Most people know that antibiotics are part of the diet of conventionally raised livestock in the US and elsewhere to make them grow faster (feed is metabolized more efficiently) and prevent disease outbreaks in cramped conditions. But they'd be surprised at how many animals destined for the dinner table have drug residues that exceed legal limits. In the US, each week the Agriculture Department Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) finds dangerous antibiotic levels in animals raised for human food which include penicillin, neomycin, “sulfa” drugs and fluoroquinolones like Cipro. Many of the meat producers are repeat violators.
In June FSIS found residues of enrofloxacin, whose label says “the effects of enrofloxacin on cattle or swine reproductive performance, pregnancy, and lactation have not been adequately determined” and “Animals intended for human consumption must not be slaughtered within 28 days from the last treatment.” Unlike bacteria which antibiotics are supposed to kill, “No amount of cooking will destroy [drug] residues” says a USDA Office of the Inspector General report.
Bacteria
You'd think with all the antibiotics in use, meat would be free of bacteria but bacteria are rife in conventionally grown meat including antibiotic-resistant bacteria also known as superbugs. The resistant MRSA staph bacterium (methicillin-resistant S. aureus) was detected in 70 percent of hogs on farms in a University of Iowa study. Pork in the US tested by Consumer Reports also contained MRSA and four other kinds of resistant bacteria.
Two serious strains of antibiotic-resistant salmonella, called Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Hadar, forced major recalls of turkey products from Jennie-O Turkey and Cargill and chicken products from Schreiber Processing Corporation in recent years. The resistant salmonella strains were so deadly, officials warned that disposed of meat should be in sealed garbage cans to protect wild animals. Yes, even wildlife is threatened by the factory farm-created scourges.
