The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States have announced that overdosed produce (i.e. drugs used in food animals) are over the legal levels. It has become one of the biggest problems for the food safety world in America.
One particular case is from Millersburg, OH, where Floyd Raber sold veal calf for slaughter that contained a drug, sulfamethoxazole, which has no acceptable level in calves sold for veal. With this, the FDA concluded that the company held animals that could cause unwanted drugs entering the food supply.
Martin Star Dairy in Steven, PA was also found guilty of producing selling veal calf with unacceptable levels of drugs. This time it was sulfamethazine and it is unacceptable to find it in veal. Likewise, it was found guilty as adulterated meat.
How will overdosed produce affect Australia?
Even though this report is targeted at the United States, how do Australians approach this topic. Australia is known for our ‘purity’ in produce but one cannot deny that some drugs are used to protect our farm animals. Thus, as consumers of produce, we need to be careful of where we source our meat and help the government maintain a strong hold on this process. It may be harder for farmers to produce without drugs but it keeps the consumers healthier. Consumer encouragement will drive the farmers to continue in their pure ways.
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