What are violative drug residues?
The Food and Drug Regulations specify a “Maximum Residue Limit (MRL)” or the amount of residue that could remain in the tissue or food product derived from a food producing animal that has been treated with a veterinary drug. The presence of trace amount of administered drug product, in animal-derived food products, that is beyond the established MRL (expressed in p.p.m) for the specific veterinary drug constitutes violative drug residues. MRLs are established only after the Health Canada’s Veterinary Drugs Directorate has conducted extensive reviews of data submitted by manufacturers and determined that foods containing these veterinary drug residues up to the recommended levels are safe for human consumption. In cases where MRLs have not been established for the specific veterinary drugs, no detectable residues are permitted in animal-derived food products. Health Canada is actively working to have MRLs established for drug products that could be used in food-producing animals.
