Ensuring Public Health: Monitoring of Hormone Residues in Poultry Meat

Oleksandra Berhilevych,Vladyslav Smiianov,Olha Chechet,Victoria Kasianchuk,Maksym Fritsak

doi:10.21272/hem.2021.3-02

Abstract

The study’s main purpose of addressing the problem of hormone content in poultry meat is to analyze the literature and such an official approach as state monitoring for 2017-2020. Research has shown that hormones have not been used in poultry farming for more than 50 years in the EU, the USA, Canada and other countries. In addition, there are strict international laws, including in Ukraine, on the control of the use of hormones in poultry to ensure public health. The urgency of solving the scientific problem is that despite the above, in the literature for the last decades there are reports based on consumer surveys (from 40 to 60%) on the negative impact of poultry meat on the content of hormones on their health. This negatively affects the consumption and image of poultry producers. Such trends are observed, including in Ukraine. This encourages the provision of scientifically sound information on this issue. The study of the content of hormones in poultry meat in the article is carried out in the following logical sequence: the analysis of international scientific literature on the content of hormones in poultry meat, as well as data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine on the trend of poultry consumption and increased demand among consumers for this type of meat. In addition, the article analyzes the official data of state monitoring of residual hormones in poultry meat. The following methods became the methodological tools of the conducted research: analysis of literature sources for 10 years, the period of research of the state monitoring is chosen 2017-2020. The object of the study was the biased attitude of some consumers to the safety of poultry meat in terms of hormones, which arose as a result of the spread of the myth of the use of hormones in poultry. The subject of the research was the analysis of current literature data and the results of official national monitoring of the content of hormones in poultry meat. Research shows that as a result of constant strict official controls on the use of hormones in poultry and the inefficiency of their use for poultry producers, the latter amount of hormones is at a minimum physiological level that does not harm public health. Our state monitoring studies show proper state control and provide guarantees to consumers in the consumption of safe poultry meat. The results of this study can be useful for consumers, scientists, and students in the field of food safety and our country as a whole to disseminate scientifically sound information in the field of state control over food safety.

Highlights

There are no safe food products because each of them contains some potentially hazardous substances for human health
It is assumed that a scientific evaluation of literature sources and results monitoring of hormone residues will contribute to the dissemination of results on a systematic basis state control of poultry meat safety in Ukraine to ensure public health, which will have a positive effect on consumer confidence in the safety of meat birds and the positive image of our country at the international level
The main purpose of food risk management is to ensure that the two main activities for scientific risk assessment and monitoring of poultry products are given a gated focus that reduces or eliminates the risk factor in food intended for human consumption

Summary

Introduction

There are no safe food products because each of them contains some potentially hazardous substances for human health. This problem is solved by conducting state management of food risks to ensure safety for public health. Food risk management at the state level in the EU, USA, Canada, Japan and other countries, including Ukraine, is carried out at the legislative level. Food legislation establishes mandatory rationing of hazardous substances in food to those levels that are the lowest risk to human health and mandatory monitoring of residues of these substances in raw materials and food products to establish compliance with established standards. The risk assessment determines the level of exposure on the health of people or population groups to hazardous substances in food based on scientific evidence. It is more difficult to determine the risks associated with chemical exposure when the effect does not occur quickly

Methods

Results

Conclusion