Researchers Allay DDGS Food Safety Fears

US - Fears that using dried distillers grains (DDGS) as feed would cause harm to animals and also have a detrimental effect on the safety of its meat have been contradicted by new research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

29 May 2008

2 minute read

North America

The National Corn Growers Association hailed this report as yet another rebuff of some of the accusations raised against corn ethanol.

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"‘finger pointing’ needs to end until we get clear answers."

Steve Ruh, chairman of NCGA’s Ethanol Committee

“It’s heartening to see that the scary headlines of a few months ago were unwarranted,” said Steve Ruh, chairman of NCGA’s Ethanol Committee, citing news reports that tied distiller grains to E. coli. “We agree with the researchers that more work needs to be done in this area, and that ‘finger pointing’ needs to end until we get clear answers.”

In their paper, presented last week at the annual meeting of the Distillers Grains Technology Council in Kansas City, UNL researchers review prior research by Kansas State and UNL, and concluded that distiller grains have had no “demonstrably consistent” effect on E. coli shedding from livestock, that data are inconsistent and that more research is needed.

“At this point, there is no scientific evidence that feeding DG [distillers grains], at least at levels being used commercially, is the cause of a food safety crisis,” they conclude. “Additionally, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that the feeding of DGs is the cause of the 2007 recalls.”