Melamine Found in California Hogs

In a breaking news story from the Sacramento Bee, it was disclosed that melamine, the toxic chemical responsible for the recall of thousands of pet food products, has been found in the urine of hogs on The American Hog Farm in Ceres, CA. The Bee article goes on to say:

"The farm is cooperating with us to determine the disposition of all animals that have left the premises since April 3," Richard Breitmeyer, the state veterinarian, said in a prepared statement. That's the first time melamine-tainted food is known to have been shipped to the farm.

He said the 1,500-animal American Hog Farm was quarantined "out of an abundance of caution."

A California public health officer, Dr. Mark Horton told the Bee that "evidence suggests a minimal health risk" to people who have consumed it, but the public was urges not to eat meat from that source until further notice.

A theory has been circulating for some time that Chinese suppliers are intentionally inserting melamine into certain grain starches to boost their protein content, for commanding higher prices. Stephen Sundlof, head of the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine acknowledged the increasing credibility of that theory, according to the article.

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