Government report shows very low levels of medicine in foods - Brief Article

Eurofood, August 2, 2001

A government report indicating that less than half a per cent of all meat, fish and dairy products tested during the year 2000 contained any residue of veterinary medicines, which was welcomed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The recently formed Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), headed up by Margaret Beckett, received the annual report from its Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).

The VMD report covered tests carried out on cattle, pigs, sheep, poultry, farmed fish, eggs and milk.

The report also included results from tests carried out on processed foods from retailers.

No detectable veterinary medicines were detectable in milk, farmed trout and game.

Between 0.13% and 0.37% of red meat, poultry meat, egg and farmed salmon contained residue levels.