoring the ingredients they sold, but because the practice of using cyanuric acid may provide clues as to why the pet food in the United States became so poisonous.

[mom4kittys]

[nuconvert]

If I were Purina, I’d stop all importing of Chinese pet food products/ingredietns and start an ad campaign touting that.
Their profits would soar.

[Veto!]

Thanks for your ongoing vigilance, mom4kittys. Makes me afraid to eat anything or feed my pets. Maybe they’d be better off living in the barn and chasing mice. ....if I only had a barn.

[Snoopers-868th]

Thanks for the post.

[theFIRMbss]

[metmom]

Don’t forget human food. I think it’s only a matter of time before someone lets it slip that this stuff is finding it’s way into human food products. I can’t believe that what they’re putting into animal feed is kept so isolated that mix ups, or deliberate tainting, can’t, and don’t, occur.

[mom4kittys]

You are welcome. It is staggering to think of the percentage of population that knows nothing about all this. I am telling everyone I can about it.

[nuconvert]

It really makes you wonder about any food product - pet or human - produced in China, including vitamins. Who knows what they’re using??

[mom4kittys]

Go away

[blam]

"Often, the animal feed producers say, they do not buy pure melamine, which is used to make plastics and fertilizer, but purchase impure melamine scrap from chemical factories. It is much cheaper than pure melamine."

"The buyers say they believe it to be legal and non-toxic, though they admit they are cheating buyers."

Someone should be punished.

[Realism]

producers seeking larger profits

Bet they're watching their bottom line now. Hopefully it will cost them dearly.

[fanfan]

Thanks for the post mom4kittys.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Isn’t this called being a penny wise and a pound foolish? In the end this is going to cost them a lot more than they saved.

[Flavius]

we bombarded Iraq for less they never atacked us with WMD

here the most favorite nation gets to cash their great imperial checks

[mom4kittys]

Incredible isn’t it?

[MizSterious]

I think a better graphic on that one would be an ostrich, with its head in the sand. Anyone laughing at this situation has no idea what it IS.

[mom4kittys]

Exactly what I thought too!

[MarineBrat]

...cyanuric acid is often used as a disinfectant for swimming pools.

No, it's used as a "binding agent" for chlorine. Most pool store people (who are out to rip you off BTW) call it "conditioner."

[LS]

This is exactly what’s going to happen. The Chinese are going to get their first lesson in free market economics, which is, customers might be fooled by lower prices once, but once the quality issues are known, they won’t be fooled twice. Just ask the makers of the Yugo.