Pet Food Recall Widens Again on New Threat

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"We believe the likelihood of a human illness from melamine is unlikely," Acheson said. "Only 5 to 8 percent of the wheat gluten is melamine. It is only a small percentage of the ingredients in the pet food. When it gets down to the poultry and pork it is even a smaller percentage of melamine.

"We are preventing any further contaminated protein supplements coming in from China," he added. "I am confident that the investigation into contaminated pet food has been exhausted. We have chased the contaminated wheat gluten and we are confident that it has not entered human food except through the pet food fed to animals."

But the FDA, which has only ever confirmed the deaths of 16 pets from contaminated food since the recall began March 16, now says that pet owners have reported the deaths of about 1,950 cats and 2,200 dogs. It was not known how many of those were linked to the recalled pet food, the AP reported.

The New York Times reported that FDA officials also say the Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company shipped more than 700 tons of wheat gluten labeled as nonfood products this year through a third-party Chinese textile company.

By listing the goods as nonfood items, the company's shipments were not subject to mandatory inspection by the Chinese government, the newspaper reported.

ChemNutra, the Las Vegas pet food supplier that bought the wheat gluten from Xuzhou and then resold it to pet food makers in North America, said it had received the shipments of wheat gluten through a third party, a company called Suzhou Textiles Silk Light and Industrial Products. A spokesman for that company denied the charge.

The other supplier of contaminated protein is Binzhou Futian Biology Technology, which said that it supplies soy, corn and other proteins and has strong sales in the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia. The company also declined to comment, the newspaper said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate voted Wednesday in favor of stricter production and labeling standards on pet foods so consumers are better informed about what they are feeding their pets, the Associated Press reported.