A new report released by the Food and Drug Administration revealed that of all the raw, ground turkey the FDA tested, a whopping 81% was tainted with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In more alarming news, the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System claims that its own tests determined that antibiotic-resistant bacteria was present in 69% of pork chops, 55% of ground beef, and 39% of chicken.
Scientists agree that this proliferation of superbugs is the result of antibiotic overuse on factory farms. In fact, the Pew Charitable Trusts concluded that in the United States, 80% of all antibiotics used are given to farmed animals. While these drugs are sometimes used to prevent and treat illness in farmed animals, low doses of antibiotics are also administered to make animals grow more quickly and to compensate for unhygienic conditions. These low doses are non-lethal and allow bacteria to mutate and become resistant.
Dawn Undurraga, a nutritionist who works with the Environmental Working Group, asserts that our consumption of meat is adding to the “post-antibiotic era”–a time in which antibiotics will no longer be effective in curing diseases because too many microbes have developed a resistance to them.
Imagining a world in which common infections like strep throat are not easily treatable is deeply disturbing. The best way to ensure that antibiotics aren’t being misused on factory farms is to boycott animal-based foods altogether.
For a glimpse of the filthy and inhumane conditions endured by animals on factory farms, click here. To learn how to transition to a healthy, compassionate, vegan diet, visit ChooseVeg.com.
