Can humans consume ractopamine?

As of 2014, the use of ractopamine was banned in 160 countries, including the European Union, China and Russia, while 27 other countries, such as Japan, the United States, South Korea, and New Zealand have deemed meat from livestock fed ractopamine safe for human consumption.

How long does ractopamine stay in your system?

Blood and Urine Testing Ractopamine can be traced in the blood and urine for approximately 7 days. These tests will not determine use prior to 7 days after the withdrawal of the product.

How do you know if pork has ractopamine in it?

To find out whether a swine feed contains ractopamine, look for “ractopamine hydrochloride” on the feed label (see figure 1). (Note: Labels typically list ractopamine as an active ingredient rather than as a medicated feed product.)

What percentage of pork has ractopamine?

If you buy industrially produced pork at a U.S. supermarket, it likely contains ractopamine—about 60 – 80 percent of industrial pork producers use the drug.

Is ractopamine harmful to human?

Ractopamine is associated with major health problems in food-producing animals, such as “downer” syndrome and severe cardiovascular stress, and has also been linked to heart problems and even poisoning in humans.

Is ractopamine an antibiotic?

80\% of the antibiotics used in the U.S. are used on the animals we eat: injected into them, fed to them and many of the drugs are banned or restricted around the world. Here in the US, the FDA approved ractopamine and allows the drug to be used widely in U.S. factory farm operations.

What is the half-life of ractopamine?

3.94 h
2.1. Ractopamine was rapidly absorbed, with the mean peak plasma concentration of 41.2 ng/ml occurring after an average of 0.6 h. The mean half-life was 3.94 h. Ractopamine was no longer detected in plasma 24 h after dosing, except at very low concentrations in one volunteer.

What is ractopamine in pigs?

Ractopamine is the active compound in several products (e.g., Paylean®, Engain®) administered in-feed to pigs and other livestock. These products increase muscle growth rate and improve feed efficiency while reducing fat deposition.

Does Smithfield use ractopamine?

DOES SMITHFIELD USE RACTOPAMINE IN ITS FEED? Ractopamine is a safe and effective feed supplement that promotes leanness in animals. Because of our global presence and to meet the demand of other countries, Smithfield has removed ractopamine from feed for all company-owned animals supplied to our processing facilities.

Can I buy pork without ractopamine?

Ractopamine-free swine production is now a market specification/requirement throughout much of the U.S. pork packing industry. Ractopamine (sold under the trade names Paylean® or Engain® for swine, and Optaflexx® or Actogain® for cattle) is an approved product used to increase lean growth rate.

Does Smithfield pork contain ractopamine?

Smithfield Foods, which is owned by Chinese company WH Group and is the largest U.S. pork processing company, has already eliminated ractopamine from its whole supply chain.

Why is ractopamine used in bacon?

It’s called ractopamine, and it might be in most bacon you eat. Ractopamine belongs to a class of drugs commonly administered to animals called beta-agonists, which increase protein synthesis and help animals pack on muscle weight. It’s fed to an estimated 60\% to 80\% of US pigs in the weeks before slaughter.