No, Toto, This Isn't Kansas - It's the FDA: The US Pet Food Fiasco

These posts all appeared on the CBS / WHPTV.com Forums back in 2007, however one day the entire site disappeared.  I was able to recover them from the "Wayback Machine" however they are now gone from there as well.  I did keep backup copies.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/117804187592580.xml&coll=6

According to the above article, melamine is illegal in the US.  It's in our dinnerware.  Illegal for what reason?  Might it be harmful to us?  If that is the case, then why do we see below the FDA is indicating the likelihood of illness is low?  Low likelihood of illness yet it's illegal?

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=consumer_affairs&id=5262921


"Once again, the FDA says there is no evidence the animals fed the contaminated feed are harmful to humans, which is why the FDA has not issued any recalls for hogs or chickens in question."

http://www.komotv.com/news/7282466.html

There is "no evidence" it's harmful to humans, and as things stand now, there most likely will not be.  What, exactly, does occur in the human digestive system when one does ingest melamine and/or cyanuric acid?  Do we know?  If not, then the FDA needs to rescind the above statements, and FOR ONCE place the well being of our people over the companies and groups who have them in their pockets.

Let's not forget a few things here.  You get sick, you try to get an appointment with a Doctor, if you can get a human on the phone, and the probability of that is not good and it may take a few days to get a response back.  You may have to wait weeks or months to get in.  They see you in all of about 5 minutes (their AHT) and most likely will check nothing except your credit history.  Tell you it's stress, give you some Xanax or whatever and send you home.  You are not urinating as much, or urinating frequently, and you feel tired all the time.  Your friend tells you it might be food allergies, so you call your Doctor again.  You probably wait another two weeks or months, and when you get there they tell you your insurance company won't cover the food allergy testing, and if you want to shell out $300-$400 to pay for it, and ASSUMING they do not make a mistake, you get tested, and handed a piece of paper a month later with the results stating "for Investigational Use Only and not approved by the FDA" with the results. By then, if this were the family dog, he'd be dead by now, as most were.

By stating there is "no evidence" simply gets us one step further than the "don't ask, don't tell" rule - we've bumped up a notch to "don't know, don't care" rule.

If there is in fact "no evidence" (aka, looking the other way), perhaps Mr. FDA, you can share with us barefoot and pregnant humans what EXACTLY the effects are of a human ingesting melamine and cyanuric acid, or something that may chrystalize in our kidneys, so we may know what to look for?  Maybe you could sample it for us and call in two weeks?   Not that you did it with Round-Up-Ready wheat, Teflon, rocket fuel or that you will with cloned beef, but the law of averages indicates in one of these forays you might tell us up front what signs indicate a kidney malfunction in humans?  Or should we just test it on YOUR families because quite frankly I'm getting tired of MY family and pets being your guinea pigs.

Let's get it out in the open - "no evidence" means you simply "don't know", therefore whomever is in possession of these chickens and pigs needs to be PROHIBITED from selling them for human consumption, and whomever they WERE sold need to be informed, as we ALL do, as to what symptoms to look for in melamine/cyanuric acid poisoning.

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No, Toto, This Isn't Kansas - It's the FDA: US Pet Food Fiasco Part 6

This post originally appeared May 1, 2007 and was removed as well.

http://www.swnebr.net/newspaper/cgi-bin/articles/articlearchiver.pl?160497

Interesting reading, this is.  For those not wanting to read it in it's entirety, basically it appears that it is not illegal, to date, to sell livestock which has eaten the contaminated pet food "scraps", however the USDA won't put their USDA stamp of approval on pigs that ate the food.

So these pigs can certainly be sold for food and not have any legal repercussions other than the USDA seal on the cover, like buying a counterfeit copy of Windows XP, basically - the "Pork Genuine Advantage".

"Potentially" 6000 hogs were fed what we know to be adulterated food, but let's remember the national slaughter number for swine is over 100 million.  Would that be per annum?  Per month?  "So that's the context".   Kind of like when kids were stealing out of a farmer's 50 acre watermelon field.  Frustrated with the thefts, he put up a sign which said, "To those stealing my watermelons, please be advised I have poisoned two with arsenic - you guess which two" - so THAT's the context.

And the FDAs tally on dead pets remains at 17 OR 18.

This was the FDA's original recall notice:

FDA posts press releases and other notices of recalls and market withdrawals from the firms involved as a service to consumers, the media, and other interested parties. FDA does not endorse either the product or the company.

