The USDA Office of Inspection General (OIG) recently issued an audit report addressing the Food Safety and Inspection Service's (FSIS) management of the National Residue Programme especially as it pertains to cattle.

The report addresses concerns in the overall national residue programme and steps that FSIS, FDA, and Environment Protection Agency (EPA) should take to work together to prevent residues from entering the food supply.

One of the corrective actions proposed by FSIS to OIG includes the need to set tolerances by FDA for heavy metals, such as copper and arsenic, so that if product tests positive, FSIS inspection personnel are able to make a disposition on the product.

FSIS also aims to better allocate testing resources and expand the list of substances for which it tests. According to the report, FSIS will also ensure that establishments slaughtering animals at a higher risk for residue violations such as dairy cows and veal, are following HACCP principles.