America consumes a lot of pork. Long devoted to poultry and beef, pork has reached incredible heights due to the newly implemented regulations, better feed, and the vast number of ethnic restaurants such as Korean and Vietnamese, who use pork products in many of their dishes. Among the cuts, bacon leads the pack, as we devour tons of the fatty, crispy, and saturated fat all-day delight. To put the trend in a better perspective, here are some numbers.
In 2019, the value of U.S. pork and pork product exports to the world reached a record $7.0 billion, up 9 percent from the prior year. The top three markets, accounting for 59 percent of exports, were Japan, China, and Mexico at $1.5 billion, $1.3 billion, and $1.3 billion. Exports to China more than doubled as production impacts from ASF buoyed demand for imported pork. Japan remained the top market by value, but higher competition from other suppliers led to a 7-percent decline from last year. Exports to Mexico also fell, as retaliatory tariffs stifled trade during the first half of the year. Despite the repeal of retaliatory tariffs in May 2019, a weak economy and substantial domestic production gains hampered demand for U.S. pork.
Since the mid of the year 2000, the rise of ractopamine has been slightly problematic. Suppliers in this industry are probably familiar with ractopamine, but manufacturers using meat in their products may not know much about its use and effects. The consumer has no clue what it is.
What is ractopamine?
Ractopamine is a prominent growth-promoting agent for the meat industry and promotes lean muscle growth in the weeks before slaughter. Ractopamine belongs to a class of drugs called beta-adrenergic receptor agonists. These drugs mimic the effects of adrenaline, resulting in increased protein synthesis in muscle tissue during the administration period, typically a few weeks before slaughter. Ractopamine also increases feed efficiency, causing the livestock to grow at a more rapid rate while consuming less feed. The results provide animals with a higher lean muscle to fat ratio, allowing farmers to produce more lean meat on fewer natural resources.
Regulations and guidance for the use of ractopamine vary among nations and the scientific community. The International Codex Alimentarius Commission voted to adopt a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of 10 ppb for ractopamine in pork and beef. Despite the long-awaited decision, many countries worldwide (160 of them) have either kept or moved forward with a controversial drug ban. All of the European Union members and China and Russia have banned its use in domestic meat production and imported products. Ractopamine use is currently legal in the US, Canada, and Mexico. The MRL in the U.S. is 50 ppb – well above Codex’s limit at the International stage.
Ractopamine’s use promotes growth and leanness and is considered safe for human consumption, e.g., the USA, Japan, and South Korea. However, the feed additive finds a correlation with adverse effects, including hyperactivity, trembling, and broken limbs. The metabolic fate of ractopamine hydrochloride is similar in pigs, cattle, lab animals, and of course, humans.
Removing ractopamine not a simple task
Several U.S. pork processors announced they planned to go “ractopamine-free” to capitalize on China’s pork shortage due to African swine fever (ASF). China, the world’s largest pork consumer, banned the feed additive used to promote lean meat growth in food animals in December 2011. But removing the product from US production can become much harder than envisioned.
The ractopamine molecule is easy to detect in conventional liver testing, and the danger of contamination persists in the feed mills and delivery trailers. Pigs can expose contamination through fecal matter within the unsanitized plant.
Also, the logistics of turning a plant ractopamine-free certain days of the week and then return to average production and procedures in the remaining days will be daunting.
How are US companies addressing the issue?
Two major pork producers (Brazilian-owned JBS and Tyson) have stopped using the feed additive ractopamine, respectively, in 2018 and early 2020. Both companies have joined Smithfield (ractopamine-free since 2018) for better marketing positioning to fulfill the increased demand from China, which will only buy ractopamine-free pork.
The decision will provide long-term benefits to producer partners and the industry’s reputation by ensuring U.S. pork products compete fairly in the international marketplace while increasing sales in the Orient. But the most important feature is the safety of American consumers who have been ingesting ractopamine without health warnings since the 1940s. Essentially we discovered the use of the drug in the feed since the Chinese and Russians banned entry to their country, along with all the European Union’s states.
Before 2018, both Tyson and JBS had a production line for domestic sales in which ractopamine was allowed in pig diets, and another without it for export to countries where the substance was not allowed.
I wonder where the members of the FDA were in those days. Don’t you wonder why the word ractopamine does not appear in any supermarkets next to the protein’s descriptions? The ambivalence baffles me. Go ractopamine-free!
