In the December 2011 issue of Hoard's Dairyman, we first reported that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was going to move forward with enhanced testing of milk for antibiotic residues. While those tests have been long completed, the results are still held tightly within the walls of the FDA. When the food surveillance agency might release those results has been an ongoing question for many in the dairy industry.
FDA originally began its testing plan in January of 2012. In conducting the study, FDA collected milk samples from two groups of dairy farmers: those on the Food Safety Inspection Service's (FSIS) Residue Violator List and an equal number of randomly sampled dairy farms throughout the U.S. To land on FDA's FSIS list, herds shipped a cull cow that tested positive for antibiotic residues. In conducting the study, FDA was investigating whether repeat cull cow violations may correlate to potential milk residue violations. That being the case, FDA tested milk samples for an expanded list of 26 drug residues.
The U.S. government agency's original goal was to have the project completed by mid-September of 2012. That was well over a year ago.
FDA has shared little about the study since it collected the field samples. However, we have learned that tests were carried out on 1,918 dairy farms and over 57,000 data points were collected, according to Nigel Cook, D.V.M., who is the immediate past president of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.
As far as when the study might finally be released? Very soon continues to be the answer, but we've been hearing that story for well over a year.
Prior to the study's public release, FDA does plan to give industry shareholders a chance to review a list of possible scenarios that could have occurred during the study. In doing so, it will give the dairy industry a very short time to develop messaging for each potential situation prior to the public release. It has been stressed by our sources that this will be a very short time window, maybe only a few hours.
Given the full year that has passed since FDA has collected the data, National Milk Producers Federation officials don't believe FDA is sitting on "bad test results." If food safety was truly compromised, the consumer backlash could be significant for everyone involved with the study. After all, the point is to ensure a safe food supply.
Even though the study results haven't been released, Betsy Flores, of the National Milk Producers Federation staff, shared that FDA is planning another milk study. This one would be aimed at testing milk at retail outlets for chemical and drug residues. The theory behind the FDA plan is to quantify the safety of the U.S. food supply.
Given the expansive time that has passed on the first FDA milk test, we wouldn't expect results before our magazine celebrates its 130th anniversary in 2015.
