The Food and Drug Administration Suggests Limits To The Use of Antimicrobial Drugs In Food-Producing Animals

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a part of the Food and Drug Administration, has published a policy framework (“The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food-Producing Animals”) relating to the use of antimicrobial drugs in animals used for food. For over 50 years, antimicrobial drugs have been used in both human and veterinary medicine, but growing resistance to these drugs makes them less effective as therapies, creating a potential danger to public health, and so these drugs need to be used more “judiciously” in order to slow the pace of growing resistance. The guidance includes limiting use of such drugs except where necessary, and limiting use in food-producing animals to situations where there is veterinary oversight.