Posted on 05/08/2007 1:30:11 PM PDT by mom4kittys
WASHINGTON - Farmed fish were fed meal spiked with an industrial chemical linked to the ongoing recall of pet foods, though the contamination level was probably too low to pose a danger to anyone who may have eaten the fish, federal health officials said Tuesday.
The Canadian-made meal included what was purported to be wheat gluten, a protein source, imported from China. The material was actually wheat flour spiked by the chemical melamine and related, nitrogen-rich compounds to make it appear more protein rich than it was, officials said.
After pigs and chickens, the farmed fish mark the third food animal given contaminated feed. The level of contamination is expected to be too low to pose any danger to human health, said Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's assistant commissioner for food protection.
It wasn't immediately clear if any of the farmed fish entered the food supply. However, Acheson said at least one firm's fish were still too young and small to be sold. Investigators were visiting other U.S. aquaculture farms that used the contaminated feed.
Melamine, a chemical found in plastics and pesticides and not approved for use in pet or human in the U.S., contaminated pet food that either sickened or killed an unknown number of dogs and cats. Since March 16, more than 100 brands of pet food have been recalled because they were contaminated with melamine.
Acheson said that fish samples would be screened for signs of melamine. "Depending upon what we find in that testing, that is going to drive the next steps," Acheson said.
Canadian officials are aware of the finding, Acheson said.
"We used it to make pet food. They used it to make fish meal," he told reporters.
Federal health and food officials have said some 20 million chickens and thousands of hogs also were fed feed contaminated by melamine. As with the fish, they said the risk to human health is very low.
U.S. investigators also have learned that the purported Chinese wheat gluten and a second ingredient, rice protein concentrate, were actually simple wheat flour. The flour was spiked with melamine and related, nitrogen-rich compounds to make it appear more protein rich than it was. In tests, nitrogen levels are measured to gauge the overall protein content of food ingredients.
"What we discovered is these are not wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate but in fact are wheat flour contaminated by melamine," Acheson said.
The FDA is considering enforcement options, he added. The ingredients came from two Chinese firms: Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. and Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd.
No one mentions the obvious....globalism and FREE TRADE WITH CHINA! of which Fred Thompson said he wants more of.
China is our enemy and yet we import their poison.
Red beans and rice with an occasion side of spuds...
What ever happened to Moon Pies.
I think the only candidate that is speaking out against free trade with China is Duncan Hunter. McCain voted for most favored trade nation for China and Romney is for free trade with China as well. I don’t know what Guiliani’s stance is.
Speaking of chocolate; someone emailed this to me, so can’t provide a link:
“According to the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg News and others, some of the major producers of brown substances that may or may not be chocolate - banding together as the Chocolate Manufacturers Association - have petitioned the FDA to revise the definition.
“Party to this petition are Hershey, Nestle, and Archer Daniels Midland. They propose to “modernize” the standard.
“Modernize? “Subvert” is a better verb. They’re effectively proposing to call anything with cocoa “chocolate,” clearing the way to substitute vegetable oil or other substitutes for cocoa butter.
“It’s not the government’s job to protect you from ersatz chocolate, but neither is it the government’s job to help food manufacturers deceive consumers.
“If manufacturers can produce chocolate-flavored products that please consumers as much as chocolate, calling them something other than pure chocolate won’t matter. The only reason to call something chocolate when it isn’t is to deceive.
“Abe Lincoln was right: You can’t fool all the people all the time. Aided by makers of real chocolate, America’s chocoholics are fighting back. Although the move to redefine chocolate was stealthy, the alarm has been sounded.
“Intense reaction already has forced the FDA to extend the public comment period on the chocolate-adulteration petition to June 25.
“If you’re a fellow chocolate-lover, you’ll want to check out http://dontmesswithourchocolate.guittard.com/ Follow the “comment” link to register your outrage with the FDA.”
Duncan Hunter is our best choice and hopefully more will see that.
Why does everyone find it necessary to adulterate our food FGS!!!
He’s looking good to me.
Tilapia aren’t fed high-protein meal- it costs too much, and they don’t grow in linear proportion to protein intake. They’re actually pretty safe, but, even so, they’re aquatic Wonder Bread, and you’d be better off with wild-harvest seafood .
All sardines aren’t short lived- on the East coast they’re harvested while they’re very young, before they get too big to fit in a can and grow out to become herring/alewife.
Former science geek. Sorry.
Not anymore. The last sardine cannery was closed three years ago in Maine. Jooooish lightening struck (arson).
What have I been saying for weeks now — if they fed it to pigs and they fed it to chickens it was a certainty they fed it to fish — and the sad thing there is fish are not omnovores and this is one reason the flesh isn’t as nice as wild fish and the Omega 3’s are in the basement..... eating farmed fish isn’t any better than eating pork or chicken.
I know- I’ve got friends in Lubec and Eastport, who’ve kept me up to date. The Canadians have still got ‘em, though.
I know- I’ve got friends in Lubec and Eastport, who’ve kept me up to date. The Canadians have still got ‘em, though.
Aye-yuh, I know the bluenoses are still cannin em. They still make tolerable chowduh in Washington County though.
Nobody thinks about producing a good product anymore. It’s all about the stockholders. In the case of melamine it was added as a means of bringing a higher price.
I simply can’t keep up with all the illegal acts and questionable decisions done by our unelected criminal bureaucracy. Our congress is useless. May as mount clocks on the wall to watch over us.
i for one am shocked
i for one am shocked
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