FDA news

Dinner
Originally uploaded by nickehret.

I sometimes am amazed at how we need to regulate things. It would seem that some things would just be common sense. I have a great friend, that while getting her doctorate in animal science, became a vegetarian. Her choice was made after touring several food processing plants. Hmmmm.

In the tone of that I present the news of the day (from the FDA):

"FDA Unveils Mad Cow Prevention Plan

FDA has announced new measures to help further protect consumers against the agent thought to cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy BSE, also known as mad cow disease. The agency is proposing to amend its animal feed regulations to prohibit certain high-risk cattle materials that can potentially carry the BSE-infectious agent form use in the food or feed. Most of the proposed prohibitions have already applied to cattle feed since 1997.

The high-risk cattle materials prohibited in the new proposed rule include:

* the brains and spinal cords from cattle 30 months of age and older,
* the brains and spinal cords from cattle of any age not inspected and passed for human consumption,
* the entire carcass of cattle not inspected and passed for human consumption if the brains and spinal cords have not been removed,
* tallow that is derived from the materials prohibited by this proposed rule if the tallow containes more than 0.15 percent insoluble impurities,
* mechanically-separated beef that is derived from the materials prohibited by this proposed rule.

"These additional measures will make an already small risk even smaller by further strengthening the effective measures already in place to protect American consumers from BSE," said Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach."

Hellooo! Isn't this the kind of legislation that shouldn't have to exist? Are we not the superior species inhabiting the planet? Should we already have decided this wasn't a good idea? Good grief. At least it is being implemented, um - proposed. And, I am sure, there are those that will still find the loophole. Slow food guys, slow food.

A big thank you to nickehret for his photo!
(edited: to add quotation marks. oops forgot to do that yesterday!)