Responsibility for Illegal Residues in Meat, Fish, Milk, and Eggs

FDA is responsible for programs and regulatory actions aimed at preventing illegal drug residues in human food products derived from treated animals. (For regulatory purposes, live animals are considered unprocessed food.) Illegal drug residues in edible products can constitute a hazard to the health of persons consuming such food. Failure to observe label withdrawal periods before slaughter or processing, or failure to withhold milk is the principal cause of illegal drug residues. Other causes may include failure to follow other label directions, poor feed manufacturing practices, and human negligence.

FDA is also responsible for ensuring that contaminants of feed origin do not result in unsafe contamination in human food of animal origin. Regardless of the cause, it is FDA's policy to hold responsible any individual in the production and marketing chain who can be shown to have caused (by an act of commission or omission) illegal residues or other contaminants in edible animal products [5]. If a veterinarian prescribes, dispenses, or treats an animal(s) with a drug which results in the occurrence of an illegal drug residue in edible products from the treated animal, the veterinarian may be held responsible for having caused a violation of law.

Additional information on residue avoidance and withdrawal times can be found in the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD).