Livestock Test Positive for Melamine in Three States, Poultry and Pork Being Tested by FDA

Pigs who were fed pet food by products tainted with melamine have been tracked to at least four meat vendors and rendering plants in Northern California as well farms in North Carolina and Missouri. Pigs from the American Hog Farm in Ceres, CA have been quarantined since Federal investigators and scientists found that their urine tested positive for melamine, the poison that has killed thousands of pets and sickened thousands more, but animals sold before the quarantine are also testing positive. Some that cannot be found may have already been slaughtered and rendered for human markets.

Officials said they are still trying to track pigs from the farm in Ceres that were sold to a plant in Half Moon Bay, CA but have not yet accounted for all of them. FDA officials said that anyone who bought pork products at the American Hog Farm should not them, but should throw them out as a precautionary measure.

On Tuesday, pigs in North Carolina were found that tested positive for melamine. The farm has been quarantined and owners say that no tainted livestock have been sold for slaughter. The FDA is stressing that no tainted pork products have been found in the human food supply. This is the second farm where livestock have tested positive for melamine.

Livestock at a farm in Missouri also tested positive for melamine. According to CNN the FDA has announced it will begin testing pork and poultry products sold for humans to see if it contains melamine.

Pigs and other livestock are routinely fed salvage food purchased from pet food manufacturers and pet food companies before they are slaughtered for human consumption. With more than 100 pet food brands recalling more than 60 million items of pet food in recent months due to the use of tainted ingredients it's highly likely that some animals intended for human consumption ate the tainted food and may end up in the human food supply. Officials warn that the risk of any human becoming ill from melamine tainted products is minimal, however wary customers who are shell-shocked by the daily recall notices are not taking any chances.

The pet food scandal has raised consumer awareness of the lack of FDA oversight into the manufacture of pet and human foods, and consumers are demanding investigations and changes in policy to prevent large scale incidents like this from happening again. Consumers are also more aware of what goes into pet and human food production and will likely be pickier about their purchases in the future. Experts speculate that the poisoned pet food scandal will seriously damage trade relations between US and China as the US implements stricter control policies and consumers hesitate to buy from US manufacturers who purchase raw materials from Chinese companies. A Federal criminal investigation is under way, and lawmakers are scrambling to write new legislation to better protect consumers and their pets.