A conspiracy theory about the risks of consuming certain meat and dairy products was proved false by a fact-checking authority.
"There's no evidence to support claims on social media that the methane-reducing cattle feed additive Bovaer contaminates milk and causes infertility and cancer in humans," Australian Associated Press FactCheck reported in December.
It noted that Facebook posts made the claim after Arla Foods partnered with Tesco, Morrisons, and Aldi to use the feed additive, which reduces cows' methane emissions by 30% to 45% by suppressing an enzyme in the animals' stomachs. Bovaer has been approved by European, U.K., and U.S. regulators and is available in Australia and dozens of other countries.
The active ingredient in the product, 3-nitrooxypropanol, is metabolized quickly by cattle, AAP FactCheck reported. That means it does not make its way into drink or food products.
A warning label on the additive seems to be the source of some of the alarm, although the information is for workers who handle Bovaer and is similar to advisories for other feed supplements as well as vitamins, per AAP FactCheck.
Additionally, a risk assessment by the Food Safety Commission of Japan noted that the reproductive organs and sperm of mice, rats, and dogs were affected by Bovaer but that no 3-NOP was found one to two hours after ingestion. The agency approved the additive for use in dairy and beef cattle feed.
AAP FactCheck reported that drinking milk from animals who have eaten 3-NOP at a dose 300 times greater than recommended would lead to a risk "roughly 30,000 times lower than that which might cause reproductive issues."
"I would argue that this is a pretty safe margin in anyone's books," said Alastair Hay, professor emeritus of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds.
A European Food Safety Authority spokesperson said, "Studies showed that the active substance of Bovaer … is not present in milk and in the meat of animals fed with the additive.
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All the time 💯 "This means that the consumer is not exposed to the additive itself," the spokesperson added.
One social media post stated that Bovaer is toxic, poisonous, and carcinogenic, although it included the abbreviation "imo," which stands for "in my opinion."
Methane is a major contributor to the rapidly warming planet and is over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide when it comes to its heating effect. For that reason, researchers are working on ways to reduce cow flatulence and burps, including by feeding the bovines seaweed and measuring their belches.
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