Would you like to Super-size your antibiotics?
August 13th, 2007 by Eric
Last month we asked you to sign a petition urging Congress to pass The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2007, preventing the use of therapeutic antibiotics in healthy food animals. As it is now, 70 percent of antibiotics and related drugs in the United States are used in the feed and water of healthy animals and account for more than 80 percent of all antibiotics used.
Why is this important? Bacteria that are exposed to these antibiotics build up immunity and are rendered ineffective in human treatment, requiring the use of stronger antibiotics; it’s a vicious and deadly cycle. You can read more about it here and here and, if you haven’t already, sign the petition here.
But if I thought we should wait for Congress every time action was needed, well, I’d run for Congress. Thankfully there’s one food company that shares my feeling on the subject. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists:
Tyson Foods recently announced it will produce all of its fresh chicken without antibiotics, selling it in grocery stores under a “Raised Without Antibiotics” label. Tyson has set an important precedent by protecting the health of their customers. Now is the time for fast-food companies to establish strict policies against nontherapeutic use of antibiotics by their meat suppliers.
In that light, UCS has started a petition asking our nation’s fast food industry to follow suit. The petition will be sent to all of the major fast food chains urging them to demand that their meat suppliers stop using human antibiotics to treat food animals. Of course, we don’t recommend eating at fast food restaurants at all. That would be the first step in making America a bit healthier. But since most Americans eat McMeals several times a week, getting human antibiotics out of the meat would at least mean that the doctor won’t have to use a drug so strong it could kill a small horse the next time my daughter scrapes her knee.
So, for my daughter’s sake and yours, please hop on over to the UCS website and sign their petition.
Thanks for the pic goes to this Tyson chicken eater
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