ChemNutra Announces Nationwide Wheat Gluten Recall

Contact:
Devon Blaine/Lisa Baker
310-360-1499

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --Las Vegas, NV -- April 3, 2007 -- ChemNutra Inc., of Las Vegas, Nevada, yesterday recalled all wheat gluten it had imported from one of its three Chinese wheat gluten suppliers – Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd.

The wheat gluten ChemNutra recalled was all shipped from China in 25 kg. paper bags, and distributed to customers in the same unopened bags. The bags were all labeled "Wheat Gluten Batch No.: _______ Net Weight: 25 kg Gross Weight: 25.1 kg Made in China". The batch numbers included in the recall are 20061006, 20061027, 20061101, 20061108, 20061122, 20061126, 20061201, 20061202, 20061203, 20061204, 20061205, 20061206, 20061208, 20061221, 20070106, 20070111, 20070116, and 20070126. Each ChemNutra shipment had the certificate of analysis information from the supplier, including batch number and the supplier's content analysis and test results. ChemNutra shipped from its Kansas City warehouse to three pet food manufacturers and one distributor who supplies wheat gluten only to the pet food industry. ChemNutra's shipments commenced November 9, 2006 and ended March 8, 2007. ChemNutra did not ship to facilities that manufacture food for human consumption, and the distributor ChemNutra shipped to supplies wheat gluten only to pet food manufacturers. The total quantity of Xuzhou Anying wheat gluten shipped was 792 metric tons.

ChemNutra learned on March 8 from one pet food manufacturer that the wheat gluten it had sold them – all from the Xuzhou Anying - was among ingredients suspected as a potential cause of pet food problems. ChemNutra immediately quarantined its entire wheat gluten inventory and assisted this customer's investigation.

After that manufacturer issued a pet food recall, the FDA immediately commenced a thorough investigation of ChemNutra's wheat gluten, including documentation analysis, inspection, and laboratory testing. ChemNutra cooperated fully with the FDA and immediately notified its other three wheat gluten customers about the FDA's investigation. Those customers had all purchased smaller amounts of the Xuzhou Anying wheat gluten commencing in January, 2007.

On Friday, March 30, the FDA announced they had found melamine in samples of the wheat gluten ChemNutra had imported from Xuzhou Anying. The FDA did not inform ChemNutra of any other impurities in the Xuzhou Anying wheat gluten, nor of any impurities in the wheat gluten from ChemNutra's other two Chinese suppliers.

The toxicity of melamine is not clear. However, since melamine is not approved by the FDA for pet food, it should absolutely not have been in wheat gluten. ChemNutra is extremely concerned about the purity of all of its products. The company is particularly troubled that the certificates of analysis provided by the above-named supplier did not report the presence of melamine.

ChemNutra wants to ensure its products are safe. Consequently, in addition to its ongoing cooperation with the FDA, ChemNutra will be conducting its own independent, analytical tests of wheat gluten from all of its suppliers.

Yesterday ChemNutra sent recall notices to all four of its direct customers. If any other company received bags of recalled wheat gluten from the lot numbers referenced above, please call ChemNutra at 702.818.5019.

Consumers who have questions about the pet food they should go to the FDA's website atwww.fda.gov/FDAgov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2007/ucm108871.htm. This website lists all brands of petfood involved, with links to the manufacturer who should be contacted with questions.

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Page Last Updated: 06/28/2013 

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No, Toto, This Isn't Kansas - It's the FDA: US Pet Food Fiasco - Part 5

This post appeared April 30, 2007 and was removed as well:

Yesterday, the FDA searched (raided) the Menu Foods and ChemNutra facilities.  What did we expect to find nearly TWO months after the inital recall?  One would think if there were any type of wrongdoing involved, the evidence would probably be with Jimmy Hoffa by now.

Since we're now also told we have rocket fuel and arsenic in our food a drinking water, I'm thinking maybe the melamine and cyanuric acid aren't sounding too bad after all, given a choice between the four. Tweet #RIPHumanity

No, Toto, This Isn't Kansas - It's the FDA: US Pet Food Fiasco Part 4

This post originally appeared April 26, 2007 and was also removed:

I never understood how either stupid or greedy companies in this country are.  Is it stupidity and greed or is it malicious intent? 

1.  Largest pet food recall in history as a result of dog and cat deaths.  FDA still hasn't started counting how many dead animals yet, although it seems as though they don't want to, don't want us to, and didn't think we'd notice.  Does that fall under the "don't ask, don't tell" rule?

