From: Mike N. 


http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/joe_and_terrys_blog/pet_food_disaster_p
oints_up_fda_weaknesses.asp

"It’s all about greed. Pet food manufacturers figured out that they
could save money by buying ingredients from China. The Chinese figured out
that they could get a higher price for wheat gluten if they added melamine.

That’s because this chemical, used in making plastic and fertilizer, has a
lot of nitrogen. Quick and easy tests for protein content measure nitrogen,
so adulterated gluten looks protein-rich on such tests."

  I'm confused - first it was rat poison aminopterin, now everyone talks
only of melamine.   Which was the real cause of the problem?   Is melamine
dangerous to pets, and does it produce the symptoms seen?   Is melamine
dangerous to people - since it has probably entered the human food chain?
What about the original reports of rat poison?

  Although this blogger tries to make the FDA out as a bunch of slackers,
the reality is that they can only test for common and known dangers -
anything else will always be a risk.

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5