Mexico looks to free beef from additive

The National Health Service, Food Safety and Quality (SENASICA) said the programme had been developed in coordination with Mexico’s Department for Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA).

To be registered as a reliable supplier of Clenbuterol-free beef, producers must first apply to SAGARPA, signing a letter committing to comply with the rules of the programme.

They will then be required to submit four samples over a period of 12 months, carried out in intervals of three to four months. If all four tests come back negative, they will be awarded a Certificate of Reliable Supplier (Clenbuterol-free).

Clenbuterol, a feed additive used to increase the leanness and protein content of cattle, is already illegal in the US and European Union. Consuming meat with traces of the drug has been linked to increased heart rate, muscular tremors, headache, nausea, fever and chills.