INTRODUCTION

This section provides information on residue limits of potential contaminants in meat and poultry products applied by Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) (as of December 31, 1997). These limits include tolerances and action levels developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for pesticide chemicals, by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for animal drugs and unavoidable contaminants. These limits are derived in most cases from the CFR: pesticide limits from 40 CFR 180, those for animal drugs from 21 CFR 556, and unavoidable contaminants from 21 CFR 520, 522, 524, 526, 529 (new animal drug not subject to certification), 540, 544, 546, 548 (antibiotic drugs for use with animals), and 558 (new animal drugs for use in animal feed). This document includes the relevant citations.

Formal tolerances are not established in all cases. For example, tolerance exemptions have been granted by FDA and EPA in approving the use of some pesticides and new animal drugs. For some unavoidable contamination situations, FDA and EPA, upon request, recommend action levels to FSIS; however, tolerances or action levels have not been established for all such situations. FSIS does not permit concentrations of residues in meat and poultry that exceed the residue limits published in this section.

The residue limits for poultry and livestock species are listed alphabetically by compound (which may include a compound's metabolites). The entries include, among other things, CFR or FR citations for tolerance, and notations of action levels. Entries for animal drugs with "zero" or "no-residue" tolerances also include, in parenthesis, the limits of quantification considered by FDA in approving those drugs in food-producing animals. These limits are used by FDA for enforcement purposes, and are applied by FSIS in determining if products are adulterated. All tolerance and action level units are in parts per million (ppm).

Any residue of a new animal drug found in the edible tissues of a species for which the drug is not approved will be considered an adulterant, pending a judgement by FDA that sets an allowable safe concentration. A substance endogenous to the animal tissue would not be considered adulterant.

Unless otherwise indicated, "meat by-products" include kidney and liver.