ON HOG FARMS AND MELAMINE.

ON HOG FARMS AND MELAMINE. Now melamine has been found in pig urine at a California hog farm. The earlier melamine findings were all concentrated in pet foods, but this case brings out a connection to the human food chain.The newest theory about how melamine (think of kitchen counters) ended up in wheat, rice and corn gluten is this:

Imported ingredients used in recalled pet food may have been intentionally spiked with an industrial chemical to boost their apparent protein content, federal officials said Thursday.That's one theory being pursued by the Food and Drug Administration as it investigates how the chemical, melamine, contaminated at least two ingredients used to make more than 100 brands of dog and cat foods.

Hmm. See how well the "free markets" work when information is difficult to obtain?Then there is the most recent recall of rice gluten. The U.S. importer, Wilbur-Ellis Co., told that it had sold the rice gluten to five manufacturers, but only three of their names have been made public so far. The reason? This:

FDA officials would not release the names of the other two manufacturers that Wilbur-Ellis supplied, citing its ongoing investigation.

Now let's see how this plays out among pet owners: "We don't know the names of those other two manufacturers. How can I know if what I'm feeding to Spot and Kitty is safe? But at least the manufacturers are protected while the FDA investigates. What a relief!"--J. Goodrich