May 8, 2007

South Korean firm recalls animal feed made from Chinese wheat gluten

A South Korean feed manufacturer has issued a recall for products made with Chinese wheat gluten, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said last week.

The ingredient, suspected to have caused the deaths of thousands of pets in the US, triggered a massive pet food recall.

The manufacturer had bought 42 tonnes of wheat gluten in January, and used 16 tonnes of the material to make feed sold to fish farms across the country in March and April.

Tests conducted on the wheat gluten found no traces of melamine, the chemical which was believed to have made the wheat gluten toxic.

The wheat gluten shipment was the country's first imported shipment of vegetable protein from China.

The official added that inspections for melamine would be carried out for imported agricultural goods in future.