Tag: antibiotic
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Study Claims Organic Poultry Lower in Drug-Resistant Bacteria
A recent study has claimed that after adopting organic practices and ceasing the use of antibiotics, large-scale poultry farms had “significantly lower levels” of antibiotic-resistant and multidrug resistant (MDR) Enterococcus than their conventional counterparts. Amy Rebecca Sapkot, et al., “Lower Prevalence of Antibiotic-resistant Enterococci On U.S. Conventional Poultry Farms That Transitioned to Organic Practices,” Environmental…
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FSIS Issues Health Alert for Ongoing Salmonella Outbreak
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a public health alert “due to concerns about illnesses caused by Salmonella Heidelberg that may be associated with the use and consumption of ground turkey.” According to FSIS, an epidemiological investigation led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and…
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Senate Bill Would Eliminate Non-Therapeutic Use of Antibiotics in Animal Feed
A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill (S. 1211) aimed at phasing out routine use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. Spearheaded by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) is identical to a House bill (H.R. 965) introduced earlier this year by U.S. Representative Louise Slaughter…
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Advocacy Non-Profits Call for FDA to Address Antibiotics in Animal Feed
A coalition of non-profit advocacy organizations has filed a complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), alleging that the agency has unreasonably delayed action on several of its petitions relating to the use of antibiotics in animal feed. Natural Res. Def. Council v. FDA, No. 11-3562 (S.D.N.Y., filed May 25,…
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FDA Oversight of Imported Seafood Lacking, Says GAO
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report criticizing the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) oversight of imported seafood safety. Noting that about one-half of imported seafood comes from fish farms that may use antibiotics to prevent bacterial infections, the report claims that “residues of some drugs can cause cancer and antibiotic resistance.” Titled…
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William Neuman, “F.D.A. and Dairy Industry Spar Over Testing of Milk,” The New York Times, January 25, 2011
“Each year, federal inspectors find illegal levels of antibiotics in hundreds of older dairy cows bound for the slaughterhouse,” opens this article about the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recent decision to begin testing milk from farms “that had repeatedly sold cows tainted by drug residue.” Concerned that “the same poor management practices which led…
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CSPI Report Calls Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria “Foodborne Hazard”
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has released a report claiming that antibiotics used on farms “may be causing more serious pathogens in the nation’s food supply.” Calling for increased scrutiny by the federal government, the January 25, 2011, report asserts that recording outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and subsequently testing the pathogens…
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Webinar to Address Agricultural Antibiotics
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy’s (IATP’s) Food and Society Fellows and Healthy Food Action project have announced a September 16, 2010, webinar titled “Superbugs, Super Problems: Agricultural Antibiotics and Emerging Infections.” Three presenters who recently testified before Congress will address “[t]he new scientific consensus . . . that routine, unnecessary use of antibiotics…