2.  FDA indicated it was melamine that killed the animals, although the crystalline composites in the urine of dead animals were not 100% consistent with melamine.  Guess they didn't think we'd notice that, either.

3.  Along with the body counts of dead animals, we've also lost count of the products recalled.  Apparently we haven't begun to track where the recalled pet food went, either, but have you ever tried counting chickens?

4.  Pet food companies sold the recalled contaminated pet food as "scrap" to hog farms and chicken farms - scrap/feed - much like our SPAM - we don't know what's in it but we eat it.  Soooo...they labelled it something else and sold it somewhere else, because hey, who cares about chicken and pigs - they have to be killed anyway before we eat them so what's the problem?

5.  We ate them.

6.  Today, April 26th, Captain David Elder of the FDA, notified eight states  " that adulterated swine products will not be approved to enter the food supply".  Fellas, it already did.

7.  The combination of melamine and cyanuric acid is of concern to human and animal health," Elder said. "Melamine, at detected levels, is not a human health concern," he added.  So, Capt., you would have no objections to feeding this to your children tonight?
 
8.  What's cyanuric acid used for?  To keep algae growth out of swimming pools and hot tubs.  Will most likely keep it out of our stomachs, so that's a good thing, right?  But doesn't Dannon yogurt tell us healthy flora is good for us?  So now we're going to kill it, but it's not a human health concern?  I'm confused.

10.  Thanks, notifying "eight states" that you will not approve those pigs and chickens entering the human food chain after they've already been cooked, served, seasoned and eaten.

11.  What a clever way to poison the food supply - simply take advantage of our greed. 

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No, Toto, This Isn't Kansas - It's the FDA: US Pet Food Fiasco: Part 3

This post originally appeared on April 25, 2007 but was also removed:

And so now we learn that much of this recalled pet food has been sold as "scrap" feed for pigs that will be used for human consumption.

To the top of the food chain whomever is investigating this pet food (which is now human food) travesty:

#1.  We need immediate full disclosure as to who EXACTLY, purchased the tainted wheat/rice/corn gluten, and a full accounting of where it went, whether it be to pet food distributors, pig farms, McDonalds, whatever - where did it go.  And some answers as to WHY.

#2.  Apparently those that sold it to pig farms were "unaware" of the potential health ramifications, pretty much like one who'd close their eyes while pulling a trigger - unaware of where the bullet went?  Same thing.  Knew they did it, knew the probable outcome, but since they didn't see where it went it didn't matter.  To them.  But that is the American Law of Unaccountability for Profit - if it doesn't directly affect their little world and makes money, it is good, regardless who else or what else it harms.

Unfortunately fellas, lots more people care about their pets than you would ever have imagined.  Since the animals' failed organs cannot be held together by spit, chewing gum, co-pays and prescriptions like us humans which only brings in more profits for the pharmaceutical megaconglomerates, animals simply get sick and die.  And we don't take too kindly to that.  We are trusting of our illustrious leaders, and assume each of us can speak for ourselves, therefore little if anything gets said about how our food chain and our lives have been polluted for profit.  But Fluffy can't speak, and we are speaking for all the Fluffys and Fidos who are now sick or dead.

My guess is this melamine has been being added to these glutens for quite some time, however whomever the light bulb was that concocted the idea got greedy and began to add more.  More than little Fluffy's system could fight, and Fluffy died.  Painfully.  But we humans, we just get sick and that's great for the economy.  But you shouldn't have messed with Fluffy.

"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man," said Albert Einstein.

We are moving up the food chain.  Mr. Einstein, where are you?

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No, Toto, This Isn't Kansas - It's the FDA: US Pet Food Fiasco Pt. 2

Originally posted April 8, 2007 but has since been removed:

Wheat gluten has no reason to be in pet foods other than an appetite stimulant, however I don't see any pet food manufacturer admitting this (or human food producers since it's in everything we purchase that is not raw).  They indicate it's for the protein, however one would think the protein content would be derived from the meat.  They indicate it's for the gravy consistency, however there's no gravy in dry food, other than the profits.  Eat more/buy more/gain more weight/get sick - great for the economy, medical  and pharmaceutical industries, and we as well as our pets have swallowed it.  Time we start spitting.

