Report: Pediatricians Say Meat Industry Is Killing Kids

It’s no secret that factory farms are breeding grounds for
deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the threat of untreatable infections
has never been greater. In fact, a
recent study found that by 2050 about 10 million people will die each
year as a result of such infections.

Now, new research published in the journal Pediatrics argues that the overuse and
misuse of antibiotics on factory farms is literally killing children.

The researchers explain:

Infants and children are affected by transmission of susceptible
and resistant food zoonotic pathogens through the food supply, direct contact
with animals, and environmental pathways. In 2013, a total of 19,056
infections, 4,200 hospitalizations, and 80 deaths were reported to the
Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, a CDC surveillance system covering 15% of the US population. For most
infections, incidence was highest among children younger than 5 years.

According to Mother
Jones, “With their developing immune systems, children are particularly
vulnerable—salmonella alone causes more than 120,000 illnesses, 44,000
physician visits, 4,600 hospitalizations, and 38 deaths annually among kids
younger than five.

As you might expect, the meat industry claims that the
current abuse of antibiotics on factory farms is not a problem. But as Mother Jones asks, “Who are you going to
believe—the folks charged with keeping your kids healthy, or the ones charged
with profitably churning out billions of meat animals each year?

As though the situation weren’t bad enough, factory farmers
also subject billions of animals to cruelty few of us can even imagine,
including extreme confinement, mutilations without painkillers, and ruthless
slaughter.

Have a look:

The best thing we can do protect animals and the health of
our families is to leave meat and other animal products off our plates for
good.

Click here to
order your FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide.