Mad Cow Disease (cont.)
In this Article
Are the protective measures in place sufficient to ensure the safety of the human food supply in light of the June 2005 BSE positive cow?
Yes, the protective measures put into place in July 2004 by FDA ensure that cattle materials that carry the highest risk of transmitting the agent that causes BSE are excluded from human food, including dietary supplements, and cosmetics. These measures, along with similar measures established by USDA, provide a uniform national BSE policy and ensure the safety of human food.
Is the food in the U.S. likely to be a BSE risk to consumers?
FDA and other federal agencies have had preventive measures in place to reduce the U.S. consumer's risk of exposure to any BSE-contaminated meat and food products. Since 1989, USDA has prohibited the importation of live animals and animal products from BSE-positive countries. Subsequently, USDA expanded the ban to include both countries with BSE and countries at risk for BSE. Since 1997, FDA has prohibited the use of most mammalian protein in the manufacture of ruminant feed. In 2004, FDA issued a rule prohibiting the use of certain cattle materials in human food and cosmetics, and USDA issued a rule prohibiting certain cattle materials from use as human food.
Is cow's milk a source of BSE?
Scientific research indicates that BSE is not transmitted in cow's milk, even if the milk comes from a cow with BSE. Milk and milk products, even in countries with a high incidence of BSE are, therefore, considered safe.
Can milk be infected with BSE from a BSE-positive cow?
No detectable infectivity in cow's milk has been reported from any BSE-infected cows. Infectious prions have not been detected by bioassay of milk from cattle with BSE.
Does the use of bovine-derived ingredients in dietary supplements mean that they are not safe?
No. The requirements that FDA has in place should give consumers confidence that their food, including dietary supplements, is safe. Most recently, FDA published a rule that prohibits the use in human food, including dietary supplements, of the cattle materials that have the highest risk of harboring BSE infectivity. The rule applies to both imported and domestic dietary supplements and their ingredients. Furthermore, most ingredients used to produce dietary supplements and most other food ingredients come from cattle that are slaughtered when they are less than 30-months of age and, because of their age, present little risk of being BSE-positive. It is not a common occurrence for animals younger than 30 months to develop BSE.
Next: Since the BSE-positive cows were discovered in the U.S., does that mean that dietary supplements made with domestic ingredients might be unsafe? »
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