How does the regulatory path of the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) differ in its optimization goals for animal feed?
It is optimized for the health of the target animal, not the human consumer
The regulatory framework overseen by the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) establishes safety thresholds for animal food that are distinctly tailored to ensure the well-being of the intended recipient animal—be it a chicken, pig, or horse. While the CVM works to protect public health generally, the standards applied to contaminants in feed are often different from those applied to food intended for humans. For instance, certain toxins might have an established, albeit small, tolerance level in animal feed, whereas the same level might be strictly prohibited in human food, meaning that feed passing inspection for animal use may still contain unsafe levels for people.
