Did Meat & Meat Products From the BSE Cows Enter the Food Supply?
The system of multiple firewalls maintained by Federal agencies protects consumers from possible exposure to BSE. Scientific research indicates that muscle meat is not a source of infectious prions. As soon as the 2003 BSE case was identified, both the USDA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) activated their BSE Emergency Response Plans and USDA immediately recalled the meat. Meat that did enter the food supply was quickly traced and was removed from the market-place. Moreover, all the organs in which infectious prions occur were removed at slaughter and did not enter the food supply. The June 2005 cow and the March 2006 cow were non-ambulatory and were not presented for slaughter. Therefore, in accordance with BSE regulations established by USDA and FDA the material from these animals did not enter the human food supply.
