policy
Food safety
The AVMA supports appropriate educational, legislative, and regulatory measures to assure that foods of animal origin are safe and wholesome. AVMA…
Food Safety Advisory Committee
The Food Safety Advisory Committee advises the Board of Directors on food protection (food safety, food defense, and food security) issues.
policy
The importance of veterinarians in food safety
The AVMA recommends that the USDA's Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service take three actions to enhance the recruiting and retention of…
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Safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) food
The AVMA believes mandatory labeling of GMOs and GE foods or food products is not necessary.
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Education and training in food safety, security and defense for veterinary medical professional and paraprofessional students
The AVMA recommends that state and federal entities develop and expand training programs for veterinary students in the area of food safety,…
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Technologies for pathogen mitigation in food processing
The AVMA supports the use of pathogen reduction processes, such as pasteurization, irradiation, high pressure processing, and other science-based…
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Organic foods
Food producers should be encouraged to provide medically necessary therapy, including antimicrobials, under a veterinarian’s direction, regardless of…
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Truthful and nonmisleading human food labeling
The AVMA supports truthful and non-misleading labeling of animal-derived human food products that meets specific criteria.
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Marketing claims regarding agricultural animal food products
Understand when the AVMA believes a veterinarian should be involved in processes and practices that underlie marketing claims for animal-derived food…
Salmonella: Dry pet foods and pet treats (FAQ)
Questions/answers about Salmonella and pet food: How can pet food become contaminated? How can humans and pets become infected? How can you minimize…
policy
Approval and availability of antimicrobials for use in food-producing animals
The availability and effectiveness of antimicrobials, including medically important antimicrobials, are important to support the health and welfare of…
Veterinary feed directive (VFD) basics
The FDA's Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) requires a veterinarian’s involvement when any medically important antibiotic is fed to a food animal…
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Raw milk
The AVMA supports laws requiring pasteurization of fluid nonhuman mammalian milk intended for direct sale or distribution to consumers and opposes…
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Livestock identification and animal traceability
Permanent, unique identification of animals and premises is essential for tracing origin and destination of livestock to protect the nation’s…
Antimicrobial use and resistance: AVMA policies
Explore AVMA policies related to antimicrobial use in veterinary medicine, including guidelines on judicious therapeutic use, the definition of…
policy
Raw diets for dogs and cats
The AVMA discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens…
Backyard chickens 101
A quick guide for small animal veterinarians to provide veterinary care for backyard chickens and urban poultry flocks.
Antimicrobial use and resistance: FAQs for pet owners
AVMA's antimicrobial FAQs provide science-based information to help you make educated decisions about the use of antibiotics and other antimicrobial…
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Joint AVMA-FVE-CVMA statement on continuous monitoring of antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance
The AVMA, Federation of Veterinarians of Europe and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association endorse this statement on continuous monitoring of…
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Joint AVMA-FVE-CVMA statement on responsible and judicious use of antimicrobials
The AVMA, Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association have jointly adopted this policy on responsible and…
Committee on Antimicrobials
The Committee on Antimicrobials supports AVMA’s strategy to allow the veterinary profession to effectively share robust and comprehensive…
policy
AAAP guidelines for judicious therapeutic use of antimicrobials in poultry
The AVMA has endorsed these guidelines on judicious therapeutic antimicrobial use in poultry production, developed by the American Association of…