If you’ve been keeping abreast of the news concerning the recent string of baby formula recalls in China, you already know that supposedly none of the tainted formula has found it’s way to the U.S. Still the FDA fearing that some of the formula will end up on the shelves of Chinese grocery stores in the states is doing their best to get the word out that parents should be careful on what brands they purchase. Furthermore it appears the reason the baby formula is being recalled is because it contains Melamine a form of plastic that also caused thousands of pets to become sick when it was discovered in their food last year. The recall included 100 brands of pet food, 60 million containers, and is being blamed for the death of over 4,000 pets.

In a statement from the FDA released at the height of the pet food crisis, the agency defined exactly what Melamine was: “Melamine can be used to create products such as plastics, cleaning products, glues, inks, and fertilizers. Under certain conditions, melamine mixed with wheat gluten can make the product appear to have a higher protein level than is actually present. Melamine has no approved use as an ingredient in human or animal food in the United States. Wheat gluten is a natural protein derived from wheat or wheat flour, which is extracted to yield a powder with high protein content. Pet food manufacturers often use wheat gluten as a thickener or binding agent in the manufacture of certain types of pet food.”

According to CBC News “An estimated 6,200 babies have become ill after drinking the formula, including 158 suffering from acute kidney failure. About one in five of the dairy companies tested nationwide had sold products tainted with melamine, officials said. Suppliers to the companies are thought to have added the banned chemical, normally used in plastics, to watered-down milk to make it appear higher in protein.”

While no link has been found between this most recent Melamine scare and the pet food problems of 2007, it seems that more and more consumers are being delivered products from overseas that contain harmful chemicals. This is why Sribbles N’ Bits is your source for the latest in pet recall news. Count on us to bring you the latest in pet recall information whenever they occur.