Over the last decade, controversy has risen over the use of antibiotics in meat due to scientific concerns that high levels could lead to serious health risks. However, banning the use of these antibiotics would greatly impact the efficiency of the meat industry, and inevitably raise the prices of meat. So, when does the risk outweigh the reward?
Antibiotic Resistance
The biggest controversy involves taking antibiotics that are used to treat human illnesses and putting them in the food animals eat. If animals are treated with a certain antibiotic over time, the bacteria living in those animals will become resistant to that antibiotic. If a person then eats undercooked meat with the resistant bacteria and becomes sick, he or she may not respond to antibiotic treatment. There have been several instances in which this seemed to be the case.
A study from the New England Journal of Medicine found that 20% of ground meat bought in supermarkets contained salmonella. Salmonella is a bacterium that people ingest through contaminated water or food. From the contaminated meat with salmonella, 84% was resistant to at least one form of antibiotics. Additionally, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found strong links that showed that the people who developed Cipro-resistant bacteria had acquired it by eating pork contaminated with salmonella. Cipro belongs to a family of drugs known as fluoroquinolone and is used to treat and prevent salmonella and anthrax (another disease that is transmitted from contaminated animals) in people.
The Meat Industry’s Standpoint
On the other hand, the meat-production industry states that there is not enough evidence to support the blame that animal feed is the only reason for antibiotic resistance. A report by the World Health Organization explains that resistance to antibiotics is the result of a combination of factors that include “overuse in many parts of the world, particularly for minor infections” and “misuse due to lack of access to appropriate treatment.”
According to Alexander S. Matthews, president and CEO of the Animal Health Institute (AHI), removal of antibiotics from animal feed and water “would lead to increased animal disease, a reduction in food safety and gain little effort to control resistance.” Along with this, a report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service states that discontinuing the use of antimicrobial drugs in production would decrease feed efficiency, which would raise food costs, reduce production, and raise prices for consumers.
As the public pressure on the antibiotics used in animal feed increases, more major meat companies are beginning to decrease their usage (such as Foster Farm’s latest antibiotics cut). The next few years will be a turning point for the meat industry’s way of operating. As a consumer, where do you stand?
