The U.S. Department of Agriculture is launching a program to ensure food producers substantiate claims that their animals are not raised on antibiotics, a move that reflects ongoing concerns that unnecessary use of these medicines causes resistance among humans.
Here are the specifics: The agency will conduct a sampling project to assess antibiotic residues in cattle destined for the so-called raised without antibiotics market. The results of that effort will help the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service determine whether lab tests should be required to back the claims or start a new verification sampling program.
The agency will also issue new guidelines that recommend companies strengthen their documentation for substantiating claims that their meat and poultry product were, in fact, raised without antibiotics. The FSIS also plans to “strongly encourage” the use of third-party certifications to verify these claims, the USDA explained in a statement.