Meat Inspection Program Is Flawed

The federal program for safeguarding the U.S. meat supply from harmful chemical residues has serious shortcomings and is not accomplishing its mission, according to an audit report by USDA’s inspector general. The audit also found that thresholds for many dangerous chemicals, such as copper and dioxins, are lacking for meat, and USDA’s Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) does not recall meat even when it has test results that confirm excessive levels of veterinary drugs. FSIS administers the national residue program in collaboration with EPA and FDA. FSIS collects and tests meat samples for pesticides, heavy metals, and animal drug residues; EPA and FDA set the tolerance levels for those chemicals in meat. The inspector general recommends that the three agencies better coordinate with one another to expand the number of chemicals they test for, improve methods for sampling hazardous residues, speed up approval of new testing methods, and set tolerances for additional residues.