A new rule designed to further protect consumers against bovine spongiform encephalopathy, otherwise known as mad cow disease, becomes effective April 27, 2009.
The rule strengthens regulations on substances that are prohibited from use in animal food or feed. The added measure of excluding high-risk materials from all animal feeds is meant to prevent the accidental feeding of such material to cattle, as might occur through cross-contamination of ruminant feed with nonruminnat feed or feed ingredients during manufacture and transport, or through misfeeding of nonruminant feed to ruminants on the farm.
To help rendering firms comply with the rule, the Food and Drug Administration issued a draft guidance that answers questions the agency has received from renderers since the final rule was initially announced last April.
For more information on BSE and the final rule, go to www.fda.gov/cvm/bsetoc.html. [February 2009 PET AGE]
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