Not in My Food.org : Know what you're eating
To help combat the declining effectiveness of antibiotics, Consumers Union is launching the Meat Without Drugs campaign calling on grocery stores, starting with Trader Joe’s, to sell only meat raised without antibiotics.
A staggering 80% of all antibiotics used in our country are given to livestock to help them grow faster and prevent them from getting sick, due to living conditions that are often crowded and unsanitary. Overuse of antibiotics in animals can lead to the creation of “superbugs” that no longer respond to the drugs. Consumers can be exposed in a number of ways, including when handling and eating raw or undercooked meat.
Supermarkets and consumers can play a critical role in fighting the rise of these dangerous superbugs. The average American eats about 200 pounds of meat and poultry a year, so if consumers demand – and supermarkets only sell – meat raised without antibiotics, the use of these drugs in livestock production would drop drastically.
Trader Joe’s is a national retailer with a history of taking important positions against selling products that may harm public health and the environment. One of the most important public health issues the nation faces today is the declining effectiveness of antibiotics in treating human disease.
We’re calling on Trader Joe’s to make a commitment to its customers to only sell meat raised without antibiotics in order to preserve the effectiveness of these critical drugs for human use.
Check out this one-minute video on the issue produced by Robert Kenner, Director of Food, Inc. Then take action and join our fight to urge supermarkets across the country to stop selling meat with antibiotics.
It is not enough to ask someone to stop using antibiotics just because it makes US, the consumers, more susceptible to disease. If antibiotics are being used to safeguard the health of our food sources, because their housing conditions are unsatisfactory, then you should be lobbying to improve their conditions, not JUST lobbying to minimize antibiotics. Frankly, if their housing conditions are not improved, then I, for one, DON’T want their antibiotics reduced, because that just introduces disease into the animals first, which will drive up prices because the supply of meat animals can’t meet the demand or because it costs more to improve housing conditions. We can’t win for losing. Better, by far, to improve their housing conditions, and lessen the need for antibiotics, than to demand less antibiotics and ignore their housing conditions.
Why are you targeting Trader Joe’s? Most people shop at grocery chains…shouldn’t you begin there? I’m disappointed that you are starting with a company that already sells much meat/fish without antibiotics. Begin where it will do the most good…with Walmart, Ralph’s, Von’s, Stater Brothers etc. on the west coast. Back east is Walmart, Walmart and Walmart…I don’t know what else they have! Thanks for your attention.
Hear, hear.
You’re right! Trader Joe’s already does a good job offering meat without antibiotics (very good on chicken, some beef and turkey, no pork). To that point, since they already have a good start it’s a better bet that they’ll be able to make a move towards shifting all of their purchasing towards meat without antibiotics. Also (as you’ve probably seen from shopping there) most of their products are their own brand – so they have direct control over their supply chain, whereas most large grocery stores source their products from many different companies/suppliers.
Trader Joe’s also enforces many standards for their products that are good for public health: no GMOs, no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, no trans fats, no pink slime. We hope that they’ll take the next step and tell their meat suppliers to stop the overuse of antibiotics in raising livestock.
Traders joes is one of the companies that leads the way in selling meats with the least/no antibiotics administered products and for them to NOT sell any meats with antibiotics will set an example for all others to follow and I believe that is why they are asking Trader joes to lead the way.
The Consumers Eye Pakistan (TCEP) is fully agreed with Consumers Union and support this noble campaign that The more antibiotics our livestock eat, the more drug-resistant bacteria become, putting us and our family at risk from deadly “superbugs.” as they eat a lot of antibiotics these days.
The Consumers Eye Pakistan (TCEP) saw it very serious in Pakistan that Antibiotics are pumped into cows and chickens so they can survive a life in cramped, filthy feedlots teeming with feces, bacteria and deadly microorganisms. That needs to change.
The Consumers Eye Pakistan (TCEP) support Consumers Union’s launching of nationwide campaign to reduce the use of antibiotics in food production. Since governments have yet to take significant action, we’re starting where we can have the most impact – our neighborhood supermarket!
