From The February 2001 Issue of Nutrition Science News

FDA Warns Industry about BSE

Washington—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cautioned manufacturers and importers of dietary supplements and their raw ingredients against using specific bovine tissues that may contain the infectious agent known to cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease.

"There is still no definitive evidence" that BSE can be transmitted to humans who might consume tainted bovine tissues, FDA says. Still, they urge the supplement industry to "consider the public health consequences of this disease in taking whatever steps are necessary to assure themselves and the public that such ingredients do not come from cattle born, raised or slaughtered in countries where BSE exists."