The commission’s decision will adopt an acceptable daily intake (ADI) and maximum residue level (MRL) for pig and cattle muscle, fat, liver and kidneys, opening the door to possible expanded international use of the product.

The decision was applauded by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Elanco, the manufacturer of feed products using ractopamine. The company said the adoption will help produce more safe food that can be delivered through global trade.

Ractopamine is the key ingredient in Optaflexx, used in beef cattle, and Paylean in pork livestock. It directs nutrients from fat to lean protein, and boosts the overall yield of lean meat in livestock.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is the body establishing international food standards and food safety practices since 1963 for the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and World Health Organization.

The commission’s examination into the safety of meat products using ractopamine was confirmed by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) through three separate studies in 2004, 2006 and 2010, and by 27 regulatory authorities worldwide, according to a news release from Elanco.

“These standards provide an international food safety reference point that helps assure consumers that their food is safe,” said Elanco President Jeff Simmons in a statement. “Codex standards for ractopamine are a significant step towards enabling sustainable meat production, fulfilling the increased demand for animal protein and therefore addressing worldwide hunger.”

“It is paramount that science is the foundation for all decisions made in the international community. Today, the Codex Commission proved they are willing to trust science and make decisions based on facts rather than politics,” said NCBA Chief Veterinarian Kathy Simmons, who attended the Codex meeting in Rome. “We are very pleased that we can move ahead on adopting international standards for ractopamine. We commend the commission for all their work.”

The Codex vote had been held up at the final approval stage for eight years, due largely to opposition from European Union Codex members. Three times the product has gone before the body, only to be stalled by European representatives that argued ractopamine was a growth promotant similar to those banned by European Union laws.

The decision is an important global scientific reference that could expand trade. But the option of whether to register the product still rests with each individual country.

Joel G. Newman, president and CEO of the American Feed Industry Association, said the vote reaffirmed the lengthy effort to emphasize food safety with the product and others like it.

“This vote, only the third in the 49-year history of Codex, was much bigger than ractopamine. It was about Codex committing to their well-established, science-based food safety principles and not letting individual countries use their legislative and/or social factors to impede the process,” Newman said.