Tyson Fresh Meats will no longer allow the use of ractopamine in the hogs it buys. In the past, the company had only offered a limited amount of ractopamine-free pork.
Ractopamine is fed to hogs in order to help them have more lean meat.
“We believe the move to prohibit ractopamine use will allow Tyson Fresh Meats and the farmers who supply us to compete more effectively for export opportunities in even more countries,” says Steve Stouffer, president, Tyson Fresh Meats.
Most of the hogs delivered to the company’s pork plants are purchased from about 2,000 independent farmers, according to National Fog Harmer.
The new regulations begin in February 2020, other countries such as China do not import pork from hogs that have consumed ractopamine. However, it is FDA approved.
Tyson Fresh Meats generates about $1 billion in pork exports annually.