Public to comment on USDA's handling of melamine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department said on Friday the public will be able to formally comment on the way it handled the discovery that the industrial chemical melamine was found in feed given to hogs and poultry.

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the public would have until August 28 to review its decision-making process.

USDA and the Food and Drug Administration have said that it was unlikely that pigs, chickens or fish that ate the contaminated feed would pose a risk to human health if consumed.

Melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizers, has been found in vegetable protein shipments from China that were used to make pet foods. More than 100 brands of pet foods have been recalled, and the pet food was later purchased by poultry, fish and hog feeders for use in their feeds.