* I took this information from published media interviews with John Thacher, president/CEO of Wilbur-Ellis (the company that imported and resold the tainted Rice Protein Concentrate):

The imported Rice Protein powder arrived from China to the Wilbur-Ellis port station facility in Portland, Or. on April 4th. 

The shipment included 146 1-ton bags of rice protein concentrate.

All were white except for a single 1-ton pink bag, which was stenciled "melamine."

Wilbur-Ellis was good enough to isolate the entire shipment at their Portland, Ore. warehouse and send out 3 samples (from the pink bag and 2 white bags) for testing but.....

....the pink bag's contents tested positive for melamine while the two white bags tested were negative (the white bags also tested positive for Melamine in later "more sensitive" FDA tests).

He (John Thacher of Wilbur Ellis) said Futian Biology (the Chinese import company) told him "bags had gotten damaged and they replaced them with clean bags and certified the product was all fine."   

So, the suspicious Melamine-stamped pink bag was "certified as fine" in a phone call to the importer. 

* Note:  He is quoted as saying “bags” in media interviews.  Yet, the company is claiming that “All were white except for a single pink bag, which was stenciled “melamine.””  Was it a single bag, or multiple bags?

So, anyway…..assured by the importer that the product was “fine”, Wilbur-Ellis went ahead and sold the Melamine-positive ingredient to five pet food manufacturers.

What?

Just think about what the world was like on April 4th, 2007 - the day Wilbur-Ellis received the shipment of Rice Protein/pink Melamine-stamped bags. 

By April 4th, the Nation was already 3 weeks into the biggest food recall in American History.  Every media outlet in every city USA and around the world were reporting daily on the pet food poisonings. 

By April 4th, “Melamine” was already a household word.  The FDA had reported Melamine as the likely killer of pets on March 26th , more than 2 weeks before Wilbur-Ellis received a bag of “Rice Protein” that was PINK instead of the usual white and that was stenciled with the word “MELAMINE” instead of "Rice Protein"!

By April 4th, close to 3,000 deceased pets had been reported to the Petconnection.com database.  And by April 4th, the FDA was already speculating that Melamine might have been intentionally added to the wheat gluten.  By then, the FDA was also announcing that they "couldn't rule out more recalls". 

And -  even more disturbing when you think about Wilbur Ellis' decision to go ahead and sell the product to pet food makers because the guys who sold it to them said it was "fine" -  by April 4th, 2007, everybody in America knew that something called “Melamine” was killing pets and that authorities hadn‘t yet figured out how much of this would cause sickness/death; and that the authorities had no idea yet how the stuff got into pet food or how much of it was in the foods killing pets.

But rather than contact the FDA (they weren't contacted until pets were sick/dying a few weeks later) or at least play it safe and send the stuff back to China or destroy it - Wilbur Ellis had the bag stamped “Melamine” tested for…well…Melamine. 

And when it came back positive for Melamine at 6,000 parts per million (and remember, the FDA and the pet food industry have been telling us since March 26th that Melamine should never be in pet food in any amounts), they still didn’t contact the FDA, return or destroy the Melamine or recall any products.  Instead, they called the Chinese company who told them the product was “fine”. 

And they believed the unlikely story (the dangerously unlikely story) that the Chinese importer told them: that the stuff in the pink bag(s) really was Rice Protein, it just tested positive for Melamine because a bag (bags?) of Rice Protein had broken and they put it in new bag(s) that just happened to be stamped “Melamine” (and just happened to be in a pink bag instead of the usual white) and it was "probably" just some Melamine residue from that re-bagging.

So, Wilbur Ellis sold the stuff stamped “Melamine” (ands testing positive for Melamine) as “Rice Protein" to 5 pet food manufacturers who cooked it up into pet food and sold it to unsuspecting pet owners. 

And tragically, much of it was sold to anxious pet owners who were already sick with fear, had already lost pets to the Wheat Gluten poisonings and who were carefully reading ingredient labels to avoid "Wheat Gluten" ……pet owners who could not have imagined that the killer Melamine had already been found and tested at 6,000 ppm in something called "Rice Protein" - but pet owners weren’t looking for "Rice Protein" on the label because they had no way of knowing it could be poisoned. 

Then, (surprise. surprise.), some 2 weeks later when pets start getting sick and going into kidney failure from eating foods with Rice Protein in them, Wilbur Ellis calls the FDA and says “I think we have problem”.

