Russia Says No to American Manufactured Meats

Following a ban on US beef and pork, Russia has also prohibited the import of American turkey because of the feed additive ractopamine being used in US farming practices. Ractopamine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1999 for use of pigs after its manufacturer Elanco conducted tests and concluded that it was safe. Since then, hundreds of pigs who were issued the drug have been reported as getting sick. Feeding ractopamine to animals has also been banned in the European Union, China, and Taiwan. Claudia Roncancio-Peña, who led the EU investigation on the growth stimulant, found that the study’s results did not conclude that ractopamine was safe for the public.