GMO Issue in Recalled Pet Food?
ri...@math.missouri.edu
gluten. Using GM technology to enhance wheat gluten content has
been a hot research area since at least the late '90s. The toxic
contaminant(s) apparently include melanine, a trimer of cyanamide.
The toxic tryptophan scandal of 15 years ago may have involved the
unexpected dimerization of tryptophan under conditions of GMO-enhanced
concentrations in modified bacteria.
( http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/L-tryptophan/2BackgroundInformation/ )
I'm not a chemist but I hope chemists and biochemists are following
this issue closely. Here are some links that might be useful to
an enterprising researcher:
http://www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/
http://www.gmofoodforthought.com/2006/07/usda_works_to_improve_bread_ba.htm
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=mozilla&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aunofficial&q=%22ann+blechl%22+glutenin&btnG=Search
http://web.archive.org/web/20041125181829/www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=156613
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications.htm?SEQ_NO_115=156613
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=mozilla&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aunofficial&q=hmw+glutenin+transgenic&btnG=Search
http://www.google.com/search?as_q=transgenic+wheat&hl=en&num=10&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=ars.usda.gov&as_rights=&safe=images
Melamine in pet food, wheat gluten from China: FDA
By Aarthi Sivaraman2 hours, 57 minutes ago
U.S. officials said on Friday that melamine, a chemical used in
fertilizers in Asia and forbidden in pet food, has been detected
in the wheat gluten used by Canada-based Menu Foods.
"The association between the melamine in the kidneys and urine of
cats that died and the melamine in the food they consumed is
undeniable," said Stephen Sundlof, director of the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine, during a press
conference.
Melamine should not be in pet food at all, but its presence has not
been confirmed as the cause of sickness or deaths in pets, because
there is little research on its effects on those animals, the FDA
said.
"So it is very difficult to determine a level that would be harmful
or lethal," Sundlof said.
FDA officials said the wheat gluten was imported from China but was
not yet known to be used in human food. All wheat gluten coming
from there will now be reviewed, they said.
On March 16, Menu Foods recalled 60 million cans and pouches of
"cuts-and-gravy" style wet pet food after it was blamed for the
deaths of at least 14 animals -- mostly cats.
The company makes pet foods that are sold under a variety of labels
such as Iams, Eukanuba, President's Choice and Nutro Max Gourmet
Classics, store brands sold at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Safeway
Inc. and at specialty pet stores including Petsmart Inc.
DRY FOOD WORRIES
Many companies pulled the pet food brands in question off shelves
following complaints from pet owners. Over 8,000 pet owners have
called the FDA to report that their pets had fallen sick or died.
Some have even started blaming dry pet food for sickness in their
pets, according to various media reports.
One company that makes dry pet food may have received a shipment
of the contaminated wheat gluten but doesn't seem to have used it
to make any finished products, the FDA said. Until dry pet foods
test unsafe, owners can feed it to their pets, officials said.
Procter & Gamble Co. said on Friday that its dry Iams and Eukanuba
foods are safe since they do not contain melamine or wheat gluten
and are not manufactured by Menu Foods.
Production of all wet foods at the affected Menu Foods plant in
Emporia, Kansas was suspended on March 14, P&G said.
Separately, New York state officials, who said they discovered
aminopterin -- a substance used in rat poison -- in tainted pet
food last week, said they have no doubt that melamine is present
in the recalled food.
"Since neither aminopterin nor melamine are compounds that should
be found in pet food, it is important for full public disclosure,"
said New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner
Patrick Hooker.
The FDA, however, has still not confirmed the presence of aminopterin
in the recalled pet food.
Aminopterin is forbidden for use in the United States since it is
known to cause kidney failure in cats and dogs. It is also known
to cause cancer and birth defects in humans.
Menu Foods scheduled a press conference for later on Friday to
respond to the latest developments.