...Erroneous Prescription: Using Antibiotics to Make Meat Daniel Gordillo Rodríguez DeVry University Erroneous Prescription: Using Antibiotics to Make Meat Have you ever wondered where does the meat you purchase in your local supermarket is produced? If a package is not marked organic or free range, you can assume that the meat comes from a factory farm or Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO). A CAFO functions as an industrial plant and its only purpose is to produce meat products as rapidly and as lucratively as they possibly can. A CAFO is an agricultural operation that congregates animals, feed, manure, urine, dead animals, and production operations on a small land area. The production methods used in these operations is the cause for measurable damages across a wide range of environmental, biological, and economic factors. (Institute of Science, Technology, and Public Policy, 2008) One of these factors is a public health one. The extensive use of antibiotics in livestock CAFO’s, especially for non-therapeutic uses such as growth promotion contributes to the development of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms that are more difficult to treat and are causing food-borne diseases in humans. It is important to identify and reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics on these animals in order to prevent the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Some of the Difficulties For decades, antibiotics such as Tylosin and Monensin have been used for the treatment...
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...that of any other animal- or vegetable-derived protein source in the U.S. To satisfy this demand, each year, the U.S. poultry industry raises nearly 9 billion broiler chickens” ("Banned Antibiotics”). In order to accomplish raising this many chickens the farmers have found it necessary to use antibiotic compounds containing arsenic. Arsenic is a medication that farmers put in the chicken feed to help chickens grow heavier at a much faster rate, help prevent diseases, and give support to tissue and vascular development. This will make the muscle of the chickens more appealing to the consumers (Greiff). Thus, they are produced in a much shorter time span. Critics of the use of growth promoters such as arsenicals point out disturbing side effects. For example: the chickens become extremely overweight. This reaches the point where their legs cannot even hold up their bodies. This causes them to fall over and eventually die. Some of the chickens that make it past the farms and into the grocery store can carry bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses and can even cause cancer. Defenders of the use of the arsenic-containing antibiotics argue that with the use of these antibiotics, money can be saved not only by the company, but also for the consumers. The question becomes whether or not antibiotics containing arsenic should be used to produce chickens. Until about 1960, chicken production would just be something people would do in the backyard to provide food for their family...
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...Human Life A lot of consumers who purchase food items from the supermarket to feed themselves or their families are not concerned with how the products they purchase will affect them or their loved ones. Some people are completely unaware of how the meats they consume are processed and manufactured. Some individuals who purchase a fresh hot meal from a fast food restaurant or cook a nice home cooked meal don’t have an inkling about where they foods they consume come from. A lot of individuals are under the impression that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) operates in the best interest of the consumer. Over the years, the decline of family farms and increase of factory farming has caused harmful effects on human life. Some health problems that effect consumers are respiratory infections, food poisonings, obesity, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and obesity. A lot of individuals are becoming increasingly aware of the health effects of factory farming. Two solutions that would help decrease the harmful effects of factory farming are making the living and manufacturing conditions of the livestock more humane. Another solution to help decrease the harmful effects of factory farming are feeding the livestock a natural diet with limited use of antibiotics and pesticides. The decline in family farms has caused a number of health concerns for some individuals. According to Pollan (2006), the evolution and production of corn have greatly impacted the decline of...
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...“Food, Inc.” is a documentary that has brought light to several issues concerning the public in the U.S. related to the food industry. Issues such as infectious disease, nutrition, and occupational health and safety are addressed. I will discuss the issue of nutrition in relation to public health in this paper addressed in this film with regards to meat farming, fast food, and genetic modification and antibiotic use in the food industry. Infectious pathogens such as E. coli have also been quieted by large meat companies and are brought to light in this film and I have addressed this issue below. It is imperative that the way America handles food changes or there will be major implications for the health of our population. “Food, Inc.” provides...
