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Farmed fish fed contaminated material
Yahoo! News ^ | 5/8/07 | By ANDREW BRIDGES,

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.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; foodsupply; gramsci; melamine; petfoodrecall; usda
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To: Flavius

As you should be. ~LOL


81 posted on 05/08/2007 4:38:05 PM PDT by mom4kittys (If velvet could sing, it would sound like Josh Groban)
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To: capt.P
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.

Well, then they're no longer sardines.

Since they are short-lived, they don't have signif time to accum lipid soluble dreck.

82 posted on 05/08/2007 4:56:17 PM PDT by Peelod (Decentia est fragilis. Curatoribus validis indiget.)
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To: TASMANIANRED
What ever happened to Moon Pies.

Checkout moonpie.com!

83 posted on 05/08/2007 5:19:05 PM PDT by 6SJ7
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To: Shadowstrike

In this case, make sure you don’t buy factory farmed fish— get the wild stuff.

Deadliest Catch (king crab) is not deadly in this case! :-) Sig and Edgar rock!


84 posted on 05/08/2007 5:34:34 PM PDT by VictoryGal (Never give up, never surrender!)
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To: Peelod

Easy there. Sardine is a common name, and not a scientific one... which is why no scientists use common names... ‘Clupeiod fishes’ is probably a better descriptor. One can talk about a dozen species and call ‘em sardines.

Certain popular pesticides preferentially accumulate in lipids... I’d be careful about saying that sardines don’t pick up residual traces of nasty stuff...

Again, sorry, I used to be a marine scientist, and I’m a type A. Hope I didn’t offend.


85 posted on 05/08/2007 7:19:25 PM PDT by capt.P (Hold Fast! Strong Hand Uppermost!)
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To: cripplecreek

don’t forget mad cow. D’ya think there’s going to be a sudden outbreak? Don’t forget what they did to the spinach growers here, who most of them were innocent of letting wild animals into their fields. Do we come down as hard on the chinese, as our federal government did on the spinach farmers? They were charging spinach farmers with federal crimes!


86 posted on 05/08/2007 8:28:24 PM PDT by hedgetrimmer (I'm a billionaire! Thanks WTO and the "free trade" system!--Hu Jintao top 10 worst dictators)
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To: canuck_conservative
So why haven’t our Western governments (Canada, US, etc.) read the riot act to China

Because our executive branch and our congress turned coat on America a long time ago, by investing their wealth in China. They are not about to use their elected offices to destroy their private bank accounts, only common citizens must pay for globalization.

Senator Feinstein for one, has extensive wealth invested in China, and since the Chinese government is partners with them, per the Chinese constitution, they will NEVER do anything to diminish the value of their holdings in China.
87 posted on 05/08/2007 8:35:10 PM PDT by hedgetrimmer (I'm a billionaire! Thanks WTO and the "free trade" system!--Hu Jintao top 10 worst dictators)
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To: JACKRUSSELL
or at least I think they eat the same food we do.

No, they don't.
88 posted on 05/08/2007 8:36:11 PM PDT by hedgetrimmer (I'm a billionaire! Thanks WTO and the "free trade" system!--Hu Jintao top 10 worst dictators)
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To: capt.P

Not at all - thanx for the fine tuning.

My point is that when I order Clupeiod on rye with onion and mustard with a draft, I am probably getting less lipid soluble stuff than I would get with another fatty (but older) fish.

Lunch time!!!!


89 posted on 05/09/2007 8:53:58 AM PDT by Peelod (Decentia est fragilis. Curatoribus validis indiget.)
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To: capt.P

Not at all - thanx for the fine tuning.

My point is that when I order Clupeiod on rye with onion and mustard with a draft, I am probably getting less lipid soluble stuff than I would get with another fatty (but older) fish.

Lunch time!!!!


90 posted on 05/09/2007 8:54:02 AM PDT by Peelod (Decentia est fragilis. Curatoribus validis indiget.)
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To: TASMANIANRED
What ever happened to Moon Pies.

Dey all over the place! Maay-be you in one doze damm yankee states?

91 posted on 05/09/2007 11:00:19 AM PDT by ItsTheMediaStupid
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To: TASMANIANRED
What ever happened to Moon Pies.

Dey all over the place! Maay-be you in one doze damm yankee states?

92 posted on 05/09/2007 11:00:25 AM PDT by ItsTheMediaStupid
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To: ItsTheMediaStupid

I’ll have to check and see if those Mississippi catfish farms are using Chinese made fish meal!


93 posted on 05/09/2007 11:04:31 AM PDT by SuziQ
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To: ItsTheMediaStupid

Not yankee yet but moving steadily in that direction...


94 posted on 05/09/2007 11:25:04 AM PDT by TASMANIANRED (Taz Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge)
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