AP News, April 21st, 2007
The health risk appeared to be "minimal" for people who ate pork from a hog farm where an industrial chemical was found in its animals, state officials said Friday.
Tests of seven urine samples and two feed samples at American Hog Farm in Ceres all came back positive for the chemical, melamine, which has tainted more than 100 brands of dog and cat food, said state Veterinarian Dr. Richard Breitmeyer.
Three live pigs were taken for testing, and inspectors are rounding up an undetermined number of live hogs sold from the 1,500-animal farm since April 3. So far, the state has 26 recovered pigs at a Northern California facility, officials said.
The farm also operates as a "custom slaughterhouse," one of 40 such state-licensed facilities in California that butcher animals for individual orders, Breitmeyer said. The meat is not intended for resale and is stamped "not for sale," so the pork would not be available at commercial outlets, he said.
"There is no evidence that any products from this farm have entered the food supply," Breitmeyer said. "The risk to people right now is minimal."
Still, the state is asking customers who bought nearly 100 pigs from the slaughterhouse since April 3 not to eat the products as a precaution.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture imposed the quarantine on the farm Thursday after records from Diamond Pet Food's Lathrop facility showed it sold salvage pet food to the farm for pig feed earlier this month.
Those shipments from Diamond, which produces products under the Natural Balance brand, were later found to have melamine, traced to rice protein concentrate imported from China.
Melamine, which is used in making plastics and other industrial processes, has been blamed for causing health problems in dozens of dogs and cats, but the Food and Drug Administration could not provide numbers of pet deaths or injuries due to the contaminated food.
Calls made to American Hog Farm on Friday were not answered. Phone calls to Diamond Pet Food's Lathrop facility and Meta, Mo. headquarters were not immediately returned Friday.
Associated Press Writer Aaron C. Davis in Sacramento contributed to this report.
California Department of Food and Agriculture: http://cdfa.ca.gov
