1、 March 28, 2014 Antibiotic Use in Food Animals: FDAs Current ActivitiesIssue The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which evaluates human and animal drugs for safety and effectiveness, is concerned that public health may be at risk from certain antibiotic uses in food animals. According to FDA
2、, foods of animal origin may be contaminated with pathogens that cause certain types of foodborne infections, and antibiotic use in animals that produce these foods may render the infections less amenable to treatment, due to antibiotic resistance. In response, FDA has issued two guidance documents
3、for industry that define judicious use of antibiotics, ask animal drug companies voluntarily to stop labeling antibiotics for production uses, and call for more veterinary oversight. FDA says a voluntary approach is the fastest and most efficient way to tighten control over the use of medically impo
4、rtant antibiotics. Regulatory action may require FDA to conduct product-by-product evaluations that could require more time and resources. Some stakeholders, mainly led by consumer groups, say that use of antibiotics in food animals leads inevitably to drug resistance in foodborne pathogens, and tha
