A Chinese company accused of selling chemical-tainted wheat gluten linked to the deaths of pet cats and dogs in the United States, said Thursday most of its sales are domestic, raising the possibility that people or pets in China might have been exposed to the chemical.

The announcement also underscores China’s dismal food-safety record. Mass food poisoning cases are common in China, many blamed on cooks who disregard hygiene rules or mistakenly use industrial chemicals instead of salt and other ingredients.

But there has been no reaction so far from the Chinese public to the tainted wheat-gluten and Beijing authorities have not said whether they are investigating the matter.

An official at the Chinese Ministry of Health, who refused to give his name, said the case was not an issue for the ministry and directed questions to the Ministry of Agriculture.

An official at the Ministry of Agriculture, who also refused to give his name, told the Associated Press to stop calling.

Read (AP via USA Today)