Government Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Government Analysis - Essay Example They can enact this right in the voting booth, in the court of public opinion, through the judicial system, and via a host of other avenues. In the end, laws and rules are designed for the better good of society, which means that some will almost certainly disagree and strive to have a rule amended or changed. As the government has grown in size, the bureaucracy has remained in force to handle many such proposed rule changes. From Health and Human Services, to issues of the economy, to science and technology among others, the Federal Register has been designed to keep the public informed of any new or impending changes to policy. In this age of increasing technology, such changes are readily accessible via the Internet, and comments are encouraged. This epitomizes our functioning democratic form of law. It is important that individual citizens have the right and the avenue to make their voices heard in an easily accessible manner. Not everyone can travel to Washington D.C. to argue a proposed rule, but nearly everyone can write or email interested parties. This paper will examine a current rule that is being proposed by the Food and Drug Administration, analyze its rationale, discuss recent comments made, and propose a recommendation as to its feasibility. Proposed Final Rule For quite some time, the Food and Drug Administration has been grappling with a proposal to allow certain parts of cattle to be used in dietary supplements, food, and cosmetics, provided a certain procedure was followed. This rule was actually adopted in 2005, as an amendment to an earlier rule that prohibited such use. Now, the rule is back up for debate, as new research studies have been published that seem to contradict earlier findings establishing that the cattle parts were safe in the proposed food and drug items, provided the set procedure was followed. The docket number of this rule change is FDS-2004-N-0188, and the title of the rule amendment is â€Å"Use of Materials Derived fr om Cattle in Human Food and Cosmetics†, with the comment period ending May 3, 2013 (Federal Register 14012). In summary, rule 69 FR 42256, adopted back on July 14, 2004, established that the use of certain parts of a cow in food and cosmetics was to be prohibited. This was due to studies that revealed there was potential risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in human food (Federal Register 14012). This also applied to dietary supplements and cosmetics. After a revised comment period, and the publishing of further studies, the Federal Register opted to amend the rule back on September 7, 2005. This amended final rule allowed for the use of the small intestine of cattle in human food and cosmetics, provided an approved removal technique was used (Federal Register 14012). The small intestine, being deemed acceptable for use in cosmetics and certain food products, including dietary supplements, has now been permitted since that rule amendment in 2005. The new rule has sin ce allowed the intestine to be utilized provided it was removed by a procedure approved by the FDA, or if an organization could provide an equally effective alternative procedure that was deemed safe and reliable (Federal Register 14012). While this procedure has continued largely unchecked for the last seven years, interested parties began to conduct and publish their own studies. These studies have created enough reasonable doubt as to the safety of the small intestine, as presently being used, that the Food and Drug Administration has decided to revisit the rule. In recent years, scientific studies, most of which have been peer-reviewed, have demonstrated that there is the possibility that the colon of cattle can be infected with matter that can be harmful to humans. In