Thousands of pet deaths across the United States prompted a Food and Drug Administration investigation that uncovered melamine, a chemical component of plastics and pesticides, in 100 brands of pet food.¹ All of these brands had used an imported ingredient from China that had been falsely labeled “wheat gluten” or “rice protein concentrate,” when in reality it was wheat flour mixed with melamine. Although melamine does not have U.S. approval for human or animal consumption, Chinese manufacturers apparently added the melamine to falsely inflate the protein profile of the wheat flour, a reportedly common practice in China.²

Canadian fishmeal manufacturers also imported the contaminated wheat flour and used it to produce fishmeal that was sold to nearly 200 aquaculture operations in the United States, including salmon hatcheries in Oregon and Washington state.^{3, 4, 5} Although FDA officials do not see a health risk to humans who eat farmed fish that consumed the contaminated feed, at least one open ocean aquaculture company – Kona Blue – halted its sales until it could verify that there was no trace of melamine in its fish.^{6, 7}

Granted, authorities caught the contamination this time, and it involved U.S. aquaculture, but what would prevent the burgeoning aquaculture industry in Asia, particularly China, from using such ingredients in their fishmeal? The incident is one more example of why FDA must increase inspections of food imports. 

Footnotes

¹ Bridges, Andrew. “Farmed fish fed contaminated material.” Associated Press, May 8, 2007.

² Barboza, David and Barrionuevo, Alexi. “Feed sellers in China routinely use protein substitute.” International Herald Tribune, April 29, 2007.

³ “Surprise! Clean pet food sites; U.S. inspectors arrive in China to find ingredient suppliers closed down, scrubbed up.” Grand Rapids Press, May 11, 2007.

⁴ Barnard, Jeff. “Pet food contaminant found in feed at Oregon fish hatchery.” Associated Press State & Local Wire, May 9, 2007.

⁵ “WA pulls fish hatchery feed linked to chemical.” Associated Press, May 10, 2007.

⁶ “Transcript of Media Briefing Update by FDA and USDA Regarding Adulterated Animal Feed.” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, May 8, 2007.

⁷ TenBruggencate, Jan. “First batch at Kona fish farm cleared.” Honolulu Advertiser, May 16, 2007.