Pet food case link to LV stronger

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it has solidified that wheat gluten imported from China by a Las Vegas supplier is the source of a contaminant in nearly 100 brands of recalled pet foods.

Remarks by the FDA's top veterinarian strengthened the link between the pet crisis and ChemNutra, the importer of the protein ingredient sent in turn to the makers of cat and dog foods.

"FDA's examination of import records and records obtained during follow-up investigations identified the distributor of the contaminated wheat gluten as ChemNutra of Las Vegas, Nevada," said Stephen Sundlof, director of the agency's center for veterinary medicine.

The FDA last week blocked wheat gluten imports from the eastern Chinese city of Xuzhou, saying tests revealed they contained melamine, an industrial chemical used in the manufacturing of plastic products.

ChemNutra, has recalled all wheat gluten it had sent to three pet food companies and a distributor that supplies others in the industry. The product was bought from the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co.

Reports of tainted animal food has sparked one of the largest pet-food recalls in history.

The FDA has received more than 12,000 complaints and has confirmed about 15 pet deaths. Anecdotal reports suggest the tally is in the hundreds or low thousands.

An employee who answered the phone Thursday at ChemNutra's Las Vegas office on South Durango Drive said there was no one available to talk to a reporter.

Sundlof said ChemNutra is cooperating in the FDA's investigation. FDA spokesman Mike Herndon said the agency does not suspect ChemNutra of knowingly distributing a bad product.

In a follow-up statement, Herndon said, "We have several open investigations and we have not yet begun to consider whether any compliance options would be appropriate."

As for how the FDA may further investigate the shipments, Herndon said: "Too soon to tell what the FDA strategy will be."

The FDA also announced that the recall of pet foods and treats has expanded to include dog biscuits made by an Alabama company and sold by Wal-Mart under the Ol'Roy brand.

The FDA said the manufacturer, Sunshine Mills, is recalling dog biscuits made with the imported wheat gluten.

Also Thursday, Menu Foods, a major manufacturer of branded and private-label wet pet foods expanded its original recall to include a broader range of dates and varieties. Menu Foods was the first of at least six companies to recall the now more than 100 brands of pet foods and treats made with the contaminated ingredient.

The recall now covers "cuts and gravy"-style products made between Nov. 8 and March 6, Menu Foods said. Previously, it only applied to products made beginning Dec. 3. In addition, Menu Foods said it was expanding the recall to include more varieties, but no new brands.

The FDA knows of no other pet product companies planning recalls, Sundlof said.

"Other than that, I think, you know, the public should feel secure in purchasing pet foods that are not subject to the recall," he said.

Sunshine, of Red Bay, Ala., sells pet foods and treats under its own brands as well as private labels sold by grocery, mass merchant and dollar stores, according to its Web site. The recall included some of the products made for sale under five private labels, including Ol'Roy biscuits, sold by Wal-Mart Stores, and Stater Bros. large biscuits, sold by Stater Bros. Markets. It also covered a portion of Sunshine's own Nurture, Lassie and Pet Life dog biscuit brands.

Previously, Menu Foods had recalled some wet-style dog foods it made for sale under the Stater Bros. and Ol'Roy brands as well.

Sunshine said there have been no reports of dog illnesses or deaths in connection with the recalled dog biscuits, which contain one percent or less wheat gluten by weight.

Sunshine Mills said it would post a complete list of the recalled dog biscuits on its Web site, http://www.sunshinemills.com/

The FDA has not yet determined how the melamine got into the wheat gluten, Sundlof said, but there is no evidence to suggest it made its way into human food.

Although the FDA is focusing on the industrial chemical, Sundlof said the agency is not yet entirely convinced whether it is melamine that is responsible for pet deaths or whether it is could be a marker for some other alien substance.

"Our job now is going to be to determine whether it is melamine, itself, which is the most likely suspect at this point, or whether it's some other contaminant that was carried through with the melamine," Sundlof said.

Some samples of the tainted gluten were made up of as much as 6.6 percent melamine, he said, but it's difficult to tell if the amount of the chemical that ended up in pet foods was enough to kill dogs and cats.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.