A recent audit conducted by the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Office of Inspector General finds that beef containing harmful "residues" (pesticides, veterinary antibiotics and heavy metals) has been sold to the public.The reason? According to Peter Eisler's article in the USA Today online, the problem is that federal agencies have not set limits for the residues, nor do they conduct strong enough tests to discover them in beef being sold for human consumption.
Eisler writes that the audit states the program aimed at testing beef for the residues "'is not accomplishing its mission of monitoring the food supply for . . . dangerous subtances, which has resulted in meat with these substances being distributed in commerce [.]"'
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establishes tolerable levels of human exposure to the antibiotics and other medicines, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the levels for pesticides and other pollutants. The EPA is supposed to work with the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service to test the beef. However, Eisler reports that the audit discovered neither the EPA nor the FDA have set limits for many of the dangerous substances in question. this in turn "'can impair FSIS' enforcement activities [.]"' For their part, FSIS acknowledges the problem and has agreed to take corrective action and continue to work with the FDA and EPA to accomplish the agencies' collective goals of preventing the residues from entering into commerce.
For some in Congress, the new report could be a call to action. One such lawmaker anxious to move legislation dealing with antibiotic use in animals is Rep. Louise Slaughter (NY). Slaughter's bill is H.R. 1549 and currently has 106 cosponsors. A companion bill, S. 619, has been introduced in the Senate. We shall see if this new Inspector General reports gives Slaughter the momentum she needs to get her legislation moving, or if other food safety legislation that has stalled in the Senate, but passed the House, will suddenly become a topic of debate in that body?
To check out Slaughter's legislation, click here.
To read the Eisler article and see the audit report, click here.
Posted; 04/13/10
