USDA changes position on Tyson Foods regarding poultry labeling

by Brian White (Subscribe to Brian White's posts)
Nov 21st 2007 12:01PM

Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicated to chicken giant Tyson Foods over the summer that it could begin using "raised without antibiotics" on its products, the federal agency has now reversed that position.

Apparently, the USDA did not catch the inclusion of a very specific item it classifies as an antibiotic, although Tyson indicated that the FDA does not classify the substance -- ionophores-- that way.

Tyson will now probably have to scramble to remove these labels from possibly millions of fresh chicken products. Why the USDA and the FDA disagree on the classification of ionophores seems odd, but hey -- it's the federal government, right?

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

John Jones 11-23-2007 @ 11:05AM

There is no question that ionophores are antibiotics. A simple search on the term will reveal that. The FDA does recognize that ionophore are antibiotics - the assertion to the contrary just show how desperate they are trying to cover the tracks. Even the companies that sell ionophore drugs make it clear they are antibiotics.

Missing the point 11-29-2007 @ 1:26PM

Brian and John Jones are missing the point. One of the main reasons that people want "antibiotic free" meat is to avoid producing or coming into contact with so-called "superbugs"--bacteria that have become resistant to common antibiotic drugs like penicillin and tetracycline.

Ionophone supplements don't have this effect. They are never used as antibacterial drugs in humans. They don't cause the creation of so-called "superbugs."

Just calling anything that kills bacteria an "antibiotic" for the purpose of food labelling doesn't make sense. By that logic, if the butcher used alcohol to sterilize his cutting instruments then the meat wouldn't be antibiotic-free. Of course alcohol has antibiotic properties (that's why Purel works -- it's an alcohol-gel solution) but that doesn't mean that the meat should be labeled.

A professional blogger like Brian White should get to the bottom of these things instead of just posting without giving further thought. The blogger should be adding value through research and understanding rather than just summarizing the work of others and posting a single link.