One of the greatest public health threats Americans face is antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the potential for unchecked epidemics. When antibiotics were discovered, medicine took a giant leap forward, and many people who would have died from simple infections have been saved. Unfortunately, there has also been widespread overuse of antibiotics. Many people accuse doctors of overprescribing antibiotics as an easy fix to many health problems, and the result is bacteria that has evolved to be resistant to antibiotics. What many people do not realize, however, is that factory farms use far more antibiotics than do doctors. Many factory farms inject antibiotics into pigs, cows, and chickens, not to cure disease, but to prevent disease in the first instance and to promote rapid, and unnatural and unhealthy, growth. The result is even more antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Consumers everywhere are catching on, and they are insisting that their meat not be tainted with antibiotics. Many marketers take advantage of this trend by offering meats that have not been treated with antibiotics. However, many others make misleading label claims that imply their meats are antibiotic free when they are not. For example, meats that are labeled “natural”, “antibiotic-free”, “no antibiotic residues” and “no antibiotic growth promotants” frequently come from animals that were raised on antibiotics. Consumers who want to avoid tainted meat should look for labels that say “organic”, “no antibiotics used”, “American Grassfed Food Alliance”, and “Certified Grassfed.” If you purchased meats with one of the above misleading labels, contact us to discuss your legal options.