Today's House hearing on the nation's food supply--both human and animal--lasted 4 1/4 hours with testimony from families affected by foodborne ailments, a veterinarian, representatives from the food industry (including Menu Foods) and a director from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

I will attempt to condense the 255 minutes of questioning and testimony starting with the Pet Food part:

1. No one has a clue as to how many pets have died or had their

health seriously compromised. (My note: Please, let's get off

this "16 officially known to have died." We know it's hundreds or

thousands so don't keep insulting our intelligence).

2. Menu Foods is severing all ties with ChemNutra, the wheat gluten

importer, and will have "new pet food product probably ready next

week with 'certified' wheat gluten. (ROFL)

3. ChemNutra, whose president is Chinese and the wife of CEO

Stephen Miller, "never tested any food from China."

4. Menu and ChemNutra, though they're not "officially" speaking to

each other, do agree the melamine that was added to the wheat

gluten was a "scam to boost protein value so the Chinese could

charge more."

5. When asked, "Why do we need to import wheat?" Menu's Paul

Henderson, CEO, said, "not enough wheat capacity in the

US...import 50 percent from Europe." The US wheat farmers supply

25 percent of the total needed. Henderson also said there was

some question as to whether all of the imported European wheat

actually came from Europe.

6. The vet, Dr. Anthony DeCarlo, said what the veterinary community

needs is faster and more accurate reporting. It was obvious Dr.

DeCarlo was weighing his words and said, "It would be nice to

know that information." He credited the media as the fastest

delivery system in place right now.

7. Wheat gluten is still "flooding" into the United States from

China. The only company cut-off is the one that shipped the

pumped up protein to ChemNutra.

8. Representative John Dingell: "(The wheat gluten) was contaminated

deliberately out of sheer greed."

And, now onto the FDA discussion, conclusions and startling pizza

revelations:

1. Does not work and needs restructuring. "It's all but broken."

2. One of 15 agencies overseeing 31 laws.

3. The FDA supervises cheese pizza, but says "hold the pepperoni," because the USDA is

    watchdog over pepperoni.

4. The FDA relies more and more on industry to police itself.

5. The GAO says while our food is "generally safe" it's also on the "high risk" list.

6. In the 70s the FDA's safety inspections accounted for 50 percent of its budget. Now, it's 25 percent.