Well, well, now we learn the Menu Foods CFO sold half his shares of Menu Foods stocks (reportedly close to $90,000 US dollars worth)  three weeks before the massive botched recall.  Imagine that. 
Says he knew nothing about it.  Imagine that.
FDA still apparently is not revealing all the pet food manufacturers who'd purchased the supposedly tainted wheat gluten.  Imagine that.  One only had to do the math with the 792 metric tons purchased compared to what was recalled to see it was not all accounted for.  How much is that?  Had it been TNT detonated it would have registered 4.2 on the Richter Scale.  But we're still feeding it to our pets, and the price we paid for those foods is going into their cold, lifeless, consciousless pockets.

FDA's gone MIA.

We've heard nothing from ChemNutra - they've gone MIA as well.

Pets are still dying at an alarming rate.

This country is out of control, and it's time we start pulling in the reins.  These people simply do not care, and unless we get a grip on this, they will walk away millionaires scot free.  To those organizing the Senate hearings next week?  Doesn't matter who they are - we are behind you and plead with you to hunt down and prosecute these heartless, greedy pathetic excuses for mankind.

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No, Toto, This Isn't Kansas - It's the FDA: US Pet Food Fiasco

These posts appeared on the CBS / WHPTV.com Forums, however one day the entire site disappeared.  I was able to recover them from the "Wayback Machine" however they are now gone from there as well:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070518152404/http://community.whptv.com/forums/thread/1483113.aspx These posts were made by myself as I watched the massive pet food recall unfold which killed over 30,000 pets, mine included.  What I'd learned while researching this initially horrified me however it plundered me into the dark world of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the corruption behind it.  What unfolded as a result of this recall was beyond anything I could imagine and all of these practices are still rampant today - 7 years later: ************** What the FDA has released to date regarding the poisoning of thousands of pets wreaks of ignorance, indifference, arrogance and borders on criminal. Melamine has been used for decades in dinnerware and is known to leach into foods - if it is in fact "toxic", why are we still eating from it? Unless, of course, they'd been bought back then as they are today with Dupont's Teflon, an EPA declared carcinogen that we cook from that will also kill birds subject to those fumes that breaks down over time that is aggressively marketed and used today and exists in ALL our systems and blood, whether we have used it or not. But they are a major political contributor so rules for them are different, as we all know. Commerce once again takes precedence over our well being, and the well being of those tender pets we call our friends and many call their babies. Our Government shows blatantly that they have no conscience when there is yet another buck to be made. Do we truly believe if they've learned that dry pet foods, as well as human foods have been contaminated, that they would tell us at this stage of the game?  This is our FDA that will not even permit labels to indicate a product is wheat or gluten free.  They are still reporting only 16 deaths, with NO centralized method in place to track these deaths, and still have yet to publicize ALL the symptoms of renal kidney failure in cats and dogs because they do not WANT to know, and do not want US to know.  Those who knew of the poisoned animals and did or said nothing need to be 1) immediately removed from their positions, 2) bought up on criminal charges, if applicable and 3) fed whatever foods were included in the recall only until the supplies are exhausted. IF they are still standing, once we determine the cause, anyone with decreased appetite or thirst may get taken to the Vet for blood work but by then it would most likely be too late, however we may get urine samples or organ samples post-mortem if they were not cremated.   Then come back in their 2nd life as a puppy.

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FDA Request via FOIA for Splenda Clinical Trial Results

This request has been sent to the FDA repeatedly since February 27, 2009.  They have acknowledged receiving my request, but to date I have yet to receive the requested information:

Fax to: 301-443-1726

Food and Drug Administration
Office of Management Programs
Division of Freedom of Information (HFI-35)
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857

Under the Freedom of Information Act, I am requesting the following information on what documentation is available for the safety of use for the artificial sweetener, Splenda.  I would be willing to incur whatever necessary fees to receive this clinical information on the trials and reports of the safety of this product.

Personal Information
Name: Vicky Vinch
Company:  None – I am a consumer
fax: 678 805 1749

I'm interested in learning from you, the FDA, as to how the product
Splenda was approved as a food additive in the US? One can simply Google
"Splenda Toxicity" and can read for days what this supposedly harmless
product is doing to those that consume it.

Thousands of people have reported headaches, muscle aches, dizziness,tingling and numbness of extremeties - many symptoms that mimic MS - and the medical
profession is clueless as to what Splenda can do to a person.

What clinical trials have been done and for how long? What has the FDA done
about the reports it has received on Splenda? Why is this poisonous
chlorocarbon being permitted to be marketed, sold, and added
to so many foods that it boggles one's mind, and it is making people
ill.

Why is there no warning on the label?

Why was this product permitted to be put on the market when we are not able to verify the results of these trials?

Thank you.

Vicky Vinch

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