The safe use of by-products as animal feeds is an essential means of utilizing many materials that would otherwise be of little economic value and could incur disposal costs or become environmental pollutants. However, because of unbalanced nutrient compositions and the possible presence of toxins and pathogens or antinutritive factors, the use of by-products can easily pose a threat to consuming animals and, in turn, consuming humans.
The subject of animal feed safety has become a major concern in recent years, following the loss of public confidence in the livestock industry. This has been brought about by events such as the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, dioxin in feeds in Belgium, the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), aflatoxin contamination of many feed ingredients and the presence of Salmonella spp. in eggs and meat products worldwide. Estimates based on World Health Organization (WHO) statistics suggest that hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer from diseases contracted through food consumption, and that developing countries suffer the most (Saucier, 1999).
In order that the people who consume animal products produced from by-products can do so with confidence, it is essential that there is a profound scientifically based understanding of the dangers of using all such materials and of ways in which they can be made safe. At the same time, it is important that monitoring and regulatory agencies in countries where such materials are fed are aware of the issues involved and have appropriate systems in place to process and regulate the safe use of all these materials.
