Some are turning to "natural" or organic pet foods free of chemical preservatives and hormones, in the belief that whole, "human-grade" foods are less likely to contain Chinese grain tainted with melamine, a substance used in making plastic and fertilizer. Some are turning to "natural" or organic pet foods free of chemical preservatives and hormones, in the belief that whole, "human-grade" foods are less likely to contain Chinese grain tainted with melamine, a substance used in making...

It was fatal for some pets: 17 cats and dogs were confirmed dead, more may have died without being reported, thousands suffered kidney problems, and 57 brands of cat food and 83 of dog food have been recalled. California officials have revealed that about 45 state residents ate pork from hogs that consumed animal feed laced with melamine from China. Melamine is used to make plastics, but it also artificially boosts the protein level and thus the price of the glutens that go into food. What...

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2007 There is very low risk to human health from consuming meat from hogs and chickens known to have been fed animal feed supplemented with pet food scraps that contained melamine and melamine-related compounds, according to an assessment conducted by scientists from five federal agencies. WASHINGTON, May 7, 2007 There is very low risk to human health from consuming meat from hogs and chickens known to have been fed animal feed supplemented with pet food scraps that...

Department of Agriculture must conduct a detailed scientific study of the crop's effect on the environment and other alfalfa varieties before deciding whether to approve it. District Court Judge Charles Breyer made permanent a temporary ban he ordered in March on alfalfa with genetic material from bacteria that makes the crop resistant to a popular weed killer. Breyer's order only affects alfalfa farmers, which grow the crop primarily for livestock feed. California is the nation's largest...

Government officials say they have so far turned up no sign of melamine-linked sickness in either humans or in the chickens and hogs fed the contaminated pet food. Despite the massive recall of melamine-tainted pet food consumers do have little to fear from the news that hogs and chickens sold to the public also ate the tainted feed, health experts say. Melamine's low toxicity"As recently as 2000, experts almost took melamine off the list of products to be tested in foods, because its...