Dear Journalist:
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a
new regulation "that prohibits the use of mammalian protein (with
certain exceptions) in the manufacture of animal feeds given to
ruminant animals such as cows, sheep, and goats." The agency took the
measure to prevent the outbreak and spread of a mad cow-like disease
in the United States.
Consumers Union (CU), the publisher of Consumer Reports, is
concerned because the FDA has exempted swine from its ban on feeding
animal remains to food animals, which appears to leave the door open
to just such an outbreak. Enclosed you will find:
- A news release issued by CU on June 3 that explains our
concern and criticizes the FDA regulation.
- An article from the upcoming July issue of Consumer Reports
magazine (see pages 62-63) that provides a brief summary of what
is known at this point about mad cow disease and its tentative
links to a human brain disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
(CJD); discusses where the infectious agent has been found in
different types of meat; and asks the FDA to reconsider its
now-final decision to exempt swine from its ban on feeding mammal
remains to food animals.
Because mad cow disease and other transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy (TSE) diseases have such potentially serious
consequences for food safety, Consumers Union has provided extensive
testimony about the disease risks to the FDA and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA). If you cover this topic, we encourage you to
call upon CU’s scientific and policy experts:
- Michael Hansen, Research Associate
- Jean Halloran, Director, Consumer Policy Institute
- Edward Groth, Director, Technical Policy and Public
Service
CU’s experts can discuss several aspects of TSE research and
policy, including:
- why the FDA regulations are inadequate to protect consumers,
including the potential risk of feeding swine remains to food
animals.
- shortcomings of the USDA program to monitor and survey food
animals such as cows, sheep, and pigs for evidence of brain
disease.
- the scientific basis for concerns about the safety of red meat
in the US.
To arrange interviews, call Linda Wagner at 914-378-2433.
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