January 14, 2002 — KANSAS CITY, MO — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved the use of activated lactoferrin on fresh beef, providing processors with another food safety technology that protects consumers from harmful bacteria.

Activated lactoferrin is an all-natural protein found in milk and dairy products. It has been shown to protect fresh beef against E. coli O157:H7 and more than 30 different types of pathogenic bacteria, including Salmonella and Campylobacter.

The technology prevents pathogenic bacteria from attaching to meat surfaces, in addition to preventing growth.

?USDA approval is a significant milestone for activated lactoferrin and marks the final regulatory step needed to bring this food safety technology to market,? say Eric Hale, President, aLF Ventures, LLC, a partnership between Farmland National Beef Packing Company L.P. and DMV International.

According to Hale, activated lactoferrin will be available to beef -processors worldwide who want to use the technology to improve the safety of their beef products.

Farmland National Beef expects to be the first company to offer fresh beef protected by activated lactoferrin, once final application systems development and testing is completed.

?The approval of activated lactoferrin moves this exciting new technology one step closer to the consumer,? says John Miller, chief executive officer of Farmland National Beef.

Cees de Jong, managing director of DMV International, adds that USDA approval now means production of lactoferrin will be ramped up in anticipation of consumer demand.