07.11.2014

A trio of food safety and environmental advocacy groups filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, saying the agency has not sufficiently proven that ractopamine, a drug fed to pigs, cattle and turkeys, is safe for animals, humans who eat them, or the environment.
Ractopamine, a beta-agonist, increases the rate at which animals convert feed to muscle by mimicking the body’s stress hormones. It is typically fed to livestock in the weeks before slaughter to promote weight gain. The FDA approved ractopamine for use in Turkeys (Topmax- Elanco) in 2008.