The Consumers Eye Pakistan (TCEP) is a registered social welfare organization NGO of Pakistan an independent and authoritative voice for consumers since year 2005, building a powerful movement to help protect and empower consumers in Pakistan and to create consumer awareness against substandard, unregistered, counterfeit, and adulterated products. The Consumers Eye Pakistan is working to promote and serve for standardization and Quality consciousness culture in Pakistan.
Our Mission is to promote right choices in a volatile and dynamic market place by providing consumer education for all through integrating experiential good practices and scientific knowledge for the safety and health of consumers and the environment. The Consumers Eye Pakistan, an voluntary action group in Pakistan, it consists of academicians, Journalists, professionals, Social workers and volunteers channelising their energies towards creating informed consumers.
Today Consumer awareness has become more important because of the liberalizing economy. Consumers need guidance to make informed choice in the products and services available. They need protection against deficient services and products with timely information and intervention. Our Mission is to promote right choices in a volatile and dynamic market place by providing consumer education for all through integrating experiential good practices and scientific knowledge for the safety and health of consumers and the environment in context of Quality Standards in Pakistan.
Consumer Eye Pakistan (TCEP) publishes monthly Standards Gazette International magazine in Pakistan. Pakistan’s first Monthly Magazine in the field of Standardization and quality consciousness since 1996, highlights the activities of ISO/PASQCA and represents Pakistan in International community as the most aware country on Quality Standards consciousness.
Best Regards
M. Umar Ghauri,
Chairman,
The Consumers Eye Pakistan (TCEP).
Suit # 305, Paradise Chamber, 3rd Floor,
Saddar Karachi-Pakistan. Cell No.: 0321-2323051 E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.consumerseyepakistan.org
http://www.Qualitystandardaward.com
It’s a shame that this issue is being oversimplified this way.
The use of subtherapeutic antibiotics, given to barns of animals in feed and water to promote growth and productivity, may merit a serious consideration of potential risks to human health. But there are other antibiotics, given to individual animals to treat manifest illness or to prevent the spread of an outbreak that are humane and safe.
Where do they fit in this effort? Are people so unable to understand complex issues that they must be reduced to idiotic black-and-white binaries?
To your first question, we absolutely support the use of antibiotics to treat sick animals, which is the appropriate and humane use of these drugs. Our goal is to end the use of antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention, which is the common practice in the livestock industry, and one that is having health implications for humans.
To your second point: whether people can understand this issue beyond just the black-and-white, the marketplace does not. Consumers can currently choose to buy meat that is organic (and therefore never given antibiotics), labeled as ‘No Antibiotics Administered’ (or some variation), or conventional (i.e., likely to have been treated with antibiotics). There is no system or label in the marketplace right now to support meat that is “No antibiotics except for the treatment of sick animals.” In the absence of that, we urge consumers and supermarkets to purchase meat that is organic or raised without antibiotics to begin to move the marketplace and livestock growers in this direction.
Trader Joe’s is one of the good guys. Why would you target them when they are doing more than almost any grocery chain to promote and provide healthy products to their customers? Is it for the easy publicity, or because you think they are the store most likely to decide to agree to accept your rule? I would rather see you going after the large-scale purveyors of garbage that barely qualifies to be called “food.” Why make a good company look bad? Go after the ones who are harming people rather than the ones who are doing a good job.
Hi Bill, not trying to make TJ’s look bad, just trying to give them a push in the right direction! They seem well-poised to make this change. One store at a time, and we’re looking to TJ’s to be an industry leader here.
Antibiotics are a prime issue, but what about Growth Hormones now injected into pigs and cattle to make them grow bigger (heavier) that also affect humans? Could these products be the contributing factors that are causing abnormal increases in cancer related diseases in children and adults? Why are our governmental agencies so reluctant to investigate these practices? Could it be that the Beef Growers are threatening to withhold political contributions, similar to what they did to Oprah years ago when she tried to bring this subject to consumer’s attention? When will our useless FDA finally get a leader that will protect American’s health?
consumers can play a critical role in fighting the rise of these dangerous superbugs.we support the use of antibiotics to treat sick animals, which is the appropriate and humane use of these drugs. Our goal is to end the use of antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention, which is the common practice in the livestock industry, and one that is having health implications for humans.