Senators Durbin & Cantwell Ask FDA to do its job

Senators Dick Durbin and Maria Cantwell have asked the FDA to tell us what they know and to do more to protect the pet and human food supply from what are now known threats from imported wheat, rice and corn protein additives:

In addition to identifying those companies who were recipients of the contaminated rice protein and have yet to do the right thing by identifying themselves, we request that the FDA begin comprehensive testing and sampling of both rice protein and corn gluten, similar to the testing and sampling performed on wheat gluten. The FDA must assure Congress and the American people that the shipments of rice protein known to be contaminated with melamine imported by Wilbur Ellis and the second unknown importer are the only shipments of contaminated rice protein to reach the United States and that no contaminated corn gluten has reached the United States. Should any additional contaminated rice protein or corn gluten be found, the FDA should take immediate action to identify those companies .... http://durbin.senate.gov/...

The pet food recall situation continues to expand.  Multiple Chinese suppliers of wheat gluten, rice protein concentrate and corn gluten have been found to have exported protein additives containing melamine, an industrial chemical not approved for use in animal or human foods.  More and more this situation is looking intentional and systemic.  We know that it has already impacted the human food supply as contaminated feed was fed to hogs that have been butchered and sold.  More contaminated additives may have been directly incorporated in the many human foods that contain wheat gluten, rice protein isolate or other protein additives.  We don't know whether they have been because neither the FDA nor food manufacturers appear to have been doing any testing for melamine in imported additives.

Ask your representatives to join in Senators' Durbin's and Cantwell's efforts to get the FDA to do more to protect our and our pet's food safety.

Wikipedia has an overview on the pet food recall.

For an update on the view from China: Today's New York Times story.

Here's jhritz's latest diary on the pet foods recalled (containing many valuable links).

Susan Hu keeps us up-to-date on criminal probes and other investigations.

Pet Connection liveblogged today's congressional hearing creating a virtual transcript.

Here's more on protein testing in the food industry and the economic motivation to add melamine.

•  Tell the FDA to do its job

  thnx

  by Abby Kelleyite on Tue Apr 24, 2007 at 12:08:04 PM PDT

•  There's no way they CAN do their job.

  Why?  Agribusiness and the Pharma industry have pressured (paid off) to castrate the FDA.  

  The USDA is much better funded and better staffed.  Why?  Because the dairy/beef industry hasn't exerted the pressure ($) the Aggies and Pharma people have to get the government off their backs.

  The result?  The FDA doesn't have the personpower, funding, or support to take any action whatever.  They can write letters warning companies.  That's about it.

  No inforcement, no compliance.

  So we had e coli in our spinach, because companies ignored FDA letters warning of the danger.  

  by Tracker on Tue Apr 24, 2007 at 12:25:00 PM PDT

  •  a fair point

    FDA doesn't even have mandatory recall authority.  However, FDA could at least tell us the names of the other importer who purchased from the Chinese supplier of tainted rice protein and the other pet food companies that received shipments of potentially tainted products so that we, as consumers, could at least choose not to purchase their products.

    by Abby Kelleyite on Tue Apr 24, 2007 at 12:40:31 PM PDT

•  We also have to do our job

  There is little doubt that this substance has entered the human food supply in the U.S.

  Why?

  Because we are a market driven system and the economic incentive is for American food producers to buy from the cheapest suppliers they can possibly find - which they have. That's why they are buying wheat gluten through importers dealing with obscure and unaccountable Chinese companies rather than the supplier located right in Kansas.

  The Chinese have a market incentive to gin up the protein content of these products by using artificial additives - much cheaper than real protein. This only works well if you don't get caught.  WITH THIS ONE PARTICULAR PRODUCT, they seem to have miscalculated.

  We must now make them feel the pain through market forces.  The U.S. domestic pork supply is compromised.  BUY NO PORK.  Wheat gluten in any product is suspect. READ LABELS. BUY NO WHEAT, RICE OR CORN GLUTEN PRODUCTS.

  Write to the producers of these products and let them know why.  And most importantly TELL OTHERS.  When you find a product with wheat gluten; post it.  Let's make the manufacturer disclose their source and if it is not U.S. sourced DON'T BUY IT.

  Sorry for all the shouting.

  by trillian on Tue Apr 24, 2007 at 12:39:11 PM PDT

  •  Yes, and while we are at it...

    all that shipping from China contributes to global warming and depletion of resources, all which are not being figured into that "cheap price". The day I learned about externalities in an econ class, my final move to the left was done.

    by UndercoverRxer on Tue Apr 24, 2007 at 12:43:18 PM PDT

    •  yet another good reason for a carbon tax

      I suspect some lawyers may also help internalize the external costs of not doing more and better quality control testing on at least some of the companies involved in importing and using the adulterated additives.

      by Abby Kelleyite on Tue Apr 24, 2007 at 01:27:04 PM PDT

  •  I have pretty much started doing this

    with regard to cat food (although in the case of Natural Balance, they started using rice protein content last July but only got around to adding it to their ingredient listings just before they recalled their product).

    Personally, I think we need to push politically for mandatory labeling of ingredient sources.  Most people don't have the time to query the manufacturer of each and every product they use.

    by Abby Kelleyite on Tue Apr 24, 2007 at 12:49:23 PM PDT

    •  What do you want to bet...

      ...they'll claim there's not enough room on the label? Though they might be forced to print a web address at the bottom of the ingredients list in 6-point type that may give you "more information" you won't get from the product itself or the store.

      The struggle with USDA and the various agribiz and byproducts lobbies over organic and GMO labeling has demonstrated clearly the position of Goverbusiness. What you don't know can't hurt you...

      by Joy Busey on Tue Apr 24, 2007 at 01:28:30 PM PDT