Recently, Congress re-introduced legislation that could have a profound impact on public health. The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2009 (PAMTA) was introduced in both the House (H.R. 1549) and Senate (S. 619). While the authors of the bill hope it will improve public health, an increasing number of science-based organizations disagree and, in fact, argue that the bill could have negative consequences on public health.

PAMTA would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to limit the use of antimicrobials in food animals only if they’re used to treat disease in hopes of maintaining their effectiveness. But no one knows if it will really help. PAMTA supporters contend that eliminating the non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials in food animals will significantly curtail the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in people. When a similar approach was tried in Europe in the late 1990s and Denmark enacted a blanket ban on the use of antibiotics for growth promotion in food animals, there wasn’t a significant improvement in human health. What did happen was that they saw an increase in animal disease and death, as well as the use of larger doses of these drugs to treat the resulting disease.

In 2008, the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production released a report on industrial farm animal production, including a strong recommendation to ban the use of antibiotics in food animals, implying that the use of antibiotics makes food animals, and the people who consume them, more vulnerable to dangerous bacteria. This report is now being used to advocate for the passage of PAMTA.

So why do some science-based organization object to that approach?

A veterinarian’s ability to prescribe antibiotics to food animals is an essential part of making sure animals that eventually become food will be safe to eat. Veterinarians use antibiotics to fight disease before an outbreak occurs and bacteria spreads through the entire population. It’s a practice that has been used for years to keep animals, and our food, healthy.

We know how quickly bacteria can spread from person to person, especially in close groups. For example, if someone in a classroom, a dormitory or any close space contracts a disease like meningitis, everyone around that person is vaccinated to keep them from getting sick. The same thing applies to food animals. Livestock, swine and other food animals live in close groups and share food and water. If one animal gets sick, the entire herd needs to be treated. That’s why it’s so important for veterinarians to have the ability to administer antibiotics to food animals before they get sick -- to minimize the risk of the bacteria showing up in our food.

Healthy animals produce food that’s more likely to be disease-free. Wouldn’t we want veterinarians to be able to do what they need to do in order to ensure that our food comes from the healthiest possible source?

Public health experts have testified before Congress on some of the benefits of using antimicrobial drugs in food production, and how these drugs keep our food safe. Before our government enacts a sweeping ban on an important component of food safety, it’s important to make sure they have all the facts when making their decision. And you can help make sure that Congress has all the facts on PAMTA. Send a message to Congress today!

Learn about the use of antibiotics to keep our food animals healthy.

And the people have spoken! Well, sort of.

Recently, our federal government took a major step forward by approving the Obama Administration’s food safety recommendations.  The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2749, also known as the “Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009.” 

The Food Safety Enhancement Act significantly increases the authority the Food and Drug Administration to ensure the safety of our food, as well as set regulations for facilities and importers. 

Under this legislation, food facilities are required to conduct a hazard analysis, implement preventative measures and provide a plan in the event of an outbreak.  The Secretary of Health and Human Services (the department that houses the FDA) is given the authority to create a verification program for imported foods and quarantine food in specific geographic areas in the United States in the event of an outbreak.

Additionally, the bill gives the FDA the authority to recall of contaminated food.  Previously, the FDA only had the authority to recommend the recall of a product, but it was up to the manufacturers and distributors to take action.

The FDA is required to provide science-based standards to minimize the hazards from contaminants, create an accreditation program for laboratories to test imported and exported food and establish a national traceback system.  The FDA also has the authority to assess fees related to facility reinspection or recall – a nice little incentive for manufacturers to keep facilities up to date.  Finally, every six to 12 months the agency is required to conduct inspections at high-risk facilities, like processing plants that handle products that spoil easily or facilities with a history of food safety problems.  If an inspection is delayed or refused by any facility, the food is considered to be contaminated, even if it safe to eat. 

It’s important to remember that this legislation only applies to the FDA, and these specific standards don’t apply to meat and poultry, since these products are inspected by the USDA.  But the FDA is responsible for regulating more than 80% of the food we eat, and USDA products have been regulated under tighter standards for a long time.

What’s next for H.R. 2749?  It becomes the supreme law of the land, right?  Not quite.  The bill still needs to pass the Senate, which mostly likely will not hear the issue until this fall.  Stay tuned.  We’ll keep you posted.

Looks like our nation’s food safety system could get a much needed makeover.

The Obama Administration recently announced a plan to beef up federal efforts in reducing Salmonella and E. Coli contamination in our food supply.   In March, President Obama created a Food Safety Working Group to discuss ways of addressing foodborne outbreaks, focusing on proactive approaches to prevent the spread of disease.

The Food Safety Working Group provided recommendations in three specific areas of our food safety system that are in need of some attention.

First, the working group recommended focusing on preventing the spread of Salmonella contamination, specifically in eggs and poultry.  According to the CDC, eggs are one of the leading causes of Salmonella outbreaks each year.  But for years the government was unable to finalize any rules on egg safety.  We have one now.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule to control the contamination of eggs during production and transportation.  Egg producers are required to implement and comply with Salmonella prevention standards which include refrigeration requirements, pest and rodent control programs, facility sanitation requirements and recordkeeping requirements including documentation that the facility has complied with Salmonella prevention measures.   Additionally, the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) is in the process of developing new standards to reduce Salmonella in turkey and poultry, and hopes to have 90% of poultry establishments in compliance by the end of 2010.

Second, the working group discussed the importance of a national traceback and response system to help identify the source of an outbreak quickly and efficiently.  This includes developing a method to locate the origins of food outbreaks, creating a command center linking federal agencies with state and local governments to effectively communicate with one another during an outbreak, and working with state and local agencies to update their emergency and investigation procedures in the event of an outbreak.

Finally, the working group suggested ways to improve the organization of federal food safety responsibilities by creating a new position - the Deputy Commissioner of Foods.  This role will oversee the FDA’s food safety efforts and work with other entities, including the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), to develop a stronger food safety system.  Establishing this position creates responsibility and accountability in overseeing our food safety system as well as providing consumers with a clear authority figure to effectively enforce food safety regulations.

Many consumer, manufacturer and public health organizations are on board with this overhaul.  Consumer advocacy groups, like the Grocery Manufacturers of America and Consumer’s Union, agree that these recommendations are large steps to prioritizing the prevention of contamination in our food supply.

While these recommendations are short-term steps to finding a long-term solution, they are still steps in the right direction.  By making outbreak prevention a priority, we can improve the safety of food around the globe.  But implementing these new standards will require the time, effort and manpower of many individuals, including additional food supply veterinarians to inspect our food and enforce the standards.

And there is already a critically short supply.

Check out the video below to see what organizations, like the American Veterinary Medical Association, have to say on the role veterinarians will have in the Obama Administration’s new and improved food safety system.