Livestock ‘grown’ in the U.S. consumed about 29 million pounds of antibiotics in 2009.  (I thought that animals were ‘raised’ and not ‘grown?’ Huh?)

On August 3, after ground turkey was linked to an antibiotic resistant strain of salmonella that caused more than a hundred illnesses and one death, a leading meat producer recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey.  Holy Cow (I mean Holy Turkey)!  Can you imagine what 36 million pounds of ground, antibiotic resistant turkey looks like? 

A second recall of 185,000 pounds of ground turkey from the same plant was recalled on September 11, after inspectors uncovered the same strain of salmonella.  The same strain?!   How’d that happen?

When antibiotics are given to livestock in massive doses, for either therapeutic reason or for growth promotion, bacteria that resides in the guts of these animals can become resistant to these antibiotics.  That means that the bacteria has mutated.

Mutated bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics is not a good thing.  If fact, it is a really bad thing, because us humans are then at risk of consuming that mutated bacteria and getting very, very ill or worse!

I find this a little disconcerting; don’t you?

For the full ‘skinny,’ check out Bill Tomson’s article.

Spread the word … NOT the icing!

Janice
wise * fun * utterly useful

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