From The June 2001 Issue of Nutrition Science News

BSE Controls Sought

WASHINGTON—Congress has announced two bills that propose stricter measures to prevent bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, from entering the United States.

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) plans to introduce a bill, "National Food Security and Safety Act," which is designed to increase border surveillance and address dietary supplements, cosmetics, vaccines, and medicines that use bovine or fetal tissue.

Another bill, "The Animal Disease Risk Assessment, Prevention and Control Act of 2001," which passed in the Senate and was sent to the House of Representatives, calls for interagency reporting to assess, prevent, and control BSE spread.

In related activities, federal investigators called for manufacturers to report adverse events associated with dietary supplements. Annette Dickinson, vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, based here, said although the council is receptive to mandatory reporting of serious cases, the investigators have overstated the risks of dietary supplements.