Risky Chinese Potatoe in Dog Food....Alert..

Risky GM Potato believed to be in Some Pet Products
Written By: Susan Thixton7-16-2010A post by Dr. Gary Pusillo shares some startling information about another Chinese import; potato starch used in pet foods and treats. Dr. Pusillo provides some very interesting (and scary) information on Amflora.

Complete Natural Nutrition's (one of our Pet Food Recall First Alert members) Dr. Gary Pusillo post of July 7, 2010 shared some information about another pet food/treat ingredient; potato starch/protein. According to Dr. Pusillo, China "has been supplying potato starch to the pet industry with a devastating consequence."

From BASF, the German chemical giant, "Pure amylopectin potato starch delivers unique, novel textures combined with high viscosity, stability and clarity. Applications of this innovative starch are in paper, adhesives, textiles, and construction materials." [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

In 2007 the NY Times reported Amflora potatoes "has a second application for Amflora pending that would allow the potato residue after starch extraction to be used as animal feed."
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Apparently the use in animal feed exists. Dr. Pusillo states "The friendly spud has been genetically modified in such a way as to render its starch into a glue, strong enough to bind wood fibers. Now you know why some dog chews seem “plastic” and indestructible. The Chinese are also using the starch in the production of Chicken Jerky, Beef treats and a variety of inexpensive treats for sale in the US."

Your pet consuming a GM glue isn't the only concern. The blog FrankenFoods states the genetically modified potato Amflora contains genes that are resistant to antibiotics. "Amflora contains a gene that produces an enzyme which generally confers resistance to several antibiotics, including kanamycin, neomycin, butirosin, and gentamicin. The antibiotics could become “extremely important” to treat otherwise multi-resistant infections and tuberculosis, the European Medicines Authority (EMA) warned. Drug resistance is part of the explanation for the resurgence of TB, which infects eight million people worldwide every year." [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The food/treat label will NOT indicate Amflora potato starch/protein. The ONLY way to know if your pet's food or treats contain risky (ok, down right dangerous) amflora potato starch/protein is to ask your pet food/treat manufacturer for a guarantee in writing. Ask them specifically: "Does XXXX (pet product) contain any potato products or protein products that come from amflora potatoes?" Get your response in writing! Do not accept a verbal 'yes' or 'no'. If the manufacturer is not willing to put in writing the guarantee amflora potato starch/protein is not used in their pet foods and/or treats, there's your sign.

While 'regular' potato protein sourced from the U.S. or other safe country of origin would not be of concern, Amflora potato protein/starch would be. The main regions amflora potatoes are produced "lie in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, Finland and Austria." While Dr. Pusillo's post mentions Chinese imports of this risky potato starch/protein, pet owners should be concerned with any potato product in any pet food/treat sourced almost worldwide. Again, ask your pet food/treat manufacturer! Get their guarantee in writing they do not use amflora potatoes. It should be a non-issue for those that use quality ingredients.

Thanks go out to Dr. Pusillo for his work and his blog post alerting petsumers. Dr. Pusillo is a registered Feed Microscopist, a certified Professional Animal Scientist and a board certified member of the American College of Animal Nutrition. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Husbandry from the Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture, Masters degree in Animal Production and Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition.
To read more of Dr. Pusillo's post on this concerning potato product, visit [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]




Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Truth about Pet Food
Petsumer Report
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