A study conducted by Arizona State University and Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) found banned antibiotics in chicken feather meal, a byproduct made of ground poultry feathers that is added to cattle, chicken, pig, and fish feed. The drugs that were found included Prozac, Benadryl, and fluoroquinolones, a class of drugs that … Read more
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a guidance document listing voluntary measures to restrict the use of antibiotics in farm animals. The government is asking drug companies to change the labels on their products so they can only be used to prevent, control, or treat disease, and will only let farmers use the … Read more
On Friday, April 13, 2012, Food Poisoning Bulletin attended a webinar organized by STOP Foodborne illness. The featured speaker was Tyler Smith, Senior Research and Policy Assistant at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF). He spoke about the responsible use of antibiotics in food animal production. There are three ways that antibiotic use … Read more
A study published in the online journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (56:1434-1443. 2012) found that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are found in agricultural soils. The soils were treated with manure from animals fed sub-therapeutic doses of antibiotics. Should consumers be concerned about this study, especially as gardening season approaches? Dr. Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, professor of Food Safety Microbiology … Read more
Two weeks ago, Dr. Margaret Chan, directed general of the World Health Organization, said that antibiotic resistance could “end modern medicine as we know it.” Scientists are alarmed by the increase in multi-drug resistant bacteria in recent years. And agricultural use of antibiotics to promote growth in farm animals has been a focus of scientists’ … Read more
Today, a New York District Court judge ruled in favor of the National Resources Defense Council, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Food Animal Concerns Trust, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Public Citizen and against the FDA over the matter of antibiotic use in food-producing animals. Food Poisoning Bulletin reported on this issue back … Read more
Dr. Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) said at a conference in Copenhagen that antibiotic resistance could “end modern medicine as we know it.” Her keynote address was given on March 14, 2012. Food Poisoning Bulletin has told you about how the common use of antibiotics in farm animals has created … Read more
Cases of foodborne illness in Europe are frequently resistant to antibiotics, according to a new report based on data collected from the 26 European Union member states for 2010. The report, by the European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC) in Sweden and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Italy, shows that Salmonella … Read more
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has released a white paper discussing antibiotic-resistant bacteria outbreaks in 2011. That year, 167 people were sickened and 47 were hospitalized. There were three major outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant foodborne illness in 2011. In spring 2011, an outbreak of Salmonella Hadar associated with Jennie-O turkey burgers sickened … Read more
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) sent a letter last week to more than 60 fast food corporations, processors, producers, and grocery chains, asking them about their policies on antibiotic use in farm animals. She would like their response by June 15, 2012. Some of the corporations which received the letter include McDonald’s, Kraft, Cargill, Costco, Whole … Read more