FSIS Expands Residue Testing in Meat, Poultry, Eggs

WASHINGTONUSDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) later this summer will begin a new testing approach for meat, poultry and eggs that will allow the agency to test for dozens of chemical and drug residues from one sample.

"The new testing methods will help protect consumers from illegal drug residues in meat products," USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen said. "By allowing us to test for more chemical compounds from each sample, these changes will enable USDA to identify and evaluate illegal drug residues more effectively and efficiently."

Through its National Residue Program (NRP), FSIS tests for the presence of chemical compounds, including approved and unapproved veterinary drugs, pesticides, hormones and environmental contaminants that may appear in meat, poultry and egg products. The new, modern, high-efficiency methods will conserve resources and provide useful and reliable results, while enabling the agency to analyze each sample for more chemical compounds than previously possible.

One of the multi-residue methods being implemented for veterinary drugs will allow the FSIS to screen for chemical compounds that include several types of legal and illegal drugs, such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and growth promoters. In the past, FSIS would have collected 300 samples from 300 cows and looked for just one chemical at a time. Under the new system, one sample may be tested for as many as 55 pesticide chemicals, nine kinds of antibiotics, various metals, and eventually more than 50 other chemicals. In all, FSIS will assess more compounds per sample using several multi-residue methods.

FSIS is also revamping its scheduled sampling program to increase the annual number of samples per slaughter class from 300 to 800. If an establishment has samples containing illegal residue levels, FSIS will notify FDA, which may review practices of producers supplying the establishment with livestock or poultry, and FSIS may subject the establishment to increased testing and review.

FSIS is seeking public comments of the new testing method, which is tentatively slated to be published in the Federal Register on July 6, 2012. The new testing regimen is expected to take effect 30 days after the Federal Register notice is published.