Veterinary drug residues in meat-related edible tissues

Abstract

Drugs are used in veterinary medicine to control different animal diseases. When they are used following Good Veterinary Practices (GVP) in livestock, they greatly contribute to improving the production of food of animal origin. The presence of veterinary drugs in meat and edible tissues exceeding the maximum residue limits allowed (MRLs) could impact on food trade and human health. Food safety regulations are based on a ?risk analysis?, which is a structured and systematic process in which hazards that potentially affect public health are examined and options to mitigate the risk are established. Consequently, veterinary drugs are pre-evaluated (before they are sold) for drug residues in food, and effects after chronic exposures in experimental animals. Parameters such as an acceptable daily intake (ADI), the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL), the MRLs, and the withdrawal periods (WPs) are determined for drugs used in livestock. Level of residues in edible tissues can be affected by diverse factors related to the treated animal, the type of drug administration, and even the type of cooking. Drug residue monitoring programmes are crucial to ensure that prohibited or authorized substances do not exceed MRLs. With these measures we can say that food of animal origin is safer than ever. However, a series of food safety incidents in the last decades has led consumers to be suspicious and worried. The available data on exposure assessment of veterinary drug residues in meat, would indicate that meat do not pose a serious risk to public health. However, since the most suitable approach to evaluate the exposure of veterinary drug residues could be the probabilistic model, which reports are scarce, further work on exposure assessments and risk characterizations using this tool are necessary to confirm the safety of meat, mainly in those countries where official controls and monitoring of food drug residues are not strict.