A company in Ohio has voluntarily recalled a binding agent used to make “pellet” type feed for fish, goats, cows, and whathaveyou, because it contained melamine.

Before you freak out, this situation is a bit different from the pet food recall, in which melamine was being added in large quantities in order to sell cheap white flour as expensive wheat gluten. (Melamine shows up as protein in test results.) In this case the melamine actually had a reason to be there, but the FDA is erring on the side of caution and recalling it. From their press release (emphasis ours):

The interim safety/risk assessment concludes that in the most extreme risk assessment scenario, when scientists assumed that all the solid food a person consumes in an entire day contained melamine and the melamine compound cyanuric acid in equal amounts, the potential exposure is about 250 times lower than the dose considered safe. This is a large safety margin. Translated to consumption levels, this means that a person weighing 132 pounds would have to eat more than 800 pounds per day of food containing melamine and its compounds to approach a level of consumption that would cause a health concern.

FDA is encouraging domestic feed suppliers to be vigilant in quality control in their supply chain and to monitor for any improper additives, including melamine and its analogs.

Nice to know they’re paying attention, anyway. —MEGHANN MARCO

Tembec and Uniscope Voluntary Recall Feed Ingredients FDA Asks Feed Manufacturers to Avoid Ingredients Containing Melamine [FDA]
(Photo: bearclau)

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