Category Archives: tainted wheat gluten

April 4, 2007 — Just 4 Today


Posted by katiebird

Just 4 Today logo Just 4 Today, I’ll take my fiber supplement twice (check), drink 2 liters of water (drunk 1/3) and weigh myself (check). And walk 3 times today for 15 minutes each time (3415!).

I’m Thinking About . . .

Tainted Food -

Pet Food Recall-US Wheat Gluten Supplier Identified!
The Tainted Wheat Coverup at FDA, Guised as a “Pet Food Recall”
FDA’s Weak Food Inspections are Bush’s Fault

Health Care for EveryoneCover Everyone Icon

Congressional Health Care Bills, 2005-2007: Part I Insurance Coverage. Includes an excellent chart (zoom-in on it if you’ve got the plug-in) with a simple comparison. But the discussion is helpful too.

Congressional Proposals Would Cover All Uninsured, Reduce Us Health Spending By Up To $61b. Why Haven’t we heard more about Congressman Stark’s Health Care Plan?

According to the report, premium subsidies and new tax provisions in the bills greatly affect family health spending. Under Representative Stark’s AmeriCare proposal, families would see a drop in out-of-pocket health care expenditures of $142.6 billion, with the largest savings for families with low and moderate incomes; however these savings might be offset if taxes are increased to finance the increased federal government spending. Under Senator Wyden’s bill, family health spending would decline by $78.8 billion–spending would decline the most for lower and moderate income households and rise for the highest income earners. Under President Bush’s proposal, family spending on health care is estimated to fall by a net $31 billion in 2007 due to income tax savings. But tax savings disproportionately accrue to people in higher income brackets. For example, families with annual incomes of less than $10,000 would save an average of $23 in 2007 and families earning $150,000 or more per year would save an average of $1,263.

Congressman Stark’s Health Care Plan (109th Congress, HR 5886) — I love Health Care plans, they’re the newest catagory of romance novel!

What are you thinking or doing today?


Tainted Wheat Gluten in the human food-chain?


Posted by katiebird

I’ve never heard of him before (so I’ve got no idea how reliable he is) but, David Goldstein at The Huffington Post wrote yesterday that Del Monte foods received tainted wheat gluten in a “food-grade” shipment:

Del Monte Foods has confirmed that the melamine-tainted wheat gluten used in several of its recalled pet food products was supplied as a “food grade” additive, raising the likelihood that contaminated wheat gluten might have entered the human food supply.

“Yes, it is food grade,” Del Monte spokesperson Melissa Murphy-Brown wrote in reply to an e-mail query.

(snip)

Wheat gluten is sold in both “food grade” and “feed grade” varieties. Either may be used in pet food, but only “food grade” gluten may be used in the manufacture of products meant for human consumption. Published reports have thus far focused on tainted pet food, but if the gluten in question entered the human food supply through a major food products supplier and processor, it could potentially contaminate thousands of products and hundreds of millions of units nationwide.

I don’t want to be an alarmist, but I can’t help but wonder: Why aren’t BIG questions being asked? Like:

What exactly could melamine poisoning do to humans? And what does it do to animals? It seems to be affecting cats more than dogs, so is it weight-related?

How can we be assured that factories are keeping “food-grade” additives separate from “non-food-grade” additives. Especially in foreign countries.

How much of our food comes from other countries? And how does the FDA inspect it? I’ve heard that some countries use pesticides that we’ve banned. Do we get foods treated with them here?

I think it’s time we are told more detail about the ingredients in our packaged food — human & pet. And I don’t think it’s alarmist to ask.