Today, Februrary 7, 2008 a United States federal grand jury handed down indictments relating to last years pet food recall. According to prosecutors, two Chinese businessman, top executives at a U.S. company are being charged in connection to the tainted pet foods which were responsible for illness and death of pets across the country. The indictments are a result of the investigation that took place in the wake of 2007’s pet food recall.

According to the prosecutors, the toxic wheat gluten was not labeled for use as a raw material for food when it was shipped to the United States, thereby avoiding inspection. The accused are being incriminated over the claim that approximately 800 metric tons of wheat gluten containing the chemical melamine was imported, falsely labeled and then distributed to pet food manufacturers resulting in death and illness of thousands of pets.

Researchers have found melamine and related compounds to cause kidney failure in animals fed products containing contaminated wheat gluten. Until the recent food recalls, it was not routine to monitor for melamine, possibly because of the previously assumed low toxicity of the chemical or the expense of detection.

It is my hope, that those responsible for this tragedy will be disciplined to the full extent that the law allows; warning companies, nationally and internationally, of the consequences of endangering lives through compromising the quality of products used for feed.

 

For the complete story on the companies involved and the people being faced with the indictments, please visit cnn.com for the complete story.

Image via Haute Diggety Dog, available for purchase at www.trixieandpeanut.com.

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