Chinese firms face pet death charges

The head of China’s quality and safety watchdog said today that two companies that allegedly added a poisonous substance to protein powder linked to U.S. pet deaths faced criminal prosecution.

China is pursuing criminal proceedings against Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. and Binzhou Futian Biotechnology Co., which allegedly added the industrial chemical melamine to protein powder used in pet food, Li Changjiang, director of China’s State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said in a televised news conference in Beijing.

China’s government said last month that it had shut down the two companies after they misreported their products to Chinese customs officials and the tainted protein powder contributed to a rash of pet deaths in the U.S.