Are you kidding me? 

And to top my anger off with rage -  today, now almost a full week after we were told of the Rice Protein poisonings, the FDA, Wilbur-Ellis and the un-named pet food makers are refusing to tell us which pet food companies purchased this Melamine-laced Rice Protein from Wilbur-Ellis. 

Shame on Wilbur-Ellis and shame on the FDA….but even more shame on the pet food companies who know they purchased their Rice Protein from Wilbur-Ellis and that the food on the shelves we are buying today might very well kill our pets.  Shame on those companies who aren’t coming forward to tell us so we can protect our pets today - not a few days/weeks later when it will surely be too late for some of our pets.

Hi JoyD and everyone who has posted so far!

JoyD fantastic post!  And for those who are reading this, if you think that the poisoned rice gluten just started then it did not.  It started way before and even up to 2 years ago.  I am a member of so many cat groups and so many are reporting suspicious deaths of their cats and dogs to renal failure as far as 2 years ago.

My cat Sapphire a pure-bred 2 1/2 year old Ragdoll in perfect health died of complete renal failure on March 24th, 2007 from eating Hill's Prescription Feline Z/D Low Allergen Dry Cat Food.  I have spoken to the FDA 4 times, they have now asked me to keep her food for testing.  I have contacted Hill's/Colgate 7 times, the last conversation is here:  http://petfoodrecall.blogspot.com/2007/03/pet-food-recall.html

LadyWillow said...
On March 24, 2007 our purebred
2 1/2 year old Ragdoll Sapphire Twilight Sky died from complete renal failure. Sapphire was eating Hill's Prescription Feline Z/D Low Allergen Dry Cat Food, the first ingredient is rice protein concentrate.

I have spoken with the FDA 4 times, including Dorothy Miller of the FDA. I have been asked by the FDA to keep samples of Sapphire's food for testing.

Dorothy Miller of the FDA gave me some very good question to ask Hill's/Colgate. I have phoned Hill's/Colgate investigation 7 times. This is the conversation I had with them on April 17th, 2007.

I spoke with Michelle of Hill's/Colgate. I did inform her I had spoken with Dorothy Miller of the FDA who said I had the right to ask these questions and receive answers to my questions.

I asked Michelle who was the supplier of the rice protein concentrate? Michelle of Hill's/Colgate said "this is confidential and competitive information and I cannot give this out." I replied "Michelle do you think my cat is going to spread the information around, she is dead, Hill's has already killed her, and I have the right to know what the country of origin is of the rice protein concentrate is, as you do have the batch numbers of Sapphire's Z/D food too!" Michelle repied "I cannot give this out at this time"

I said to Michelle "so you are refusing to give out this information even though the FDA says I have the right to this information?" Michelle replied "I cannot give you this information at this time." I asked "Why? According to the Hill's website you do not have any rice protein concentrate with melamine in it nor did you receive any shipment from that distributor, if you have nothing to hide what is the problem in giving this information out?" Michelle said " I cannot give this out at this time" I replied "Why Michelle?"
Michelle responded "because the investigation is on-going!"

(Oh really !!!)

I then said to Michelle of Hill's/Colgate "Michelle your website states you have already investigated, so you either have or you have not, so what you are saying is opposite to your website, so your site is lying?"
Michelle responded "our investigation is on-going like everyone elses!" (OH REALLY!)

I asked "Michelle I want a document that guarantees Hill's batch of my Sapphire's food was not contaminated with melamine! Will you email me this batch report please?" Michelle said " I cannot do this." I said "Why?"
Michelle said (now freaking out big time) "someone from Hill's will phone you"

I said "Michelle this is the 7th time I have called Hill's/Colgate and I have never received a phone call back despite you having the complete file on my cat Sapphire!"
Michelle responded "You are welcome to call Hill's as many times as you wish"

I said "Michelle what you said today is revealling enough. Hill's is still investigating, you refuse to give me documents the FDA said I have the right to have and what you have told me is not what your website says even." Michelle said "If you are dealing with the FDA continue dealing with them." I said "Michelle thank you very much for your revealing conversation."

The above information was given to the FDA.

Hill's/Colgate refused to provide me with the documentation the FDA said I had the right to have.

On top of that Hill's/Colgate are lying, because they are still investigating, totally contrary to what their website says.

