Following a previous June announcement that the FSIS would sample product from beef labeled “raised without antibiotics”. The Agricultural Research Service is investigating sampling protocols and assays.
Liver and kidney samples will be collected from cattle and be analyzed for up to 150 compounds incorporating all classes of antibiotics. The program will apply to all “raised without antibiotics” claims including “no antibiotics”; “no antibiotics ever”; “antibiotic free” and other iterations on labels.
The initial round of sampling will provide data that can guide extensive programs of monitoring intended to prevent misbranded product from entering the market. FSIS anticipates that companies receiving notice of antibiotic detection will then initiate investigations to ascertain how contamination occurred and to implement corrective action to maintain the relevant label claim.