FDA Postpones Milk Tests

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has postponed testing dairy cows for antibiotics. The FDA intended to begin tests this month on cows’ milk from farms that had repeatedly sold tainted milk, but the dairy industry fought the tests, claiming that they were poorly conceived and would waste millions of gallons of milk. As a result, the FDA postponed the testing and is now conferring with the dairy industry on future steps. Food safety advocates continue to voice concern, however. Just last week, the FDA found a dairy cow from California with antibiotics at a rate of 7.068 parts per million in her tissue at the time of slaughter—the federal limit is 0.1 parts per million.