US, Chinese Firms Charged in Pet Food Scandal

American owners intentionally sold tainted products, prosecutors say
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 6, 2008 6:16 PM CST
US, Chinese Firms Charged in Pet Food Scandal
A woman looks at pet food in a store in Beijing. Two Chinese businesses and a U.S. company were indicted Wednesday for their roles in making and importing a pet food ingredient that resulted in animal deaths last year, the AP reports. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)   (Associated Press)

US authorities today charged an American company and two Chinese businesses with manufacturing and importing tainted ingredients in pet food that killed thousands of cats and dogs last year, the AP reports. Las Vegas-based ChemNutra and its owners face a felony conspiracy charge and 26 misdemeanor counts for selling adulterated and misbranded food. The Chinese businesses face 26 counts each.

Prosecutors allege the companies intentionally mislabeled the products to avoid inspection in China. “In today’s global economy, crimes that occur halfway around the world can seriously impact our lives,” argued US Attorney John Wood. Last March, the FDA recalled over 150 brands of pet food, which killed an estimated 4,000 dogs and cats, Bloomberg reports. (More pet food recall stories.)

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