Federal agents have searched the facilities of a pet food manufacturer and one of its suppliers.
The searches were conducted as part of an investigation into the widening recall of products made with ingredients contaminated by an industrial chemical.
Officials searched a Kansas pet food plant operated by Menu Foods and the Las Vegas offices of ChemNutra, which had supplied wheat gluten imported from China. The wheat gluten, which contained the chemical melamine, is suspected in the contamination of (m) millions of cans of recalled pet food.
An F-D-A spokeswoman would not confirm or deny that search warrants had been executed. Word of the searches came from the companies themselves.
Menu Foods has recalled 60 (m) million cans of pet food. It recalled its products after 16 pets, mostly cats, died from eating contaminated food.
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Sound:
Rita Foley, A-P correspondent
There's an update on the investigation into recalled pet food. A-P correspondent Rita Foley reports.
CUT 256 (04/27/07)>> :29
Rita Foley, A-P correspondent
A-P correspondent Rita Foley reports on one company that says it has received bad news.
CUT 257 (04/27/07)>> :13 "the product"
Rita Foley, A-P correspondent
A-P correspondent Rita Foley reports on what one company says about the search.
CUT 258 (04/27/07)>> :18 "the product"