COLUMBUS, Ohio-
An Ohio company that produced animal feed ingredients containing the same industrial chemical as the one that led to a massive pet food recall did not properly register with the state as a feed manufacturer, the Ohio Department of Agriculture said.
Tembec Inc., of Toledo, must obtain a permit or cease its feed manufacturing operation, said LeeAnne Mizer, agriculture department spokeswoman.
On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration said it had alerted feed manufacturers that ingredients containing melamine and related compounds were found in products made by Tembec and used by Uniscope Inc. of Johnstown, Colo. The agency also advised the manufacturers to recall some products because they contained melamine.
Agency officials said that melamine and related compounds were used to bind feed for cattle, sheep and goats, or fish and shrimp. Melamine is not approved in the U.S. as an additive for feed.
Melamine contamination has been blamed for the deaths of an unknown number of dogs and cats, resulting in the recall of more than 100 brands of pet food. The FDA found contaminants in vegetable proteins imported from China.
Adam Boerger, a grain and feed analyst for the state agriculture department, said the agency was not aware that Tembec, which primarily makes paper and wood products, was involved in the animal feed business.
Any company that manufactures, distributes or sells animal feed in Ohio is required under state law to register with the agriculture department. Tembec should have registered because of its involvement in the manufacturing process, regulators said.
Tembec contends it is not a manufacturer because it produces only “a binder that is used in the production of feed,” company spokesman John Valley said.
In response to concerns that have been raised about melamine byproducts, the Toledo company has stopped using melamine in any form, Valley has said.
The company won’t face any fines or penalties from the agriculture department because the agency does not have the legal authority to issue them, Mizer said.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch,
