Drug Residues

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help ensure a safe food supply. These agencies, through the U.S. National Residue Program (NRP) for Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products, identify drug residues in meat, poultry and egg products. Additionally, FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) identifies drug residues in animal-derived edible tissues, such as whole eggs, seafood, and honey.

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine’s (CVM) Division of Food Compliance is responsible for evaluating drug residues reported by FSIS and CFSAN. CVM will determine which residues warrant follow-up and will assign these residues to inspection personnel in FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA). Inspections focus on identifying the cause of a drug residue, educating industry on proper drug use and encouraging voluntary compliance. When voluntary compliance is not forthcoming, FDA may take enforcement action to ensure a safe food supply and hold accountable those individuals and facilities responsible for causing drug residue violations.

The information and resources included on this page are intended to provide visitors with a better understanding of FDA’s role in protecting public health through prevention of violative drug residues.

Resources

• 7371.006 - Illegal Drug Residues in Meat, Poultry, Seafood and Other Animal Derived Foods
• CPG Sec. 615.200 Proper Drug Use and Residue Avoidance by Non-Veterinarians
• Drug Residue Warning Letters
• Drug Residue Injunctions and Related Actions
• T.A.L.K. Before You Treat (En Español)

Articles

• Adequate Records Help Prevent Illegal Drug Residues and Ensure Food Safety

Milk Drug Residue Sampling Survey

• Questions and Answers: 2012 Milk Drug Residue Sampling Survey
• Milk Drug Residue Sampling Survey (PDF - 412KB)
• Milk Drug Residue Sampling Survey - Consolidated Data (XLSX - 42.7MB)
• Milk Drug Residue Sampling Survey - Audit Report (PDF - 362KB)

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service Resources

• Food Safety and Inspection Service Home Page (USDA) The following items are located on this webpage (these can be found using the search tool on the page): FSIS Repeat Violator List; FSIS Red Book (U.S. National Residue Program Residue Sample Results); FSIS Blue Book (U.S. National Residue Scheduled Sampling Plans).