Aflatoxin in pet food causing pet deaths: product recalls

[Guest guest]

On today's news, Aflatoxin was found in some brands of pet food

manufactured in Gaston, SC. 30 pets have died as result. Brand names

include Diamond, Professional and Country Value. Dates of products

recalled are at this link:

http://www.diamondpet.com/

[Guest guest]

Aflotoxins have been around for years and the problem just found in

pet foods just shows we haven't found perfect safeguards for our food

supply. That may improve in the near future as the US gov't and the

state of Kansas are building a one million dollar center at Kansas

State Univ. to study food safety issues.

Some may remember about 20 years ago when an aflotoxin release was

found in a peanut butter plant in Arkansas... A number of

unsuspecting folk became seriously ill and new measures were developed

to safeguard peanut processing and vegetable oil processing where

aflotoxins are common.

As far as other mycotoxins and the food supply the USDA has been

concerned and studying ways to protect our agriculture from these

molds which produce the toxins.

Some may be aware of the history of the T-2 toxin developed by hte

Russians as a biological warfare substance after a mysterious illness

killed over 20,000 horses of theit army calvery in the late 1920's.

The toxin came from a crop of hay becoming moldy and then dried and

fed to horses in eastern Europe. That toxin was synthesized and

became a weapon of war.

Sorry for the babbling about such history but IMO its all related.

The molds causing the aflotoxin can not be irradicated. We can only

find ways to avoid becoming poisoned by the toxins that are inevitable.

Just one's reaction to the news of the pet food problem. I am very

careful what I feed my dog.

Ken

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>

> On today's news, Aflatoxin was found in some brands of pet food

> manufactured in Gaston, SC. 30 pets have died as result. Brand

names

> include Diamond, Professional and Country Value. Dates of products

> recalled are at this link:

>

> http://www.diamondpet.com/

>