User:Zutroz4/Substances in food products

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Modern food agricultural systems differ from natural systems by their inclusions of various substances to improve production effectiveness.

Modern factory farming is a mode of animal husbandry characterized by high density and confinement of animals (including cattle, poultry, pigs, and aquatic species)raised for human.Moreover,Intensive or industrial factory farming of animals originated in the United States in the late 1930s. This has resulted in an integrated model of production, where large corporations control most aspects of animal husbandryin the food industry, processing of animals into food products, and sales to the consumer market.

Substances affecting food production include veterinary drugs, agrichemicals, radionuclides, environmental contaminants, industrial contaminants, and any other food processing aids. Among these substances, the use of some substances is controversial, such as antibiotics and growth hormones, while other such as feed additives or nutraceuticals provide benefits to both the farmers and consumers.

Cattle Production in Canada

Cattle production has been an essential part of the Canadian agricultural tradition for more than 300 years. Settlers coming to Canada in the 1600s relied on cattle for their meat, milk, and leather. Over time, production expanded and at present there are more than five million beef cows on 90,000 farms and ranches across Canada.

The process of raising cattle for beef production begins on the cow-calf operation where breeding typically occurs in the summer, followed by birth of the calves the following spring. After weaning, calves are provided with feed, shelter and bedding throughout the Canadian winter. During this period, the snow and cold temperatures act as a natural barrier to disease. When animals reach a target weight of approximately 350 to 400 kg they are fed a carefully formulated diet of grain in the feedlot.

Grain-Fed Cattle Production

Canada is one of the largest grain producers in the world. In the western provinces, more than 80,000 farmers grow crops of barley and wheat. In Eastern Canada, the climate supports the growth of significant amounts of corn. Given the abundance of feed grains, Canada can supply beef produced from cattle fed diets containing barley and wheat, as well as producing corn-fed beef and veal.

Beef Safety ad Governmental Regulation

The aim of the beef industry and the government regulatory system in Canada is to provide a safe and wholesome product to consumers. Regulations on veterinary drug use in food animals and drug-residue testing programs ensure that the product in the grocery store is free of residue from antibiotics or synthetic hormones used in livestock.

Mandatory HACCP Based Programs

The Animal Nutrition Association of Canada has developed a comprehensive HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) system for animal feed production called FeedAssure™. This program includes a requirement for independent audits of feed mills including production processes and record keeping. The Canadian Cattlemen's Association has also developed a HACCP based on-farm food safety program.

A complete HACCP system is mandatory for all federally inspected establishments. These systems include prerequisite programs, which are general procedures or good manufacturing practices (GMPs) that enhance food safety for all meat production processes. HACCP plans build on this foundation and are designed to control potential hazards for specific production processes.

Types

As the number of farms are decreasing and the size are existing farms are expanding, farming intensification and efficiency is becoming more important. Substances beneficial to agriculture are used in both crop production and in animal production systems

Animal Production

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are commonly used in the food production system as a way to control the growth of potentially harmful bacteria. Potential benefits from the use of antibiotics include the prevention of diseases, increase in food and water uptake, and increase the digestive effectiveness of the animal. There are concerns however about residues of the antibiotics leaking into food products such as milk or in the carcass of animals. In Canada, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) enforces standards which protects consumers by ensuring that foods produced will not contain antibiotics at a level which will cause harm to consumers.

Safety Level of Antibiotic Use in Cattle

In Canada, the veterinary drug regulation which is comprised of two(2) federal government agencies, namely Health Canada(HC) and the CFIA are responsible for implementing the Food and Drugs Act, and enforcing those standards and policies, respectively. [1]

Testing for Drug Residues samples include three(3) proper methods: monitoring, surveillance, and compliance. These procedures are given to Swab Test On Premises (STOP) to detect antibiotic residues in kidney tissues. [1]

Antibiotics and the Cattle Industry

Antibiotics are used in the cattle industry for therapeutic purposes where they are used in the treatment of infections, prophylactically for disease prevention, and as growth promoters. The latter means that there is an increased efficiency of feed use, where growth is stimulated with less feed. Ultimately, this results in reduced costs for cattle producers, and for consumers. [1]

Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a naturally-occuring phenomenon throughout the entire world due to the overuse and/or in appropriate use of the substance. However, its usage is supported primarily because of its effectiveness in the treatment and prevention of diseases, as well as its role as growth promoters. Antibiotic is also present in antibacterial cleaning products, and in disinfection products used in farm and veterinary practices. [1] Therefore, antibiotic resistance could be on the rise.

