Wilbur-Ellis, a privately held San Francisco based multi-national importer has recalled all the rice proteins it had distributed to five U.S. pet food manufacturers. Melamine had turned up in sample lots brought in from China.

FDA scientists have found pet foods contaminated by melamine, an industrial chemical used in plastics and fertilizers. Melamine can also impart false positives in tests looking for high protein counts, and possibly a reason why it’s turning up in food.

Wilbur-Ellis noted that it obtained rice protein from a single source in China and shipped to a total of five U.S. pet-food manufacturers located in Utah, N.Y., Kansas and two in Missouri. No word on whether they advised anyone who may have consumed lots of their other distribution items like Shark Cartilage Powder, Trisodium Phosphate, or Mechanically Deboned Bovines.

The 80 year old Wilbur Ellis Co, was still being run by Brayton Wilbur Jr, son of the company founder up until his death last year. Wilbur Ellis issued a press release from their 27th floor offices at 345 California that you can read after the jump…

For immediate Release:

Wilbur-Ellis Voluntarily Recalls Rice Protein Concentrate

SAN FRANCISCO – April 18, 2007 -

Last Sunday, April 15, Wilbur-Ellis notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that a single bag in a recent shipment of rice protein concentrate from its Chinese supplier, Binzhou Futian Biology Technology Co. Ltd., had tested positive for melamine. Unlike the other white-colored bags in that shipment, the bag in question was pink and had the word “melamine” stenciled upon it. Wilbur-Ellis separated that bag and quarantined the entire shipment for further testing and since that time, no further deliveries of rice protein concentrate have been made. Samples from the white bags tested negative for melamine. However, subsequent and potentially more sensitive tests by the FDA came back positive for melamine, leading Wilbur-Ellis to voluntarily issue the recall.

Wilbur-Ellis began importing rice protein concentrate from Binzhou Futian Biology Technology in July 2006. A total of 14 containers holding 336 metric tons of rice protein concentrate were sent from Futian to Wilbur-Ellis. Wilbur-Ellis has distributed 155 metric tons to date.

On Monday (April 16), a pet food distributor issued a voluntary recall of its pet food, believing the source of contamination to be rice protein concentrate supplied by Wilbur-Ellis. As an additional precaution, Wilbur-Ellis is urging all pet food manufacturers using rice protein concentrate supplied through Wilbur-Ellis to recall any pet food that may be on supermarket shelves.

Consumers with questions about the pet food they use should visit the FDA Web site at www.fda.gov.

Wilbur-Ellis Co. urged its pet food manufacturing customers to recall any products that may be on store shelves.

Due to the melamine found in the Wilbur-Ellis rice protein, Blue Buffalo pet foods has recalled one production run of their Spa Select Kitten dry food marked “Best Used By Mar. 07 08 B.”

“Of the 4,752 bags produced in this one run, we were able to prevent the majority from ever entering retail distribution.”

FDA confirms that Blue Buffalo is one of four other companies that received this supply.