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...INDUSTRIAL ANIMAL AGRICULTURE 1. Some definitions: What is ‘industrial animal agriculture’, and what are its properties? What are zoonoses? Industrial animal agriculture is a modern form of intensive farming that uses intensive production lines and is designed to produce the highest output at the lowest cost. Industrial farms use new technology which provides them with high mechanisation, speed in production and low labour requirements. The animals in industrial farms are kept usually indoors with extremely restricted mobility. Battery cages for laying hens and veal crates are just some of many examples of industrial farming. (Garces & Nierenberg, 2005) Zoonoses are any diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Some examples of zoonoses are : Avian Flu, Nipah Virus.(Graces et. al.,2005) 2. What are the main concerns for human health arising from industrial agriculture? Firstly industrial framings produce large amounts of manure that pollutes water and air. This pollution may cause many human diseases for example ‘blue baby syndrome’ or E.Coli poisoning. Secondly, the animals in some industrial farms are fed with antibiotics to promote growth and prevent diseases. This was also proven to be a danger for humans as widespread use of antibiotics results in breading super pathogens (drug resistant bacteria).Besides antibiotics there are also other toxic substances which are used to feed the animals on these farms. These toxins may be contaminated in animal tissues...
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...Farming For the last sixty years, conventional farmers have grossly misused antibiotics. Livestock considered healthy are given antibiotics to stimulate growth merely to increase profit. As a result, humans are developing drug-resistant bacteria in their bodies. The changes that farmers have made to the way they are raising livestock is harmful to people with chronic illness. For example, children with cystic fibrosis need to take antibiotics their whole life. Coupling those antibiotics with the antibiotics that conventional farmer’s use leads to irreparable damage to their hearing. Organically grown food is a healthier alternative to conventionally farmed foods, despite higher prices. Conventional farming is a $28 billion dollar per year industry in the United States (Green, 2013). The methods that conventional farmers use to increase production such as the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO's), antibiotics, and pesticides are harmful to people with chronic illness. The mixture of chemicals and antibiotics that conventional farmers use to kill bugs, fight diseases and grow bigger crops can increase the risk factors for chronic illnesses. It is arguable that organic farming, even though it is more expensive, is a healthier alternative to conventional farming. This is particularly true among the young and the chronically ill (Shan, 2006). The overuse of antibiotics in animals is leading to the creation of drug-resistant bacteria that can make humans sick”...
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...Annotated Bibliography Sandra Brown DeVry University Annotated Bibliography Kiernan, B. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.globalaginvesting.com/news/blogdetail?contentid=1479 Bill Kiernan is discussing the breakdown of how cows digest the food that they eat so we in turn can digest them. He goes on to say that cows were never meant to eat consume corn to make them fatter at a faster rate. The cows become sick by eating corn which causes the farmers to inject the cows with antibiotics to fight the contamination of E-Coli in the beef. Kiernan also goes on to say that this genetically changes the way the meat is produced. Basically it changes the healthiness of the meat and causes it to be unhealthy for human consummation. Bill Kiernan is the director of GAI Research & Insight. His research into the production of agriculture and the consummation of beef is very well documented in his research. Kiernan discusses the key points of my paper. For example when I stated that I had to find out where the meat had come from and how and why was it altered. Later in my paper I discussed how speaking with a butcher I found out that the beef was not grass fed, but corn fed which Kiernan discussed in his search for why some of us become sick and others do not. We must always make sure to read labels on the beef that we purchase and consume if we want to be healthier. DiGiuseppe, G. D. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.americancattlemen.com/articles/corn-fed-vs-grass-fed This...
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...According to the EPA 5.9 billion pounds of pesticide are used annually in the US. As a result, the average American’s body contains over thirteen different types of pesticides. How are most of these pesticides entering our bodies, through the food we consume. So, why does our food contain so many pesticides, because over 70% of it comes from Industrial Farming Operations. Today I would like to talk about multiple reasons as to why we need to move away from Industrial Farming and towards a more sustainable type of farming. What is Industrial Farming? Industrial Farming is a type of farming that maximizes production of food and profits by using excessive amounts of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and hormones that end up in what we eat, drink and breathe. What is Sustainable Farming? Sustainable Farming produces food without excessive use of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics or petroleum-based fertilizers. This practice encourages short and long term health benefits and lessens the likelihood of certain diseases. Pesticides Industrial Farming relies on the routine use of toxic pesticides applied to both crops and animals. These chemicals are known to pollute air, soil, water, and to have negative effects on human health. Sustainable farms minimize the use of pesticides and rely on alternative forms of pest control whenever possible. One such method, integrated pest management, involves carefully assessing the overall environment of a farm and using techniques including mechanical...