Growth Hormones

The use of growth hormones is highly controversial. The benefits of using growth hormones includes improved feed efficiency, carcass quality, and rate of muscle development. It is argued that with the use of growth hormones, more plentiful quality meats can be sold for affordable prices. Growth hormones are often not well looked upon due to the use of synthetic hormones and also fears about the consumption of these hormones from the meat products. Due to the fact that synthetic hormones are unnatural, there are concerns about how it could affect the bodily functions of consumers. The long term affects of the consumption of synthetic hormones have not been thoroughly examined.

Safety Level of Hormone Use in Cattle

In Canada, all veterinary drugs used in food production processes are required to pass stringent tests and regulations set by the Veterinary Drugs Directorate (VDD) and are enforced by the Food and Drug Act of Health Canada.[1] The CFIA monitors all food products in Canada by sampling and testing by veterinarians and inspectors working on behalf of the provincial and federal governments. They monitor the food supply to condemn and destroy any product that is unacceptable. In the rare case where the CFIA have found a residue, it has been substantially below the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) to make acceptable for safe consumption. [1] The MRL is the maximum amount of a drug residue that may remain in a food product at the time of human consumption. MRLs are safety measures based on Accepted Daily Intakes (ADIs). The ADI level is determined from toxicology studies to be the highest amount of a substance that can be consumed daily throughout a lifespan without causing adverse effects.8 [2] Beef hormone residues are MRLs that have been established by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations. [1] Although there is growing concern that hormone residues in meat and milk might be harmful to human and animal health, the quantities of hormones found in a serving of meat are far below the level considered to be a risk to the development of cancer. Besides, the World Health Organization stated that the hormone levels are indistinguishable between the implanted and nonimplanted animals. [2].

There are three natural hormones (estradiol or estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) and their synthetic alternatives (zeranol, melengestrol acetate, and trenbolone acetate) have been approved by the VDD for use in Canadian beef production [1].

Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are naturally present in beef cattle regardless of whether or not they have been treated with hormones. Despite the fact these hormones are also present in human, the contribution of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone from beef is miniscule compared to the quantities produced naturally in the body. By comparison, an adult male will produce 136,000 ng of estrogen on a given day; whereas the estrogen levels present in a 6-ounce serving of beef from a treated animal is only approximately 3.8 ng.[1] In another word, a human being will produce almost 36,000 times the amount of estrogen in one day that would be present in a piece of beef produced with the growth hormones treated. [1] Thus, the quantities of hormones found in a serving of meat are far below the level considered to be a risk to the development of cancer[2].

Current scientific evidence does not support that pubescent maturation is caused by the hormonal substance use in animals.

Artificial Hormone Use in Cattle

Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is an artificial growth hormone produced using recombinant DNA technology (biotechnology) [3]. When injected into cows, rBGH increases milk production 10-15 percent and even up to 40 percent in some cases [3]. It is approved in the United States since 1993; however, its use has been controversial since farmers have started using it. Recent studies have shown that rBGH use in animal production cause problems including an alarming rise in the number of deformed calves and dramatic increases in mastitis, a painful bacterial infection of the udder which causes inflammation, swelling, and pus and blood secretions into milk. Studies have also shown that the presence of rBGH in the cow's blood stimulates production of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) in the cow. An increase level of IGF-1 in human has been linked to colon and breast cancer [3]. The European Union, Japan, Australia and Canada have all outlawed the use of rBST in animal production due to the animal and human health concerns [3].

Feeding Omega-3-Fatty acids

The importance of Omega-3 fatty acids have increasingly recognized during the past decade. It is an essential fatty acid meaning that a people cannot metabolize this nutrient inside the body and that it must be consumed. Common sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fish, meat, flax seed, seal oil, and some fruits and vegetables (strawberries and broccoli).

