Current Event #2: Antibiotics In the Food You Eat?

70% of the antibiotics used in this country go into livestock production. This may not seem like a big deal, until you realize that people are then eating these livestock and the antibiotics they consume.

The reason for this high amount of antibiotics is that animals are kept in horrible conditions, packed together in dirty, dim disgusting areas practically stacked on top of each other. But instead of changing the conditions, the companies managing livestock just pump them full of antibiotics so they don’t get sick. When humans eat constant low-grade doses of antibiotics, common bacteria get constant low-grade doses of antibiotics. This exposure is largely contributing to the rise in antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Everything from strep to staph to salmonella are beginning to show resistance to antibiotics. Infections that should otherwise not be occurring, are because of antibiotics in livestock. These concerns aren’t new, however, the FDA proposed banning antibiotics in 1977, but backed down. The FDA would prefer a voluntary approach. They’re asking drug makers to reserve 200 antibiotics for humans only If they fail to comply, they will have to put on their labels that their drugs are also used in animals. However, drug companies know that most people don’t actually read the label so it isn’t much of a threat.

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter introduce The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, which takes an aggressive approach reserving seven full classes of antibiotics for human use only. A 2005 study at Tufts University estimated that antibiotic-resistant infections add $50 to the annual cost of American health care.

I chose this article because I have been studying livestock production and things of this sort in Human Geo and I saw this article in the Washington Post and wanted to read a little more on it. Most of the info here did not surprise me very much. I am also starting to develop interest in animal rights groups and the despicable treatment of animals is something I believe really needs to stop. There are numerous reasons animals should not be pumped with antibiotics, both human reason, and for their own sake. Companies need to start treating animals better so they don’t have to use antibiotics. 

 Want to read the whole thing?: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/wonkbook-why-you-should-care-about-antibiotics-in-animal-feed/2012/04/12/gIQAOEfZCT_blog.html