Chemical Hazards

()Map FOOD DERIVED HAZARDS TO HUMAN HEALTH (Map)

These may be:

Drug Residues

This category consists of:

1. Veterinary Medicines
   Veterinary Medicines, after being administered to an animal, will still be present in the animal's tissues (or food products) for a variable ammount of time depending on the drug & the species amongst other things. Drugs given to treat animals intended for food production, if licienced, will have a minimum withdrawal period which must be observed before the animal can go for slaughter (for meat withdrawal). Withdrawal periods also exist for other animal products, e.g. egg withdrawal, milk withdrawal, etc...This is to allow enough time for the drug to be excreted or metabolised sufficiently that no drug or only insignificant ammounts will be present in any food derived from that animal. If a Veterinary Medicine is not Licienced for use in a particular species for treating a particular condition then the standard withdrawal period of 7 days for meat & 28 days for milk should be observed. Some drugs are specifically prohibited from use in all food animals (e.g. Phenylbutazone, Lignocaine to name two) and some drugs are prohibited in specific types of food producing animal (e.g. Tilmicosin is prohibited in Dairy cows but not beef cows).
   Veterianry Medicines whose use are widespread in food producing animals are Antimicrobial & Antiparasitic drugs. Residues of ranquilizers are also of concern.
2. Agricultural Chemicals
3. Growth Promoters