Is your feed supplier double-checking your mineral?

It is more important than ever to have a traceability program in place from farm to fork for both humans and livestock.

When it comes to heavy metals, dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the levels illegal in other regions such as Europe are not necessarily illegal here. The FDA does not have specified limits for heavy metals.

They do, however, state under Section 402(a)(1) of the Food, Drug And Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 342(a)(1)), a food shall be deemed to be adulterated if it bears or contains any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render it injurious to health, but in case the substance is not an added substance such food shall not be considered adulterated under this clause if the quantity of such substance in such food does not ordinarily render it injurious to health.

Until better coordination among the USDA, the EPA and the FDA is reached and limits are set in place, the most troublesome and costly element to U.S. businesses from heavy metals, dioxins and PCBs is damage to their brand, more than any sort of “illegal” component.

A study by AMR Research, a U.S.-based international research firm, shows recalls are more common and costly than expected. Expenses often exceed $10 million per recall, with companies losing twice that much.

An effective traceability system could make many of these recalls avoidable. Safeguarding the quality of ingredients in animal feed is essential in ensuring food safety.

How do trace minerals become contaminated?

In recent years, contamination of trace mineral supplements has been causing more frequent problems across borders. China is a major supplier of inorganic minerals to the animal nutrition sector.

Recently, trace elements shipped from China – including sources of zinc, copper and manganese – have been included in a list of products subject to enhanced checks before being allowed to enter the European Union (EU). Cadmium and lead contamination have been identified as the potential hazards in these shipments.

Dioxin is a general term for a large group of fat-soluble organo-chlorine compounds, the polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans, about 30 of which are significantly toxic.

Dioxins can potentially be formed whenever organic compounds, chlorine and high temperatures are involved. Common sources include volcanic eruptions, forest fires, exhaust emissions, incinerators and in the manufacturing of chemicals, pesticides and paints.

Dioxins can also be formed during the processing of inorganic minerals. Metals, especially copper, can act as catalysts in dioxin formation.

Dioxins are termed “persistent organic pollutants” because they are very stable, resisting physical and biological breakdown to remain in the environment for long periods of time. Dioxins are known teratogens, mutagens and carcinogens in humans and animals.

PCBs differ from dioxins in that they are intentionally produced for the manufacture of transformers, inks, plasticizers, lubricants and building materials.

PCBs are present in inorganic trace mineral sources due to the recycling of metal sources, such as copper wiring. At least 70 percent of copper sulfate is produced from renewable sources. PCBs are also a known carcinogen in humans and animals.

Heavy metals are a concern because they can enter the soil resulting in the contamination of inorganic trace mineral sources and can enter groundwater as a pollutant.

Mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic can cause neurological signs such as blindness, anemia, soft-shelled eggs, kidney and renal damage, and sudden death in livestock.

The use of mined versus recycled minerals has also been debated; however, both have had negative implications. Mined minerals tend to be higher in heavy metal contamination, and the mining process can cause contamination with dioxins and PCBs.

Dioxins can also be formed during recycling, and often materials such as PVC coating are not removed during the process of recycling.

Five-year survey

Recently, our company completed its fifth annual Heavy Metal Survey throughout the Asia-Pacific region on samples of complete feed, premix, inorganic minerals and organic minerals.

Almost 500 samples were submitted as part of the 2015 survey and analyzed for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES).

Results show 30 percent of 498 samples tested were contaminated with at least one heavy metal above acceptable EU levels.

A closer look into the results show 14 percent of inorganic minerals, 7 percent of organic minerals, 15 percent of pre-mixes and a staggering 68 percent of the complete feeds analyzed were contaminated. Such contamination has been shown to have not only an impact on animal performance but also on consumer safety.

Extremely high levels of heavy metals were detected in some samples. For example, 2,019 ppm of cadmium were detected in a copper sulphate sample, while a zinc oxide sample revealed 3,023 ppm of lead.

High contamination levels are commonly found in inorganic minerals due to the mining and manufacturing process as well as less stringent quality assurance applied to feed-grade mineral sources.

It is important to remember that this survey is only a snapshot in time. Heavy metal contamination is an ongoing risk. The only way to ensure ongoing quality minerals, free from heavy metal, PCB and dioxin contamination, is to test every batch.

Quality control check

The risk of contamination associated with inorganic minerals is a concern for feed manufacturers of all mineral supplement forms because inorganic mineral sources are used to manufacture organic mineral products.

Cattle producers should confirm their feed companies are implementing a quality assurance program that addresses these concerns:

Does the manufacturer use approved suppliers only?
Does the manufacturer audit its suppliers?
Does the manufacturer have third-party certifications from reputable groups to demonstrate its commitment to quality?
Does the manufacturer test for dioxins, PCBs and heavy metals in all raw materials and prior to sale? Traceability from raw materials to finished product is a must for all feed additives.

Besides contamination issues, many beef feeds are turning to organic minerals to limit their impact on the environment.

Growing awareness of the environmental pollution caused by those unused trace minerals has led to concern and even new legislation in parts of the world controlling trace minerals in feed and manure levels.

Quality control has to be at the top of each beef producer’s list when choosing trace minerals. As a result of past and current food crises, animal feed is an important area that affects the integrity and safety of the food chain.

In addition, legislation concerning the production of feed is getting stricter. Routine analysis of feed and food ingredients and the assurance of equally high standards of quality and transparency from suppliers will continue to be critical in a global ingredient market to protect the food chain from contaminants such as dioxins, heavy metals and PCBs.