Ogden firm's pet food now part of nationwide recall

Samples of rice protein from an Ogden pet-food manufacturer were positive for the industrial chemical melamine in federal testing, and products made by American Nutrition, Inc. are now part of a nationwide pet food recall.

The Denver office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked the company to voluntarily recall pet foods manufactured with rice protein imported from China by San Francisco-based Wilbur-Ellis Co.

The products recalled were manufactured by American Nutrition for other independent companies and American Nutrition brands are not part of the recall, the company said in a statement.

However, several of the companies recalling food contend in statements on their Web sites that American Nutrition added the rice protein concentrate to their products without their knowledge or approval.

"It appears that ANI had been adding the unauthorized rice protein concentrate to Harmony Farms products for some time and only told the company when the FDA was about to conclude that some of ANI's rice protein concentrate (supplied by Wilber-Ellis) was contaminated with melamine," said a statement on the Harmony Farms site.

Other companies making similar allegations are The Blue Buffalo Co., Natural Balance, Canine Caviar, Diamond Pet Foods and Mulligan Stew Pet Food.

American Nutrition said Friday they did not engage in any deliberately deceitful or unlawful conduct.

The company said rice protein is considered a healthy additive in pet food often used to increase protein levels without adding higher levels of fat.

"Those customers (with recalled products) specifically required rice-based formulations, which necessitated certain fortifications to meet label guarantees," the company said in a statement.

On Thursday, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food announced about 2,500 hogs from four farms in northern Utah would be euthanized because they may have eaten contaminated pet food scraps from ANI.

The decision to kill the animals came after the FDA decided any animal that might have consumed feed from the plant after April 1 should be euthanized as a precaution.

The nitrogen-rich chemical melamine is used to make resins and is a byproduct of several pesticides.

Melamine appears to have caused acute kidney failure in pets that died or were sickened after eating pet food contaminated with the chemical in recent months.