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...The issue of cleaning up food production spiked in the early 20th century, when factories and other means of mass producing the food came up. Upton Sinclair wrote “The Jungle”, detailing the horrid conditions in the factories; feces were found in much of the factory’s food and the workers had no sanitation training whatsoever. The factory was just a pile of filth. This is when the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) really cracked down on its policies, like the Pure Food and Drug Act. Since then, the FDA, along with other branches of the government have heightened the standards that food is held to. Many people blame the government when it is actually the companies who are producing the food who are to be held responsible. Even though companies do not always hold high standards for their quality of food, the government makes food quality one of their biggest concerns, and holds a high standard for it. Concerns of food safety includes many things like assuring the quality of packaging and the sanitary policies of company, but by far the most focused on and possessing the potential to do the most harm, is the issue of food-borne illness. “Food borne illness remains a huge public health challenge in the United States, causing an estimated 48 million illness episodes and 3000 deaths annually (Stewart).” The government is the one that is ultimately held responsible for these deaths and episodes, even if the companies slip up and cause one of these. Bashing the government is the logical...
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...Introduction Founded in 1993, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has expanded from a local favorite consisting of a single location in Colorado to an international chain with over 1500 locations today. There are countless example of various corporations that experience growth trends similar to that of Chipotle’s, however, as a result of the rapid expansion and gains in sales, most of these corporations tend to neglect their corporate social responsibilities (CSR). Chipotle, on the other hand, does not fall susceptible to this trend. Through a complete examination of Chipotle’s CSR initiatives and activities, as well as detailed explanations of Chipotle’s contributions to the three “pillars” of sustainable development, one is able to see that Chipotle is a leader and an innovator in its industry regarding the corporate management of ethical dilemmas and moral responsibilities. A thorough comparison with a similar corporation in the same industry, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Inc., provides further evidence that Chipotle places immense value corporate transparency and quality morals in addition to being a genuinely ethical and responsible corporation. Following the major comparison are explanations of possible underlying motives and “market nudges” leading Chipotle to participate in particular CSR activities. Lastly, a discussion of government initiatives and potential upcoming regulations has been included to indicate the possible future direction of every firm’s corporate social responsibilities...
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...discovered that adding antibiotics to livestock feed accelerated animals’ growth and cost less than conventional feed supplements. The news blew “the lid clear off the realm of animal nutrition,” crowed the editors of one farm magazine. Farmers and scientists alike “gasp[ed] with amazement, almost afraid to believe what they had found.” “Never again,” vowed another writer, would farmers suffer the “severe protein shortages” of the past. Those glad tidings overshadowed contemporaneous warnings about bacterial resistance, most notably from a series of Japanese studies. Researchers had found that bacteria repeatedly exposed to antibiotics possessed an uncanny ability to thwart the very drugs designed to kill them. In 1966, the editors of the New England Journal of Medicine warned that if humanity continued to ignore the reality of bacterial “resistance,” they would “find themselves back in the preantibiotic Middle Ages.” It wasn’t until the early 1970s that some Americans began lobbying to ban antibiotics from the farm, arguing that feeding animals “sub-therapeutic” doses of antibiotics fostered bacterial resistance in meat-eating humans. Alas, science being what it is, for every critic who found evidence of links between antibiotic use in livestock production and antibiotic resistance in humans, another whipped out evidence to the contrary. Fast forward to 2013: Scientists are still arguing about the dangers of bacterial resistance and the debate about antibiotics as a feed supplement...
