Menu Foods halts China-made items

Minneapolis -- Menu Foods Ltd., the company that launched the North American pet food recall, is phasing out ingredients from China, its law firm said.

North America's biggest maker of wet pet foods will keep China-made ingredients out of its food chain until Menu and the "world community" can confirm the ingredients are safe, David Lillehaug of Fredrikson & Byron of Minneapolis told USA Today.

Menu, which makes pet foods for dozens of brands, recalled more than 60 million containers of food two months ago after an unknown number of pets suffered kidney failure.

An ingredient imported from China was later found to be contaminated with melamine, a plastic precursor used as a fertilizer.

The recall, one of the largest in North American history, has prompted food companies of all types to evaluate their global sourcing procedures.

Kraft Foods Inc. and Hormel Foods Corp. said they were confident they could change ingredient sources and ensure their products were safe and of good quality.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration now requires importers prove to the agency that China-produced vegetable proteins are safe before they may enter the United States.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.