Food and Drug Administration's Regulation of Antibiotics Used in Animal Feeds

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to establish the safety and effectiveness of antibiotics used in animal feeds. The safety of several antibiotics has not been decided, and FDA has not established regulations specifying when and how most antibiotics used in animal feeds prevent animal diseases and stimulate growth. FDA established criteria for determining whether use of an antibiotic in animal feeds at subtherapeutic levels created a hazard to human or animal health and whether such use was effective for its intended purpose. Although scientists have determined that several antibiotics failed to meet one or more of the safety criteria, and although many antibiotics have not been proven effective under the approved conditions of use, FDA has permitted the continued use of subtherapeutic levels of these antibiotics in animal feeds. Only three antibiotics met all safety criteria for low-level use in one or more animal species. FDA has not yet published Federal Register notices specifying the conditions under which most antibiotics used in animal feeds are effective. The FDA Commissioner should take appropriate steps to insure that policy advisory committees are used to review only broad policy matters in accordance with FDA regulations and that their members are fully aware of their responsibilities.