Washington — McDonald's Corp. is starting on its own to enforce widely disregarded federal regulations aimed at keeping the nation's beef supply free of mad cow disease.
The fast-food giant has given packers until April 1 to document that the cattle they buy have been fed in accordance with the federal rules.
The action by the nation's largest buyer of beef has had a ripple effect throughout the industry, officials say. Major meatpackers, including IBP Inc., Excel and ConAgra, have told their cattle suppliers they must document their compliance with the feed rules.
"If McDonald's is requiring something of their suppliers, it has a pretty profound effect," said Janet Riley, a spokeswoman for the American Meat Institute, which represents packers.
The Livestock Marketing Assn. has advised its members to begin requiring documentation from cattle producers or risk being unable to sell to slaughterhouses.
In a recent memo advising its member auction yards on how to comply with the documentation requirements, the association said, "While this latest food safety effort will involve considerable additional work and inconvenience to the markets and dealers as well as our customers, we must all do our part to assure high consumer confidence in the meat supply."
The FDA reported recently that hundreds of feed makers had failed to comply with its feed regulations, which are designed to keep the brain-wasting disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, from spreading if it ever reaches this country.
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