Las Vegas company ChemNutra announced yesterday a recall of all wheat gluten imported from one of the company's three Chinese suppliers. The wheat germ was shipped by ChemNutra from their Kansas City warehouse to pet food manufacturers. None of the wheat germ is believed to have entered the human food supply chain.

The recall, the latest in a recent string, brings to light some perils of the global food supply. All is fine when things are good but a small disruption can cause major consequences across the globe. While the stories on the news today will focus on the conflict over Iraq there won't be a major media outlet discussing the effects of a food supply chain dependent upon WTO partners and the need for a local supply of food as a matter of homeland security.