Substances Prohibited From Use in Animal Food or Feed; Animal Proteins Prohibited in Ruminant Feed

Resumo

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing to amend the regulations to provide that animal protein derived from ruminant and mink tissues is not generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use in ruminant feed, and is a food additive subject to certain provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act). The proposed regulations would establish a flexible system of controls, designed to ensure that ruminant feed does not contain animal protein derived from ruminant and mink tissues in a manner that encourages innovation. FDA is also considering alternatives to this proposed ruminant-to-ruminant prohibition, and is requesting comment on the relative merits and disadvantages of the alternatives. FDA is proposing this action because the feeding to ruminants of protein derived from potentially transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)-infective tissues may cause TSE in animals. TSE's are progressively degenerative central nervous system (CNS) diseases of man and animal that are fatal. Epidemiologic evidence gathered in the United Kingdom (U.K.) suggests an association between an outbreak of a ruminant TSE, specifically bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and th