The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday opposed lifting a ban on imports of Canadian beef from cattle older than 30 months, as proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA on Thursday released a draft amendment of the Directions of Imported Beef and Beef Products from the United States and Canada (美國及加拿大牛肉及其產品之進口規定), initiating a 30-day period for public input.
The foundation said in a statement that it has only been about a year since the last case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, was reported in Canada, and doubts have not yet been addressed.
Photo: CNA
Lifting the ban now would neglect public health and government due diligence, it added.
The foundation said it sternly opposes lifting the ban when people continue to doubt the safety of Canadian beef.
The FDA’s assessment process to be flawed, the foundation said, adding that it would urge people to boycott the products if the ban is lifted.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency in 2015 confirmed a case of mad cow disease found in Canadian cattle, which was later linked to contaminated feed. Another case was reported in 2021, prompting South Korea, China and the Philippines to suspend Canadian beef imports, it said.
Article 4 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法) states that should manage food safety risk by establishing an assessment and advisory committee comprised of experts specialized in food safety and toxicology, as well as non-governmental organizations.
If the FDA’s advice to lift the ban has undergone a risk assessment, then the meeting minutes and conclusions should be publicly released, the foundation said.
The FDA yesterday said in response that data suggests that Canadian beef from cattle older than 30 months presents negligible health risk.
FDA Director-General Wu Shou-mei (吳秀梅) said the decision was made by following appropriate procedures, including a risk assessment and specialist advisory committee, and that data suggests that only about one in 5 billion people would be subject to any risk from eating BSE-infected cattle.
“It is impossible to have absolutely no risk at all,” she said, adding that people should recognize that the products have achieved “negligible risk status” from international organizations.
Wu said country-of-origin labeling is required for all imported beef and pork, enabling consumers to make their own decisions, although border inspections would not be conducted to avoid debates over discrimination toward a particular country.
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