U.S. feed producer added melamine, faces recalls

Two brands of feedmade in the U.S. are being recalled aftera manufacturersaidit had intentionallyused melamine and other chemical compounds as an additive, U.S. officials say.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administrationon Wednesday said the fish and shrimp feeds AquaBond and Aqua-Tec II were being recalled. The livestock feed Xtra-bond is also being withdrawn.

The products were made by Ohio-based Tembec BTLSR, a division of the Canadian company Tembec Inc., and were also used inUniscope feed.

"The companies have confirmed that Tembec added melamine as part of the formulation of the products to improve the binding properties of pelleted feed," the FDA said in a release.

The recalled feed also contained a urea formaldehyde resin, officials said.

Use of melamine as an additive was thought to be limited to China, where it was used to falsely boost protein levels. Imported wheat flour spiked with melamine was used to make pet food and fish feed in North America, prompting extensive recalls.

Low melamine levels don't pose human health risk: U.S. FDA

FDA officials noted that the melamine concentration in the feed was low and consumption of the animals that received itdoes not pose a significant human health danger.

Earlier this month, melamine-tainted fish feed made with contaminated wheat flour from China,sold by Vancouver-based Skretting Canada, was withdrawn. The feed was distributed to 57 fish farms and fish hatcheries across the country, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said.

Melamine was found in more than 100 brands of contaminated pet food that were recalled from the marketplace in Canada and the U.S. in mid-March. The FDA has fielded about 17,000 consumer calls about related pet illnesses.