A chemical that is used in the production of many household plastic items. Melamine is not a food ingredient nor intended to be ingested. If melamine was present in pet food, a protein assay would read as having a higher protein value than is actually present. Unfortunately, some unethical food suppliers used this chemical to “boost” protein levels in raw materials, resulting in a significant industry-wide pet food recall crisis in 2007. Melamine can crystallize in a pet’s kidneys, causing severe illness and death. While the pet food industry appears to have become more stringent with raw material suppliers, our lab performs testing to detect melamine.