FDA Issues Preventive Mad-Cow Rules

The federal government is proposing to withhold the brains and spinal cords of cattle that are at least 30 months old from animal feed in an effort to bolster safeguards against mad-cow disease in the food supply. In addition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it wants to ban high-risk material such as the brains and spinal cords from cattle of any age not inspected and passed for human consumption, and the whole carcass of cows not inspected and passed for human consumption if the brains and spinal cords haven't been removed. The agency also wants to prohibit tallow, a cattle fat, derived from banned materials if it contains more than 0.15% insoluble impurities. Mechanically separated beef that comes from the prohibited materials also is to be rejected.