The fuse is burning dangerously short on one of our most deadly public health issues

The worst kind of bull

I sometimes wonder if FDA officials give any thought to the way their decisions affect their own families.

I mean, don’t they have kids and grandkids? Don’t they have parents, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and friends they care about?

When powerful drug companies and food industry giants are given an absurdly long leash when it comes to public safety, everyone is affected — including all those individual people who are personally important to decision-making FDA officials.

I’m thinking about this today because the agency recently made a decision that will likely have an enormous negative health impact on untold numbers of people for years to come — mothers, fathers, kids, grandkids…and even FDA officials themselves.

Long time coming

The first time I heard this statistic I was bowled over — it’s just staggering…

About 80 percent of all the antibiotics made in the U.S. are used on livestock. Just think about that. Millions of people use antibiotics every day, and yet that’s a relatively small fraction compared to out-of-control antibiotic use on factory farms.

Many years ago, meat producers realized that their healthy animals gained weight when antibiotics were put in their feed. Since then, that one simple detail has added up to vast additional profits for food producers and drug companies.

Good for profits. Bad for people.

It’s been more than 30 years since the FDA first acknowledged that antibiotic use in healthy livestock creates a growing threat to public health.

Over all those decades, millions upon millions of people have filled their plates (and their stomachs) with meat containing traces of those antibiotics.

It’s no surprise that this significantly contributes to our overall antibiotic resistance, prompting bacteria to mutate into “superbugs.” And one of those superbug strains — the exceedingly dangerous MRSA — kills thousands of hospital patients every year.

But as we’ve seen time and time again, the FDA is not likely to say, “No,” to either the food industry or the drug industry when boatloads of money are involved. And this antibiotic issue is no exception.

According to a recent FDA notice, Congress has told the agency that more research is needed before any action is taken. Thirty-five years, and they need more research? It’s absurd!

Well…put it this way: It’s absurd from a public health point of view. But from the point of view of Congress, which is fueled by big donors in mammoth industries (such as drugs and food) it’s just business as usual.

Meanwhile, FDA officials say they’ll move forward in promoting voluntary guidance. Voluntary! They’re actually going to ask factory farmers and drug executives to voluntarily curb their profits in the interest of public health.

And while they’re at it, they might also encourage pigs to fly and ask NASA to paint the moon Ravens purple.

When you’re shopping, look for one of these three seals that ensures the meat comes from animals that have not been fattened with antibiotics:

1) USDA Certified Organic
2) American Grassfed Certified
3) Animal Welfare Approved and Certified Humane

You know…if you’re not interested in waiting another 35 years for the FDA (or forever for the voluntary changes).

Sources:
“FDA Withdraws Proposal To Limit Livestock Antibiotic Use, Raising Public Health Concerns” Lynne Peeples, Huffington Post, 12/23/11, huffingtonpost.com