Does anyone have comments how on Earth ethylene-glycol enters the manufacture

[rumpel]

of pet food?

I have been checking on the web today and found that immediately preceding the US recall of pet foods, pet food manufactured in South Africa and marketed by the UK based Woolworths (as their brand) and sold in South Africa was contaminated with ehthanol-glycol.

This was in February of this year. The first reports of illness was reported in December. Ethanol-glycol is Anti-freeze or coolant - of course highly toxic.
The sweet taste, they say, attract dogs to lick this substance with deadly consequences.

Interestingly, petconnection now reports that the first reports of problems to Menu Foods was actually in December not as the manufacturer stated, some time in February of this year.

Now, somewhat as the problem in the US - reports to this day in South Africa conceals what specific ingredient (only referred to as "raw material") and the specific supplier it originated from. The only mention is that it came from a supplier in Europe.

Could wear and tear leak the coolant and contaminate what is processed?
Here is one such machinery website:
http://www.uk-exchangers.com/shell_tube_heat_exchangers.htm

It is disturbing in a sense that contamination occurred pretty much around the same time over several countries. And yet it appears to be at the moment traced to China in one case and traced to Europe in the other. One is identified to be grain related the other still concealed.

Both are chemicals, foreign to any actually intended ingredients.

Granted the global economy I would think WHO or any international organization should be in a position to alert All countries regarding specific ingredients - flag and inspect. We are no longer isolated to each country in whatever we do -

With the possibility of any one food item sold, containing ingredients from all over the world, it would have been prudent for the South Africa contamination news to have been reported also in the US, perhaps we could have identified problems earlier?

Now, aside from pet-food we now have the ripple effect of this melamine entering the human food line via feed for livestock.

The manufacturer of the South Africa pet food, Aquanutro, specializes in feed for Aquatic animals - their website does not even mention a word that they do in fact manufacture dog and cat food. But they do advertise feed for Trout Tilapia Catfish Marron Crocodile (I did not know we eat Crocs..x( ) but they cater to breeders of fish for human consumption.

Benefits:
Consumers worldwide are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their food choices, and are routinely demanding more from foods than a calorie quota and balance of protein, carbohydrate and fats. In particular, educated consumers now demand extra health related benefits from their foods. The selection of your fish’s food should be no different.

I wonder....

Considering the length it takes to trace and pinpoint the source of a toxin, I think we should really start demanding better disclosure - it is getting far too dangerous.

My kid went on a camping trip in March, they cut it short because they all got sick. Vomiting and the whole bit. They took hot dogs and frozen hamburger beef patties. They said, they probably did not handle the meat properly...
Last night, we learned, as it was now also reported on CNN this morning, of frozen beef patties having been recalled for e-coli. It was manufactured between April and June of last year! How many people got sick, but not sick enough to go to the hospital since? They sold contaminated food for a year - imagine - where is the USDA?

Thank the universe - they're ok, and that it was no deadly toxin.

Maybe it is time to counter multi-national corporations with a prominent multi-national consumer organization?

fixed error

[Dogmudgeon]

1. Do you mean ethylene glycol?

It is used in antifreeze, but it also has some uses in food production -- aging and stabilizing wine, for instance. But the amounts have to be VERY small. I personally avoid foods that list it as an ingredient, and seldom see it listed any more, even in wines.

The laxative Miralax is a form of it, polyethylene glycol, which is indigestible and non-toxic.

The whole food processing system is "broken". Under Bush, the FDA has been gutted and a lot of food inspection simply doesn't get done. There isn't enough oversight of food for human consumption, let alone animal feed.

--p!

[rumpel]

2. Oops - yes ethylene glycol - apologies

WOOLWORTHS FINALISES INVESTIGATION INTO PET FOOD CONTAMINATION
http://www.woolworthsholdings.co.za/media/news/news_display.asp?Id2=74

there is also a kid in hospital it seems:

April 08 2007 at 09:34AM

By Suzanne Ellis

Juanita Visser has been going through hell waiting for the blood tests that might help clear up the mystery illness that has seen her 4-year-old son, Daylon, in and out of hospital.

Visser, of Shelly Beach, suspects her child may have eaten catfood that tested positive for the toxin ethylene glycol.

Dog and cat pellets from petfood supplier Aquanutro, which also makes the Woolworths brand that Visser bought, were withdrawn after toxins were found in random batches.

On Monday, she finally received the results from Lancet Laboratories showing no traces of the toxin. But this has not set this 28-year-old single mother's mind at rest. Especially after Woolworths confirmed that her sample was the only one of the 15 sent for tests overseas that tested positive.

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20070408085528694C511463

thanks was still able to fix Op

[cosmik debris]

3. Ever eat Cool Whip??

It's full of Ethylene glycol.

[rumpel]

4. are you serious? n/t

[cosmik debris]

6. I'm a compulsive label reader.

But rest assured it is food grade and tested by the FDA for safety and purity.

[cosmik debris]

7. My mistake

It is Propylene glycol

[rumpel]

9. now I can rest..

:)

but I generally don't eat that stuff - my kid occasionally gets it, though

[Canuckistanian]

5. That's news to me

Ethylene Glycol?

Here's what Wikipedia says are the main ingredients of Cool Whip:

Cool Whip is made of water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut and palm kernel oil(CPKO), sodium caseinate, vanilla extract, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60(glycosperse), and beta carotene.<1> In some markets, Cool Whip is available in an aerosol can using nitrous oxide as a propellant.(Canada)<2>

And I hardly think it would be approved as a food ingredient:

Ethylene glycol poisoning is a medical emergency and in all cases a poison control center should be contacted or medical attention should be sought. It is highly toxic with an estimated lethal dose of 100% ethylene glycol in humans of approximately 1.4 ml/kg.<1> However, as little as 30 milliliters (2 tablespoons) can be lethal to adults.<2>

[Turbineguy]

8. It might be used

in chilled water refrigeration systems and a leak in a chiller could contaminate food. Obviously there would be signs of this, like a low level alarm in an expansion tank.

If this is the case, somebody kept quiet and the contaminated ingredient(s) were used and sent into the market place.

There may however be rules about using this stuff. Food machinery grease for example has to be non-toxic. There are other ways of cooling using chilled water, like regular salt mixed in with water to lower the freeze point.

[rumpel]

10. thanks - feel a little better

to know that cooling should be non-toxic, also...

[rumpel]

11. It seems the beef recall I mention in the OP is worse

I thought it was only in California...

I just posted in the LBN, too - Beware

http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/21/news/beef_recall.reut/index.htm?postversion=2007042111