Why can't you buy cow lungs?

December 5, 2025 •

4 min read

In 1971, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officially banned the sale of livestock lungs for human food, a regulation that has perplexed many offal enthusiasts and home cooks ever since. The ban was the result of food safety concerns rather than a simple cultural aversion to organ meat.

Quick Summary

The USDA bans the sale of cow lungs for human food due to contamination risks, including inhaled pollutants and aspirated stomach contents entering the lungs during slaughter.

Key Points

Federal Ban: A 1971 USDA rule (9 CFR 310.16(a)) explicitly bans the sale of livestock lungs for human consumption in the U.S..
Contamination Risk: The ban was justified by USDA pathologists who found inhaled particles like pollen, dust, and fungal spores, as well as aspirated stomach contents, in animal lungs.
Processing Difficulty: The sponge-like structure of the lungs makes them extremely difficult to clean and sanitize effectively, unlike other organs.
Cultural Norms: While banned in the U.S., lung meat is consumed in many other countries and cultures, suggesting the ban is a cultural and regulatory decision, not a universal safety measure.
No Scientific Consensus: Some experts, like Dr. Jonathan Reisman, argue that the scientific basis for the ban is weak, citing that humans already swallow similar particulates from their own lungs.
Haggis Connection: The ban prevents the import of traditional Scottish haggis, which contains sheep lung, leading to adapted recipes for the U.S. market.

The Official Reason: USDA Regulations and the 1971 Ban

At the core of the prohibition against selling cow lungs for human consumption in the United States lies a specific piece of legislation: rule 9 CFR 310.16(a), which explicitly states, "Livestock lungs shall not be saved for use as human food". This rule was established following studies conducted around 1969 where USDA pathologists performed intensive examinations of animal lungs. During these inspections, they found a variety of contaminants deep within the lung tissue, including:

Dust and dirt
Fungal spores and pollen
Aspirated contents from the animal's stomach

While critics, like physician Dr. Jonathan Reisman, have argued that these inhaled particulates are also swallowed daily by both animals and humans without significant harm, the USDA's position was that these impurities rendered the lungs unfit for commercial sale as human food. This blanket ban was a more straightforward regulatory approach than attempting to enforce complex and unreliable cleaning procedures for a low-demand product.

Food Safety and Processing Challenges

The anatomical structure of the lungs presents significant food safety challenges during processing that other organ meats do not. Unlike the stomach or intestines, which are essentially hollow tubes that can be flushed, the lungs have a complex, sponge-like structure of air sacs and passages. This makes them incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to thoroughly clean and sanitize. As a result, contaminants and blood can become trapped, leading to several issues:

Rapid Spoilage: The porous nature and air content mean lungs can spoil very quickly after slaughter, increasing the risk of bacterial overgrowth.
Cross-Contamination: During the slaughtering process, there is a risk of gastrointestinal fluids, containing potential pathogens, entering the lungs. The USDA has a zero-tolerance policy for this kind of contamination in meat products.
Cooking Difficulties: Some offal experts note that lungs have a tendency to turn hard when cooked thoroughly, which might lead to undercooking and an increased risk of ingesting pathogens.

Cultural Context: Where Lungs Are Eaten and Where They Are Not

While the American and Canadian bans on selling lungs may seem absolute, many other cultures around the world regularly consume and value lung meat. This highlights the role of cultural norms in determining which parts of an animal are considered edible.

In some Asian cuisines, particularly in Indonesia, dishes like Paru goreng (fried cow lung) are popular.
In parts of South America, such as Peru, cow lung (known as bofe) is used in stews like chanfanita.
Across various European and North American Indigenous cultures, ancestral nose-to-tail practices included consuming lungs, although this tradition has faded in many modern societies.

This discrepancy is famously illustrated by haggis. Traditional Scottish haggis contains sheep lungs, but imported versions must exclude this key ingredient to comply with U.S. law.

A Comparison of Offal Regulations

To understand why cow lungs are singled out, it is useful to compare them to other offal that is legally sold in the U.S. The following table contrasts regulatory considerations for lungs with those for heart and liver.


Feature	Lungs	Heart	Liver
US Legality (Sale)	Banned	Legal	Legal
Ease of Cleaning	Extremely Difficult (sponge-like)	Easy (muscle tissue)	Easy (glandular tissue)
Spoilage Risk	High (porous, air-filled)	Lower (dense muscle)	Moderate (dense tissue)
Key Contaminant Risks	Inhaled particles, aspirated fluids	Blood (removed during processing)	Blood, potential for disease retention
Common Global Use	Varies by culture	Widespread	Widespread

Modern Attempts to Overturn the Ban

Despite the longstanding ban, not everyone agrees with the USDA's decision. Dr. Jonathan Reisman, an advocate for nose-to-tail eating, formally petitioned the FSIS to overturn the ban in 2023. He argues that the rule lacks a legitimate scientific basis and points out the irony that pets are still allowed to consume dried lung treats. He suggests that the ban is largely a result of regulatory inertia and a cultural distaste for offal, rather than actual public health risk. As interest in sustainable eating grows, some hope that outdated regulations might be reconsidered.

Conclusion

In summary, the inability to purchase cow lungs in the U.S. is not due to them being inherently inedible but rather a result of a specific 1971 USDA regulation. This ban was implemented due to perceived food safety risks associated with the difficulty of properly cleaning the porous lung tissue and preventing cross-contamination from aspirated stomach contents. While many cultures around the world continue to prepare and eat lung meat, this regulatory decision, along with changing cultural preferences, has removed it from the American food supply. Despite recent challenges to the ban's scientific merit, the rule remains in place, making cow lungs a part of the animal that is relegated to non-human uses.

For more on the history and arguments surrounding the ban, you can read the article on the topic published by Eater.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is not illegal to eat cow lungs in the US if you acquire them yourself, for instance by slaughtering your own animal. The ban applies specifically to the commercial sale of lungs for human food, not to personal consumption.

Traditional haggis is banned from importation into the United States because it is made with sheep lung. Since the 1971 ban applies to all livestock lungs, haggis cannot be imported in its authentic form.

In the U.S., cow lungs and other banned offal are typically processed for other purposes. This includes being used in pet food, rendering for fertilizer or fuel, or other commercial uses that do not involve human consumption.

The USDA's ban is based on the risk of contamination from inhaled particles, bacteria, and aspirated stomach fluids. While some argue the risk is overblown, these contaminants can potentially cause illness if the lung is not properly cleaned and cooked.

Cow lungs are eaten in many countries, particularly in parts of Asia (like Indonesia, where it's fried) and South America (like Peru, where it's used in stews). In some European countries, it was historically used in dishes like Viennese Kalbsbeuschel.

The complex, sponge-like structure of the lungs makes thorough cleaning very difficult and unreliable. Implementing a blanket ban was likely seen by regulators as a simpler and more enforceable way to manage a low-demand product with inherent processing risks.

Lungs are uniquely restricted in the U.S. due to their cleaning difficulty and risk of contamination. Other organ meats like heart, liver, and tongue are generally permitted for sale as they can be processed and cleaned much more reliably to meet food safety standards.