What does contaminated heparin in our drug supply chain have in common with Memorial Day BBQ?

Scientific Protein Laboratories, the company that brought us contaminated, deadly heparin made from pig intestines was founded by Oscar Mayer, the company that likely will be providing the hot dogs you grill on the barbee this holiday weekend (see the story in the News Times: “Financier Stands by a Firm Tainted by Heparin“).

Mr. Mayer was “apparently interested in profiting from the whole pig, and he started [Scientific Protein Laboratories] to make use of the animal byproducts of his food empire,” says Jacob Goldstein over at the WSJ Health Blog.

I call this the “snout-to-anus” food-drug supply chain, which is best depicted in this illustration:

Scientific Protein Laboratories is owned by American Capital, an investment firm that clearly is interested more in financial gain than it is in the nation’s drug supply. American Capital owns about 170 other companies that make up what I am sure is a diverse portfolio of holdings.

Is any one else disturbed that there are such companies determining which end of the pig we end up with? I think some in Congress might be concerned.