How Safe is Our Food? 

         With the rising problem of antibiotic resistant bacteria around us, the question stands, what can we do to help slow this growth of the “super bugs?”

          Many farmers and ranchers use antibiotics routinely while raising their livestock. This is done in some instances for illnesses that occur within in the animals, but the antibiotics are also used to help promote growth. Heidi Vittetoe, a farmer from Iowa, has sent over 6 million pigs to slaughter all of which she had routinely given antibiotics to throughout their lives. “ To ward off possible illnesses, Vittetoe routinely injects weaning piglets with virginiamycin, a prescription-grade antibiotic. For nearly the rest of their lives, she adds 10 grams of other antibiotics to every ton of the herd’s food and water supply to prevent diseases and promote growth – something that should make her “golden in the eyes of the consumer,” she said in an interview.” To read more about the use of antibiotics in the raising of livestock the following is a great article.

A good way to avoid eating meats and poultry that have been given antibiotics throughout their lives, look for the following labels on the products you buy from groceries stores. It’s just a start but doing this could help you slow the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria.