On the heels of Cargill’s 36 million pound recall of ground turkey sparked by an antibiotic-resistant Salmonella outbreak, a group of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration urging more oversight of antibiotics used in food animal production.
The letter, signed by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), and Gerry Connolly (D-VA), recommends "speedy progress forward" on regulations and guidance currently under review at FDA to help preserve the efficacy of antibiotics for human health.
Lawmakers pointed to the agency’s slow movement on a draft guidance, "The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food-Producing Animals," otherwise known as "Guidance #209." Recent estimates indicate around 80 percent of all antibiotics in the U.S. are given to food animals.
"We recommend that you strengthen Guidance #209, finalize it quickly, and move on to regulations. Given the rise of antibiotic resistant pathogens, we cannot wait any longer for the finalization of Guidance #209," reads the letter.
Guidance #209, as it was released last summer, recommends two principles: (1) The use of medically important antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals should be limited to those uses that are considered necessary for assuring animal health, and (2) The use of medically important antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals should be limited to those uses that include veterinary oversight or consultation.
The agency has received over 500 comments and is still working to finalize the document. No timeline has been announced.
Citing an opportunity to "reduce inappropriate usage of antibiotics on farms," lawmakers also asked FDA to implement "meaningful veterinary oversight" by moving forward to improve the agency’s Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), which tracks antibiotic usage in animal feed.
"Meaningful veterinary involvement will allow us to strengthen our antibiotic usage surveillance system. Collecting better data on current usage of antibiotics in food animals is not only important for public health, but it is also practical," reads the letter. "Comprehensive data collection and analysis will help American consumers to understand how antibiotics are used in livestock production and the potential human health implications."
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By Helena Bottemiller
Food Safety News
August 10, 2011