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As an avid horseback rider, my social media feed is filled with equine influencers. Recently, I was scrolling through my phone when a horse rescue I follow shared a news story that stopped me in my tracks. A well-respected, multi-generational family of horse breeders in Oklahoma lost as many as 70 of their high-quality rodeo horses in an entire day. The culprit: a deadly chemical.
The veterinarian who attends to the family's horses tested their feed and found it contained a chemical additive called Monensin. The additive is used in cattle feed to prevent parasites, but the compound contains ionophores that are toxic to horses. However, it wasn’t just trace amounts found in the feed — according to the veterinarian, the dosage was high enough to kill cattle, too.
Dirk Willard wrote in Watch out for Cross Contamination, “the unintentional mixing of two streams can lead to consequences ranging from ruined product to an accident resulting in a fire or explosion.
Such inadvertent mixing has caused, totally or in part, more than a few major accidents.”
Cross-contamination has long been a serious challenge in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and chemical processing industries. From mislabeled products to incorrect dosage documentation, the list of potential scenarios when it comes to contamination causes is long. As a result, this story is worth following closely so we can learn from the tragedy and not make the same mistake elsewhere.
So, what went wrong in this case?
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry traced the contaminated bulk order back to a Kansas feed mill operated by Livestock Nutrition Center. The company issued a statement on social media admitting fault, stating the contamination “likely occurred due to a failed cleanout procedure and a sensor malfunction.” No other feed has been impacted.
The investigation is still ongoing, and more facts will come to light. In the meantime, local and national news outlets have reported on the tragedy, and social media critics have been quick to suggest ways to prevent potential contamination, such as single-product processing plants. However, for economic reasons, many smaller processing plants and feed mills are unable to concentrate solely on a single product. Most do their best to comply with FDA clean-in-place standards, performing thorough tank cleanings to prevent trace contaminants from entering the food supply.
So, what can we do to combat contamination challenges? Following strict standards can greatly minimize the risk. However, despite the highest quality control standards, human error is inevitable. Even when we know proper procedures and routines, they sometimes inadvertently fall by the wayside for myriad reasons. Having the occasional reminder or refresher can bring forgotten safety procedures back to the forefront.
Unfortunately, it’s often tragedies like this that lead to heightened diligence. So, consider this cautionary tale your reminder.
