Olympic anti-doping lab puts U.S. meat supply to the test

The laboratory, which typically searches for prohibited substances in urine and blood samples from elite athletes, took part in a comprehensive year-long surveillance study funded by the Partnership for Clean Competition (PCC) examining beef, pork, and chicken purchased from retail outlets across eight U.S. cities.

Growth-promoting substances like ractopamine and trenbolone are legally used in U.S. livestock production to increase muscle growth and improve feed efficiency. While the European Union bans many of these compounds, U.S. regulations permit their controlled use in specific animals (particularly beef cattle), though suggested voluntary withdrawal periods for ractopamine before slaughter help ensure residue levels remain within established limits for safe human consumption. Some athletes have attributed positive anti-doping tests to contaminated meat from the U.S. food supply.

Researchers at the lab led by Elizabeth (Ellie) Ahrens, director of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory, employed the same analytical methods used in anti-doping efforts — liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry — to screen meat samples for anabolic steroids and other growth-promoting agents that are prohibited in sports.

The study, led by Dr. Bradley J. Johnson at Texas Tech University, and in collaboration with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), found that while some beef samples contained detectable levels of substances like ractopamine, trenbolone, and estradiol, all measurements remained well below the maximum residue limits established by regulatory authorities such as the FDA. Pork and chicken samples showed minimal residues, with the vast majority testing entirely negative for prohibited substances.

“The findings suggest that positive tests resulting from meat consumption are highly unlikely when consumed in amounts consistent with typical daily diets,” the researchers concluded in their report. “This study reinforces the effectiveness of current regulatory practices in limiting growth promoter residues in commercial meat.” The project is ongoing to collect more samples, including examining imported meat into the U.S. from abroad.