Tainted Meat Audit

On March 26, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released an audit announcing that the testing programs in place for meat are not efficient and that harmful pesticides, antibiotics, and heavy metals are still entering the food supply. The long-term health risks caused by ingesting tainted meat are largely unexplored, and the audit also addresses this as a growing concern for public health. USDA officials say that the tolerance levels for human exposure to pollutants set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the antibiotic levels set by the Food and Drug Administration are part of the reason that dangerous residue remains present in processed meat.