FDA survey finds few drug residues in U.S. dairy supply.
- FDA partners with the states to ensure the safety of the U.S. milk supply, which includes monitoring milk products for drug residues. Under the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) — a model ordinance published by FDA and adopted by individual states — raw milk samples must be collected and tested for the presence of specific antibiotics. If illegal drug residues are present, the milk may not be sold for human consumption.
- In 2012, FDA collected milk samples from nearly 2,000 farms with the primary purpose of determining whether dairy farms with previous residue violations have more drug residues in milk than other dairy farms. FDA has released the results from its milk sampling survey, stating that more than 99% of the samples were free of drug residues.
- Although FDA’s constituent update affirms the safety of the U.S. milk supply, certain media outlets have focused on the violative findings. FDA’s news release comes on the heels of other developments indicating growing consumer unease with antibiotics in the food supply, along with the food industry’s continuing efforts to reduce the use and presence of these drugs.