Pets Are Family Too

You had to suspect it! Our pet food supply was contaminated by poisonous a batch of wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate tainted with melamine, imported from China by Wilbur-Ellis and widely distributed to most of the nation’s major Pet food manufacturers. We had to guess that since our pet food is manufactured by many of the same companies who produce food for human consumption, there would have to be some cross contamination at some point. Like the hogs at American Hog Farms, that were fed pet food products left overs, sold from the pet food makers like Diamond Pet Foods. So far only American Hog Farms is the only known, “stated” supplier of food for human human consumption, who fed contaminated pet food products to it’s stock! The jury is still out on what other meat-processing plants they sold contaminated animals and meat to that produces food products for human consumption! Now there is another animal farm that has fed contaminated feed to it’s poultry, grown for human consumption!

According to the FDA and the USDA, there are about 30 Indiana broiler (chickens) farms that have fed their chicken stock, pet food byproducts(leftovers) contaminated wheat gluten imported from China. The very melamine contaminated wheat gluten, that killed our dogs and cats, are in chicken broilers that may be headed to our dinner tables!

At this time, the investigation indicates that approximately 30 broiler poultry farms and eight breeder poultry farms in Indiana received contaminated feed in early February and fed it to poultry within days of receiving it. All of the broilers believed to have been fed contaminated product have since been processed. The breeders that were fed the contaminated product are under voluntary hold by the flock owners.

As with exposure from hogs fed contaminated pet food and for similar reasons related to the dilution of the contamination, FDA and USDA believe the likelihood of illness after eating chicken fed the contaminated product is very low. Because there is no evidence of harm to humans associated with consumption of chicken fed the contaminated product, no recall of poultry products processed from these animals is being issued. Testing and the joint investigation continue. If any evidence surfaces to indicate there is harm to humans, the appropriate action will be taken.

The FDA and USDA, anticipate that this is just the tip of the ice berg of American farms that have fed their stock contaminated pet food byproducts , designated for human food consumption.