Tell the FDA to Ban Carbadox Once and For All
By Steve Roach, and Madeleine Kleven, FACT’s Safe and Healthy Food Team
The current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, Dr. Califf, was the head of the Agency in 2016 when it first proposed banning the carcinogenic pig feed additive carbadox. The FDA wanted to ban the drug because it’s use in pigs leads to cancer causing residues in pork products. Commissioner Califf left office soon after with the additive still on the market. Once again, he is at the end of his term as Commissioner and the drug is being fed to even more pigs than in 2016. Join us in asking Dr. Califf to complete the ban as recommended by the FDA’s own experts before stepping down as Commissioner.
For over two decades, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has knowingly allowed U.S consumers to be exposed to a carcinogen. Carbadox - a drug fed to the vast majority of pigs in industrial animal operations - can elevate a consumer's risk of cancer, cause health problems in food workers and harm the environment. It has been decades since the FDA recognized its harm, and it has been a year since the FDA formally proposed a ban on the drug, yet it remains in use. The public health risks posed by carbadox are not hypothetical; they are real, documented, and urgent. Food safety should be a priority for the FDA, and the continued approval of a carcinogenic drug in the food supply is an unacceptable risk. The delay in moving forward with the ban is causing unnecessary harm, and it is long past time for the FDA to take definitive action.
Background on carbadox:
When the drug is given to pigs it breaks down, leaving behind residues in animal tissue, some of which are known to cause cancer. If someone consumes this meat, they can be exposed to the carcinogens. In order to try and prevent this from happening, the FDA set a withdrawal limit on the drug when it was approved for use. In theory, if the drug has broken down completely over a sufficient length of time, then the residues will be at a low enough level that they shouldn’t cause a health risk to humans. However, several studies from scientists and international public health agencies were released after this withdrawal time was established which say that there is no safe way to use the drug. It can stay in animal tissue for a long time, and the withdrawal period that was set is not adequate for protecting consumers. After decades of pushback from the drug company and the FDA stalling, the Agency finally acknowledged the science and agreed that the drug is completely unsafe, the FDA started the process to ban the drug in 2016. However, even more industry pushback caused delays. Just over a year ago in November of 2023, the FDA formally proposed a ban on the drug. But no action has been taken since then. Meanwhile, the FDA is still allowing carbadox to be given to millions of pigs, while Phibro, the drug-maker, profits from poisoning our food. Before Commissioner Califf ends his term at the FDA, he needs to take action and follow through with banning the drug. Please join us in urging him to do so. Your voice makes a difference.