WASHINGTON, May 9 (UPI) -- U.S. investigators said the chemical that contaminated pet food was also added to food fed to fish meant for human consumption.
The Food and Drug Administration is studying whether eating farm-raised or stocked fish fed the food that contains tainted wheat flour from China poses a risk, the Washington Post reported.
The newspaper reported FDA officials did not know how many or which fish were affected.
Until Tuesday, federal investigators thought the chemical melamine had been added to wheat gluten in China and that the gluten had been used in pet food, chicken feed and pig feed. On Tuesday, investigators said it was wheat flour, not gluten, that had been contaminated and that the flour had been added to fish food.
Authorities have speculated the chemical was added to make the flour appear to have a higher protein content.
Lawmakers said the situation points to the need for better tracking of the American food supply.
"Our food-safety system is broken," Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn., who chairs the subcommittee that funds the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture, told the Post.
