Beijing – A Chinese company accused of selling chemically contaminated wheat gluten linked to pet-food deaths of cats and dogs in the U.S. said Wed nesday it was investigating the claims.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week blocked wheat-gluten imports from the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. in the eastern Chinese city of Xuzhou, saying they contained mela mine, a chemical found in plastics and pesticides.
ChemNutra Inc., the Las Vegas-based company that imported the wheat gluten and shipped it to companies that make pet food, said Tuesday that Xuzhou Anying never reported the presence of melamine in the content analysis it provided.
“We are still investigating,” Mao Lijun, the company’s general manger, said Wednesday.
He refused to give details or say why the presence of the chemical in the wheat gluten, a protein source used in pet food, was not mentioned.
The FDA has confirmed about 15 pet deaths, and anecdotal reports suggest hundreds of cats and dogs may have died from kidney failure as a result of the tainted food. Nearly 100 brands of cat and dog food made with wheat gluten have been recalled.
Xuzhou Anying’s website said the company produces and exports more than 10,000 tons of wheat gluten each year.
