FDA/CFSAN Letter to Egg Producers and Catfish Farmers and Processors on Dioxin Contaminated Animal Feed

U. S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

July 8, 1997

Note to: Egg Producers and Catfish Farmers and Processors
Subject: Dioxin Contaminated Animal Feed

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requesting that catfish and eggs from chickens that were fed soybean oil meal from Riceland Foods, Incorporated and the Quincy Soybean Company, not be distributed for human consumption prior to testing. FDA on July 3, 1997, told manufacturers of animal feeds known to have used ball clay contaminated with dioxin, to stop the further distribution and use of this product. The manufacturers had been voluntarily holding these products at the request of the FDA. Dioxins are a matter of public health concern, and FDA is taking this action to eliminate this potential source of contamination. The agency took this action as a precautionary measure to reduce the potential human exposure to dioxin. Investigators have determined that the source of the dioxin was "ball clay," which is commonly added to soybean meal as a flowing or anti-caking agent. Ball clay contaminated with high levels of dioxins, was added to soybean meal processed by Riceland Foods, Incorporated and the Quincy Soybean Company, which are both located in Arkansas, and then added to animal feeds for catfish, broilers, egg-laying hens, dairy cows, and other animals. The contaminated ball clay was traced to a single clay mine in Mississippi, which at the request of the FDA has stopped shipping clay for feed use.

While the agency believes the levels of dioxin found in the animal feed, and in foods produced by animals that consumed the feed do not present an immediate public health hazard, it is taking action as a precautionary measure. FDA has determined that foods produced by animals that have consumed feed contaminated by the tainted clay are adulterated. The Agency is permitting the sampling and testing of eggs and catfish known to have been fed animal feed contaminated by dioxin in ball clay and purchased from a consignee of either the Riceland or Quincy companies. The agency has determined that eggs and catfish with a level of less than 1 part per trillion (ppt) of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (dioxin) in edible tissue may be sold for use in human food.

The following are guidelines for catfish farmers and processors to follow who wish to distribute their products for sale in interstate commerce and have used animal feed purchased from a consignee of either the Riceland or Quincy companies:

Groups of catfish farmers that have used the same feed source, with the same history of use and have fish of the same size, can make a composite sample of 12 catfish made up from selecting one or more fish from various farms and have the composite sample analyzed for dioxin. Individual farmers can decide if they want to do analyses on their own catfish or to co-mingle with other farmers.

Any processor who has catfish that were obtained from at least one farm using feed with contaminated ball clay will need to analyze 12 catfish taken randomly from each lot and each weight class in which such catfish have been co-mingled.

If only one catfish farm in an area has been identified as using a contaminated feed, farmers have the option to do an analyses of their fish on their own or to co-mingle their fish with another farm if the fish are of the same size and are known to have the same history of use of contaminated feed.

Similar sampling and testing is required for eggs produced by chickens which received feed purchased from a consignee of either the Riceland or Quincy Companies. The agency has determined that eggs produced by chickens which received the contaminated animal feed are considered to be adulterated. The following guidelines are provided for egg producers and processors:

Groups of egg producers who have used the same layer feed source, with the same history of use, can make composite samples of 12 eggs from a farm, with up to 10 farms for an analytical composite sample for dioxin analysis. The analytical composite is created by combining the yokes from one or more eggs from each farm. Individual farms can have their eggs independently analyzed.

If only one egg producer has been identified as using a contaminated feed, that farm will have to do an analysis of eggs they produced on their own or the eggs can be analyzed at the processor level.

Since eggs are a perishable commodity and are routinely co-mingled from many farms at the processor level, it would be difficult to identify adulterated eggs at that level. However, any processor who has eggs that were obtained from a farm using feed with contaminated ball clay would need to analyze 12 eggs taken randomly from eggs currently in inventory.

While FDA cannot recommend specific laboratories to analyze eggs or catfish for possible dioxin residues, the Agency recommends that interested parties contact FDA or a laboratory testing association such as the Association of Independent Scientific, Engineering and Testing Firms (ACIL), for a partial list of laboratories who may be capable of doing this type of analysis. Sampling and analyses of eggs and catfish must be accomplished before further distribution for human consumption of these commodities and must continue until all products are shown to be at levels of less than 1 ppt. FDA also retains the authority to examine documentation on the validity of the sample and to review laboratory data sheets. Please note that this is not a general action level for dioxins in food. This is a Federal Government response to a specific source of dioxin contaminated animal feed.

For additional information, please contact Lawrence Bachorik in FDA's Office of Public Affairs at 301-827-6242, or Lou Carson at 301-443-3320 or Mark Fow at 301-443-1240 in FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs.

John E. Vanderveen, Ph.D.

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Partial list of labs that may be able to conduct appropriate dioxin analysis:

Alta Analytical Laboratory, Inc.
5070 Robert J. Mathews Parkway, Suite 2
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
Contact: Bill Luksemburg
(916) 933-1640
Fax: (916) 933-0940

Batelle Columbus Laboratory
505 King Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43201
(614) 424-4976
Contact: Mary Schrock
Melinda Armbruster (614) 424-4911
Fax: (614) 424-4185

Canviro Analytical Laboratories, Ltd.
50 Bathhurst Dr., Unit 12
Waterloo, Ontario CN N2V 2C5
Contact: Jeffrey Pike
(519) 747-2575
Fax: (519) 747-3806

Columbia Analytical Services
6060 Corte del Cedro
Carlsbad, CA 92009
(619) 930-0417
Contact: Jack W. Anderson
Fax: (619) 931-9251

Core Laboratories
7726 Moller Road
Indianapolis, IN 46268
(317) 875-5894
Contacts: Rae Ann Cogswell,
Daniel Delinger
Fax: (317) 872-6189

Institut Fresenius
Taumusstein, Germany
Ph: 011 49 6128 744 330
Fax: 011 49 6128 744 777
Contact: Dr. Kurz
Ionics International
10655 Richmond Avenue, #150
Houston, TX 77042
(800) 434-6946
Contact: Brian Middleditch

Maxim Technologies, Inc.
662 Cromwell Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55114
Contact: Steve Hannan
(612) 645-3601
Fax: (612) 659-7348

Midwest Research Institute
425 Volker Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 753-7600
Contacts: Mike White, John Stanley
Fax: (816) 753-8420

Pacific Analytical
6349 Paseo Del Lago
Carlsbad, CA 92009
(760) 438-3100
Contacts: Steve Parsons, Bruce Colby
Fax: (760) 931-9479

Quanterra
880 Riverside Parkway
W. Sacramento, CA 95605
Roger Frieze (916) 373-5600
Fax: (916) 372-1059
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