1. Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs
The practice of cramming
animals together on factory farms while pumping them full of antibiotics
creates a breeding ground for dangerous
antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
2. Pollution
Earlier this year, the spread
of dangerous
phosphorus algal blooms in Lake Erie left hundreds of thousands of Ohio
residents without safe drinking water. Agricultural pollution from factory farms
was the primary source of the contamination.
3. Climate Change
Raising animals for food
creates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the transportation in the world
combined.
4. Rainforest Destruction
The
World Bank reports that the majority of Amazon deforestation has been to clear
land for cattle grazing and growing feed for farmed animals.
5. Excessive Water Use
It takes 576 gallons of water to produce one pound of pork,
880 gallons of water to produce one gallon of milk, and a whopping 1,799
gallons of water to produce one pound of beef.
6. Foodborne Illness
Salmonella, which is found in over
10 percent of all raw chicken breasts sold nationwide, is the cause of more
hospitalizations and deaths than any other foodborne illness, sickening more
than a million people a year.
7. Pink Slime
This vomit-worthy
product is created by treating beef scraps and cow connective tissue with
ammonium hydroxide to kill off E. coli, salmonella, and other dangerous
pathogens that may be present.