Editing Offal (section)

==Health and food safety issues==
The offal of certain animals is unsafe to consume:
* The internal organs of the [[fugu]] [[pufferfish]] are highly toxic—in Japan, fugu can only be prepared by trained master chefs, working under extremely strict regulations, sanitary conditions, and licensing. Even a residual portion of fugu toxin can be fatal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aegis.com/files/mmwr/1996/MM4519.PDF |title=Aegis.com |access-date=2012-02-06}}</ref>
* The liver of the [[polar bear]] is unsafe to eat because it is very high in [[vitamin A]] and can cause [[hypervitaminosis A]], a dangerous disorder. This has been recognized since at least 1597 when [[Gerrit de Veer]] wrote in his diary that, while taking refuge in the winter in [[Novaya Zemlya]], he and his men became gravely ill after eating polar-bear liver. Seal liver is similarly toxic,<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/348/4/347|title=Hypervitaminosis A and Fractures|doi=10.1056/NEJMe020167|access-date=2012-02-06|volume=348|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|pages=347–349|pmid=12540650|date=January 2003|last1=Lips|first1=P|issue=4|archive-date=2008-03-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312232610/http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/348/4/347|url-status=dead|url-access=subscription}}</ref> as is dog liver.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1136/sbmj.0205158 |first1=Anjali |last1=Nataraja |year=2002 |title=Man's best friend? |journal=Student BMJ |volume=10 |pages=131–70|s2cid=155899013 }}</ref>
* Some animal intestines are very high in [[coliform]] [[bacteria]] and need to be washed and cooked thoroughly to be safe for eating.
* Nervous system tissue can be contaminated with [[Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy|TSE]] [[prion]]s, which cause [[bovine spongiform encephalopathy]] (BSE, "mad cow disease"); in some jurisdictions these offal are classified as [[specified risk material]]s and are subject to special regulations.<ref>{{cite news|last=O'Connor |first=Anahad |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/31/us/closer-look-new-measures-against-mad-cow-disease.html |title= New Measures Against Mad Cow Disease |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=2003-12-31 |access-date=2016-01-08}}</ref>
* Offal very high in [[purine]]s can precipitate an acute attack of [[gout]] in someone with the condition.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gout|url=https://medlineplus.gov/gout.html|website=Medline Plus|access-date=23 January 2018}}</ref>
* Certain types of offal, including kidneys, stomach, intestines, heart, tongue, and liver, can be very high in saturated fats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/beef-products/3466/2|title=Beef, variety meats and by-products, kidneys, raw|work=Nutrition Facts.com|access-date=2009-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/pork-products/7357/2|title=Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, stomach, cooked, simmered|work=Nutrition Facts.com|access-date=2009-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/poultry-products/665/2|title=Chicken, heart, all classes, cooked, simmered|work=Nutrition Facts.com|access-date=2009-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/lamb-veal-and-game-products/4690/2|title=Lamb, variety meats and by-products, tongue, cooked, braised|work=Nutrition Facts.com|access-date=2009-12-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/poultry-products/782/2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618075209/http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/poultry-products/782/2|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 18, 2008|title=Duck, domesticated, liver, raw|work=Nutrition Facts.com|access-date=2009-12-23}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=July 2024}}
* The practice of feeding raw offal to dogs on farms and ranches can spread [[echinococcosis]], a potentially fatal parasitic disease of animals, including humans.
* The United Kingdom banned the sale of animal brains in order to curtail the spread of [[mad cow disease]] in the 1980s and 90s.<ref name=IllegalLungs>Davies, Madeline. [https://www.eater.com/22774656/gastropod-offal-episode-edible-organs-lungs-testicles-brains "Here’s Why It’s Illegal to Sell Animal Lungs for Consumption in the U.S."], ''[[Eater (website)|Eater]]'', 10 November 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2023.</ref>
* A similar ban is imposed by the [[Food and Drug Administration]] on animal lungs in the United States due to concerns such as [[fungal spore]]s or cross-contamination with other organs, although these concerns have been criticized as unfounded.<ref name=IllegalLungs/>