Could your meat make you sick? Katie Couric of CBS Evening News set out to investigate the dangers of antibiotic use in livestock.
In part 1 (aired yesterday) of this 2 part series, Couric discovered the widespread and unmonitored use of antibiotics on healthy livestock. Wait, antibiotics on healthy livestock? Aren’t antibiotics meant to eliminate bacteria in sick animals?
They are! But unfortunately, they are also used in overabundance on healthy animals. Why? So, animals will grow faster (3x as fast) and so disease will not spread within the factory farms’ tight living conditions. While this may not seem so harmful, the practice is worrisome because it can breed new strains of drug-resistant bacteria. And, humans who handle this meat are at risk of getting ill.
In fact, according to CBS evening news, people have already gotten sick. Couric talks with former farm workers from an Arkansas poultry-processing plant who witnessed the overuse of antibiotics. In one week, 37 employees caught the deadly bacterial infection, MRSA.
Last year, a University of Iowa study found that a new strain of MRSA was found in 70% of hogs and 64% of workers on Iowa and W. Illinois farms that use antibiotics. On free-range farms that do not use antibiotics, no MRSA was found.
If you are wondering about Earth Fare meat, our Food Philosophy guarantees that there are NO antibiotics or synthetic hormones in our fresh meat & dairy. Where do we get some of our meat? Watch here:
Did you watch the CBS Evening News coverage? Do you think antibiotic use in livestock should be curbed and monitored?
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I’m so glad that CBS in bringing attention to this issue because it definitely needs to be monitored! The case study in Denmark is also very interesting. In this article, they talk about how it is becoming such a public health issue, and that producing meat cheaply is not always the best thing for individuals or society. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/10/eveningnews/main6195054.shtml
Maria, it’s definitely great – I hope it encourages even more people to source their meat from an ethical and humane source! It will taste better and be better for you!