Rice Protein in Pet Food Contaminated with Melamine

Shannon Weidemann

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Another company has recalled dog and cat food now known to contain melamine. Natural Balance has recalled all lots of Venison and Brown Rice dog food and Venison and Green Pea cat food. The rice protein in the food has been tested posiive for melamine. The company was alerted to the problem when it was contacted by several pet owners last week.

"Recent laboratory results show that the products contain melamine," Natural Balance said in a press release posted on its Web site. "We believe the source of the melamine is a rice protein concentrate ... Natural Balance has confirmed this morning that some production batches of these products may contain melamine."

Melamine is a chemical used in plastics and fertilizers, but it is not allowed in human or pet food, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Natural Balance just recently started using the rice protein in their food. Only the recalled foods contain the rice protein and all their other products are unaffected. The company asks pet owners to stop feeding their pet the recalled food.