Please there are other reports of cats dying from eating Hill's Prescription Feline Z/D Low Allergen Dry Cat Food. If your cat has gottten sick or died from this food it is of the utmost urgency that you report it to your local FDA office!

Thank you for reading this.

Regards,
Joanne


That is the post I put there.  I encourage everyone to post, so people are warned.  I have one very good friend of a Bengal Rescue Group in South Carolina.  She lost 3 cats due to eating the Z/D dry and canned foods from Hill's Prescription.  She keeps trying to phone the FDA office in her area, and they are not answering the phone.

The FDA told me last week they had deaths reported from Z/D and they asked that my good friend call ASAP so they would have the information.  But no one is answering the phones at her FDA office. 

The two other pet food manufacturers that received the rice from Wilbur Morris, I cannot believe this information is being with held.  I cannot believe the media has not uncovered this.  This is our right to know this.  They are lying and deceiving the public.  They are all accountable.  This has totally been handled in a way to hide duplicity and for these big pet food manufacturers to continue to make a quick dollar.  All these companies and their related products even soaps, shampoos, whatever, as Canadians and Americans I feel strongly we should all boycott their products - all of their products.  P&G is one of the top 10 companies supposedly to work for in the USA.  I realize people work for these companies, but those who work for these pet food manufacturers and know where the tainted rice was sent too, why not say so to the media, without disclosing who you are?  If you do not disclose even the own company you work for who is guilty of hiding this information, you are just as guilty as they are.

In my humble opinion the responsibility, guilt and bad karma is going to go very far.  Those of you who work for these huge companies, step forward and say what you know, you must have pets too, I cannot believe that all of you are this calloused and hard hearted!

Regards,
Joanne &*Sapphire*

I posted this on another thread...but I think I should post it here too...

My feeling is that the importers/wholesalers (Wilber-Ellis, etc) of these "ingredients" have NOT been honest about the origin of the products they've been selling to manufacturers such as Diamond/NB.  I do think Menu Foods knew the origin of their ingredients, (and look at how badly they have handled all of this.) 

At least NB started pulling food off of the shelves as soon as they started receiving calls about sick pets...not yet knowing what contaminant might be involved.  I think they did a much better job than Menu Foods did.  In a perfect world none of this would have happened...but it has, and I think it is FAR from over. 

We can blame Diamond, NB, Royal Canin, etc...but that is not the origin of this problem. 

I blame COMMUNIST RED China for sending us crappy ingredients that are POISONOUS to our pets, most probably spiked with melamine (or whatever else!) to make a quick buck, the FDA for not doing its job in the first place (contaminated animal feed IS a risk to human health...DOH!) and importers who have not only not been honest, but who IMHO have been downright deceptive in their marketing practices in selling Chinese products without stating the origin of those products.   

Menu Foods tried to ignore this...hoping it would go away so that they could keep customers.  NB didn't from what I can see, at least it appears that they stepped up to the plate in a much more professional manner.   I DO know (I am an animal health professional) that NB immediately had reps/wholesalers running ragged to get anything and everything off of the shelves IMMEDIATELY that could have a possible contamination issue.  No dead taste test animals, etc.  We do need to look at the differences in how companies have responded to this emergency...because it says a lot about their values.

Too bad the same cannot be said for the other companies (!!!!STILL NOT NAMED!!!!) who IMHO may be trying to squeeze out every penny they can from people before they are FORCED to do a "voluntary" recall...just as Menu Foods did.

The only way anything will change is if we flat out refuse to do business with any company using ANY Chinese ingredients in ANY product. China still won't let the FDA in to do inspections...my guess is because they're probably cleaning up any and all traces of evidence.    They cannot (and should not) be trusted, and imports of any food ingredient from communist China needs to stop RIGHT NOW!! (What if it had been arsenic or something worse in "human" food ingredients...baby food, etc?!)  This should be a lesson to ALL!  It is an issue of national security.

I'm basing decisons I make regarding my own animals, on how individual companies involved are treating this issue NOW, and I am watching to see how they will change practices to ensure future ingredient safety.  (Stating no more Chinese ingredients is a good start...)

I bet that pink bag (of melamine) was probably meant to be mixed into the rice protein.

It isn't impossible...by any means, and evidence that quality control in China leaves a whole lot to be desired. (understatement, I know)