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...Livestock and Its Effects on Food Safety Abstract This research paper will examine the government’s attempt to reduce the manufacturing contamination of the nation’s meat supply. Federal, state and local agencies work together in order to create a source, reason, actions necessary to control and prevent foodborne illnesses from reoccurring. Increase in the number of food related illnesses have people wondering if meat and processed food will ever be safe to eat. Cattle contaminated with bacteria such as E-Coli get their way to grocery stores due to improper management of the food production system. Change in food safety policies and assessment guidelines prompted state and local health officials to inform Americans on the dangers of contaminated meat products and other foods. President Obama has proposed new guidelines in the Food Safety Act; more stringent measures taken in the investigation of meat production, factory farming and facilities by the USDA and the FDA. Opposing entities dispute that animals need protection from parasites and bacteria as well also and should be proven that antibiotic use in animals is harmful to humans. There is not enough concrete evidence to prove that use of antibiotics or hormones in meat products are a threat to humans if consumed. So enlighten by the present debate the government has permitted use of chemicals, and other substances in production and processing of meat and processed foods, not for just animal health and welfare but the...
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...5 December, 2011 Factory Farms: Meatiocre Food When a person is eating a hamburger and thinks about where it came from, he or she probably imagines a healthy cow grazing in a luscious green pasture. Unfortunately, this is the present, and free-roaming animals used for their meat are a thing of the past. Today, a vast majority of the livestock and poultry purchased comes from animals that live in a small space their entire life, and never get to see the light of day. The places that house these tortured animals have come to be known as “factory farms”. In the 1920s, an astonishing discovery was made by a group of scientists – Vitamins A and D. Farmers eventually learned that if they put these two vitamins into the animals’ feed, then exercise and sunlight would not be required for these animals to grow. With factory farmers not having to let their livestock and poultry roam freely, they started to fill up the factory with as many animals as possible, and could keep their businesses running year round. However, with the tightly packed areas, diseases were plentiful. With science constantly managing to find new discoveries, scientists concocted antibiotics specifically for these diseases in the 1940s. Society is quick to jump on somebody when they treat somebody like a piece of garbage, but they simply turn their heads when this happens to animals. Farmers had found a way to increase productivity and lower operating costs and this was by using an assembly line. Basically,...
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...Genetically Modified Foods Safe for Human Consumption? Arianne Liz Quila DeVry University Professor Donham-Miller/English 135 Advanced Composition December 16, 2010 It’s a sad reality that many Americans are unaware that they have been eating foods that were genetically modified. In fact, more than half of the processed and unprocessed foods sold in supermarkets have been genetically engineered and yet, 59% of us are clueless about it (IFIC, 2008). The technology of genetic engineering or genetic modification is widely used in food industry because it produces plants that have better qualities such as bigger size and longer shelf life while reducing the production cost at the same time. However, there are concerns regarding the safety of GM foods for human consumption. This is due to several health incidents in the past that have been linked to ingestion of GM organisms such as the death of 37 people in 1987 caused by a food supplement that contains GM bacteria(Taggart, 2010, par. 7). Research studies also show that GM foods could cause allergic reactions, antibiotic resistance and even organ deterioration. Although genetically modified foods possess favorable attributes, they could also introduce new allergens and toxins that are dangerous to human health making these foods unsafe for consumption. What are GM Foods? Genetically modified (GM) foods refer to food items in which the genetic make-up has been altered. Some processed foods can also be considered GM foods if one or...
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...Animal Cruelty Liz Rasey English 112 Humans have been using animals for consumption ever since we have been around on the Earth. As the populations of humans rapidly increases throughout many centuries so has the consumption levels. Just within the last few decades has the awareness for animal rights gained tons of popularity. PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) was created in 1980 and “Focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry.” ([->0]) As the knowledge of animal cruelty becomes more popular , will people take action to ensure the lives of animals are protected against the way they are enslaved for food purposes? Animal rights activists and animal welfare organizations have slightly different beliefs and will both be discussed vs. people for animal experimentation and for food productions . Animal rights activists believe that “the rights to humane treatment claimed on behalf of animals, especially the right not to be exploited for human purposes” (The American Heritage Dictionary 2005). They also believe that humans and animals should have the same rights. The three major types of foods used for food consumption are the chickens, pigs and the cows. But there are definitely many others. “Every year in the United States over nine billion chickens...
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