So maybe the pet food scare can't be blamed on China after all. The FDA announced that melamine, the same ingredient found in tainted kibble from China, has been used in animal feed ingredients made by a U.S. company. The ensuing recall involved feed made by Tembec BTLSR Inc. of Toledo, Ohio and used by Uniscope Inc. of Johnstown, Colorado.

Officials said that the melamine in animal feed does not pose any threat to human health, but this is still a very interesting development in the pet food scare. It was previously thought to be limited to China, and many people have been blaming the Chinese for inadequate labeling and quality control practices.

When the use of melamine in pet food was discovered in China, it was though that it had been added to show higher protein levels in the food. The American manufacturers are thought to have been using it to bind feed for cattle, sheep and goats.

Melamine has numerous industrial uses. It can be used as a binding agent, flame retardant, and is used in fertilizer in some countries.

Poisoned pet food found in U.S. animal feed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 May 2007 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I was happy to see that today's Wall Street Journal was taking a closer look at what I considered the most interesting part of the pet food recall: 101 Brand Names, 1 Manufacturer. It turns out that Menu Foods was the manufacturer for everything from discount private label brands to some of the most expensive premium brands: Everything from Wal-Mart's Ol' Roy to the Science Diet stuff that I buy at the vet for my elderly lab with digestive problems.

And apparently it's the same in lots of other industries: Kellwoods sews clothes for Calvin Klein and Sag Harbor, a much cheaper label. Of course, the industry spokespeople say that they are all made from different recipes and whatnot and that the products vary in quality. But what else are they going to say?

I'm still suspicious about this: I always buy store brands if they're cheaper and I don't notice the difference. But hey, maybe I'm just not sophisticated.

Are you paying more for stuff from the same factory? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 09 May 2007 20:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.