Scientists at Guelph’s University, Canada, have discovered a chemical process that may explain how cats and dogs were sickened and killed by melamine-contaminated pet food in March 2007.

Only when this mechanism is elucidated we can be 100% certain that melamine is indeed the cause. Though melamine has been proven toxic in rodent experiments, levels of this substance found in the dog food samples were very low (below what is considered toxic for rodents). This was quite puzzling and demanded for an explanation.

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An overview of the European Commission shows that in the last week of July, multiple alerts of melamine contaminated feed have been reported. The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) found contaminated rice protein in France, Greece, Spain and the UK - all imported from China.

The Commission publishes a weekly overview of alert and information notifications:

Company names and trade names are not mentioned so as to keep a balance between openness and the protection of commercial information.Country names are mentioned as origin of the product. However, this is by no means proof that the identified hazard originated in the specified country.

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