A survey by the Department of Agriculture shows no veterinary drug residues were found and none at levels that even approached U. S. regulatory limits in pork samples. The Survey by the USDA Agricultural Research Service looked at more than 1,000 pork kidney samples.
The findings, according to USDA, signal that U.S. pork producers are using veterinary compounds properly and indicate that veterinary drug residues in pork are not posing a health concern to U.S. consumers. A total of 1040 pork kidneys were purchased from four grocery stores in the Midwest and tested for residues of five commonly used veterinary drugs and feed additives.
Pork kidneys are commonly used as an indicator meat as they are readily accessible and tend to concentrate drug residues compared to more commonly consumed muscle meats. Only six samples, or 0.58 percent, were positive when screened for antibiotics, indicating those samples potentially contained antibiotic residues.