Omega-3s in beef production

Flax (or linseed) (Linum usitatissimum) is one of the most biologically available botanical sources of omega-3 fatty acid which is high in protein and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). Recently, a lot of research has been conducted involving the use of ground flax seeds as a fat supplement in cattle rations. Due to its nature of being high in protein and fats, it can easily replace other energy dense foods, such as corn, commonly used in feeds. It is believed that the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids in the diets of beef producing cattle will bring an increase in health to the animals and to the quality of carcass upon slaughter. Some studies have found that feeding flax seeds will increase the omega-3 content and improve marbling in the carcass of the animal at slaughter while others have found no differences. Flax seeds, however, are beneficial in suppressing inflammatory effects from bovine respiratory disease (BRD) often affecting cattle in stress due to production practices such as transport and processing. BRD can lead to lung tissue damage and impair the performance of the cattle leading to a low final body mass at slaughter or premature death. Although it has yet to be proven that feeding omega-3 fatty acids to cattle has any direct benefits, the preventative effect from feeding omega-3s to stressed cattle have shown great promise. Although flax feeds are greatly more expensive compared to other feeds, the economical benefits from having a generally healthier herd of cattle outweighs the cost.

Plant Based Production

There is a tolerant level towards the use of pesticides on food products to ensure safety for consumers. However, this is questionable as to the possibility of pesticide accumulation if consumption of plants is higher than an average individual. There are many pesticides that are metabolized quickly in the body and excreted out through urine, yet the chemical properties of the absorbed chemical substance influence its fate (Mitchel et al., 2008). There are pesticides that are resistant to metabolism and are readily dissolved and stored in body fat (Mitchel et al.). There are many people that are concerned at the long term effect of pesticides that are resistant to metabolism are accumulated in body fat. That is why many countries consider pesticide residues to be a public health concern (Mitchel et al.). In addition, the rate of soil depletion will be increased when pesticide is used. It also affects the crops that will be grown in the next cycle. Also, there are studies that show childhood leukemia is associated with the increased level of pesticide used in the surrounding (Fuhrman,2005). There are also studies that show that children who have parents that work in places with exposure to pesticide are more probable to be diagnosed with diseases such as brain cancer and leukemia (Fuhrman, 2005). Hence it is believed that pesticides can be spread through airborne pathways and can potentially post harm towards human health, especially children who are most vulnerable to toxic exposure (Fuhrman, 2005).

Future Research

It is proposed that the needs for future research in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids should be focused towards the long term controlled intervention to better understand the effects and benefits of the fatty acids for people who are in need of long term supplementations, such as athletes (Lora, 2007). Because there are adverse effects reported in supplemental doses on physical performances, future research is also needed and needs to be assessed with caution (Lora, 2007). Also, although there is a adequate intake level for a-linolenic and linoleic acid for the healthy population, an RDA has not been set; hence more researches are needed to determine the toxic level and inadequate amount on athletes (Lora, 2007). As for antibiotics, with the misuse of antibiotics and resistances growing, future studies and research is definitely needed to cope with the changes in time.

Canadian Animal Health Institute (2003), Hormones: A Safe, Effective Production Tool for the Canadian Beef Industry. Retrieved on 2009 Oct. 30 Available online at: http://www.cahi-icsa.ca/pdf/Beef-Hormones-Factsheet.pdf

Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Beef Information Centre (2003), Understanding Use of Antibiotic and Hormonal Substances in Beef Cattle. Nutrition Perspective. Retrieved on 2009 Oct. 29 Available online at: http://www.afac.ab.ca/current/bichormones.pdf

Fuhrman, J. (2005). Is Organic Food Safer. Retrieved Nov. 27, 2009, from Disease Proof-Eat Smart Live Happy: http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/healthy-food-is-organic-safer.htm

Lora, K. R., Lewis, N. M. (2007).Sports Nutrition: Fats and Proteins: Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids. Retrieved Nov.27, 2009. http://www.foodnetbase.com//books/6577/9079ch4.pdf

Mitchel, A.E., Meyers, K.J., Koh. E., (2008). Improving the Health-Promoting Properties of Fruits and Vegetable Products: Organic Fruits and Vegetables. Retrieved Nov. 27, 2009, from Woodland Publishing Limited: http://www.foodnetbase.com/books/7872/WP6019_CH20.pdf

Canadian Beef. (2009). The Canadian Beef Industry. Retrieved on Nov. 30,2009, Available online at:http://www.canadianbeef.info/ca/en/rt/resources/default.aspx

Silbergeld,E.K.,Graham,J.,and Price, L.B. (2008)Industrial Food Animal Production, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Human Health. Retrieved on Nov. 30, 2009, Available online at: http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.29.020907.090904?cookieSet=1

Sustainabletable (2009). rBGH & rBST. Retrieved on 2009 Oct. 30 Available online at: http://www.sustainabletable.org/spread/handouts/rBGH.pdf