Tag: BSE
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FDA Meeting to Address Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a meeting of the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee, which reviews and evaluates available scientific data concerning the safety of products that might transmit spongiform encephalopathies such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and the bovine variant commonly known as mad cow disease. Agenda items for the October 28-29, 2010,…
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Australia Implements New BSE Policy for Imported Beef
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has lifted a nine-year ban on imported beef and beef products, implementing a new policy that requires export countries to undergo a risk assessment for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). According to FSANZ, “certain beef and beef products may be imported from countries that apply and are assessed by…
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Neurologist Claims Farmed Fish Might Pose Risk for Mad Cow Disease
A University of Louisville neurologist has published a report questioning the safety of farmed fish that are fed cattle byproducts, which could allegedly present a risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans. Robert P. Friedland, et al, “Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Aquaculture,” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (June 2009). Friedland and his co-authors have urged…
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FDA Confirms Effective Date, Sets Compliance Deadline for Feed Ban Rule
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed April 27, 2009, as the effective date for the final rule titled “Substances Prohibited From Use in Animal Food or Feed,” which establishes “measures to further strengthen existing safeguards against bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).” The agency earlier this month considered delaying the rule for 60 days after…
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FDA Proposes 60-Day Delay for BSE Feed Ban Rule
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed delaying for 60 days a final rule titled “Substances Prohibited From Use in Animal Food or Feed,” which establishes “measures to further strengthen existing safeguards against bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).” Scheduled to take effect April 27, 2009, the rule includes provisions that prohibit the rendering of spinal…
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FDA Seeks Nominations for Public Advisory Committees
FDA is seeking nominations for several public advisory committees, including the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee. This committee evaluates “available scientific data concerning the safety of products which may be at risk for transmission of spongiform encephalopathies having an impact on the public health,” according to FDA. Nominees should have experience in clinical and administrative…
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Nanotechnology Offers Hope of Rapid and Reliable BSE Test
Cornell University researchers have reportedly developed a nanoscale application that could lead to rapid testing for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), which partly funded the project, recently highlighted the National Research Initiative (NRI) as a step toward improving the safety of the food…
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UK Food Regulators Consider Reduction of BSE Testing for Cattle
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) recently convened a board meeting to discuss reducing the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) testing requirement for cattle. The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) “recognized an increase in the age at which cattle intended for human consumption are BSE tested would represent a ‘minimal to negligible increase in the risk…