Antibiotic resistance in farm animals produces dangerous meat. Here's how to avoid it

Whale on the scale

When your doctor prescribes an antibiotic, it’s usually just a small handful of pills. A couple of ounces at most.

But when you look at the total number of antibiotics that patients in the U.S. use every year, that number explodes. It’s about 8 million pounds…or the weight of 32 blue whales.

Stunning? Yes, but it’s fairly puny when you compare it to the number of antibiotics shoved down the throats of farm animals in the U.S….

Nearly 30 million pounds — a year. You would need more than 100 blue whales to balance that scale.

Now THAT is stunning. But more important: it’s also quite dangerous for all of us.

Never is a long time

Antibiotics increase weight and accelerate growth of farm animals. Years ago, when livestock producers figured that out, most of them never looked back. They drugged their animals and raked in the profits.

Obviously, drug company executives loved that trend. Their profits soared too.

But one little detail spoiled the party…

Traces of antibiotics given to farm animals find their way into humans. Over time, that adds to our antibiotic resistance and inability to fight off deadly superbugs like MRSA.

That’s the bad news. And now, from bad to worse…

A new report shows that human antibiotic use has leveled off. But livestock use increases. Even more disturbing, the growth of use exceeds industry growth. That means the average antibiotic load on each individual animal is rising.

And the report turns grim when it gets down to grocery store details. That’s because animals develop antibiotic resistance too.

Researchers found Salmonella contamination in more than 10% of ground turkey and chicken breast samples. About 75% of the Salmonella were resistant to at least one antibiotic. And about half of the Salmonella on ground turkey were resistant to three or more antibiotics.

This combination of human and animal antibiotic resistance is a massive health issue. So, naturally, a huge effort to resolve it must be in the works. Right?

Well… You would think.

More than 30 years ago, the FDA knew that antibiotic use in healthy livestock was a public health threat. But lobbyists for farmers and drugmakers pushed FDA officials to back down.

Profits won. You and I lost. And clearly, our health is still losing.

In 2013, the FDA has a new approach. The agency is encouraging factory farmers to follow new guidelines for antibiotic use. But the guidelines are mild. And — laughably — they’re voluntary.

Voluntary! As if the executives who run giant factory farms are going to voluntarily curb their profits.

FDA officials can cross their fingers and wish with all their might. But it’s never going to happen. Not voluntarily. Never.

But there’s no point in waiting patiently for “never” to arrive. So here’s what you can do to protect yourself today…

When you’re shopping, look for one of these three seals. They ensure that 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

Too bad we can’t rate the FDA as “certified humane.”

Sources:
“The Meat Industry Now Consumes Four-Fifths of All Antibiotics” Tom Philpott, Mother Jones, 2/8/13, motherjones.com