Today’s Update on the Pet Food Recall—6/1/2007

Did I mention yesterday that the Ohio company producing an ingredient for inclusion in animal feed using melamine as a binding agent is a U. S. subsidiary of a Canadian company? Menu Foods, recall of whose products kicked off this scandal, is, too. I hope we’re not going to see an anti-globalization backlash.

Anyway, the company, Tembec, has run afoul of the Ohio government. Apparently, the company hadn’t registered with the state to do what it was doing:

COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio company that produced animal feed ingredients containing the same industrial chemical as the one that led to a massive pet food recall did not properly register with the state as a feed manufacturer, the Ohio Department of Agriculture said.

Tembec Inc., of Toledo, must obtain a permit or cease its feed manufacturing operation, said LeeAnne Mizer, agriculture department spokeswoman.

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration said it had alerted feed manufacturers that ingredients containing melamine and related compounds were found in products made by Tembec and used by Uniscope Inc. of Johnstown, Colo. The agency also advised the manufacturers to recall some products because they contained melamine.

Tembec responds that it wasn’t manufacturing feed, it was making ingredients for feed. We’ll see if that defense stands up. At this point it’s a handslap offense, anyway.

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