Study Finds One in Four Packages of Meat Contain Drug-resistant Bacteria
Food Hazards in Animal Flesh and By-products from All-Creatures.org Vegan Health Articles

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From Kelly Beth, This Dish is Vegetarian

[Ed. Note: Animals raised to be food are all eventually...well, killed. It is NOT surprising that the overuse of antibiotics for "farmed animals" is now dangerous to humans who eat them. The numbers of and virulent strains of drug-resistant bacteria are increasing faster than the drug companies can manufacture new concoctions. One more reason going vegan is good for LIFE!]

Meat isn’t only murder, but it can also harm your family. Bringing contaminated meat into your home—and you won't know until it’s too late—means you risk infecting your loved ones, even if it is cooked through and through.

We are all so used to meat and egg recalls that it doesn’t surprise us when it happens but what if I told you that 1 in 4 packages of meat contain drug-resistant bacteria that do more than just take up residency in our guts? That they also survive in our skin and other damp salty spots on our bodies, where they live indefinitely and without the host showing illness? Scary—but true.

Recent surveys [Spring 2011] conducted by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) show that retail meat and poultry are frequently contaminated with multi drug-resistant bacteria such as Campylobacter (causes abortion in animals and food poisoning in humans), Salmonella, and Enterococcus species (a streptococcus that causes inflammation and blood infection if introduced elsewhere from the intestine).

Sounds tasty, more of that, please!

The meat that was tested came from 26 retail grocery stores in 5 US cities: Chicago, Washington DC, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and Flagstaff. Specimens included ground beef, ground turkey and turkey cutlets, chicken breast and thighs, and ground pork and pork chops. I should also note that these samples came from 80 unique brands.

The results? Gross. But in more detail, NARMS found that there was a prevalence of multi drug-resistance to clinically important antibiotics, with 96% of the samples containing Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) that were resistant to at least one antimicrobial. S. aureus was prevalent in turkey, followed by pork, chicken, then beef.

The lesson? Meat isn’t only murder, but it can also harm your family. Bringing contaminated meat into your home—and you won't know until it’s too late—means you risk infecting your loved ones, even if it is cooked through and through.

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All-Creatures.org Health Position and Disclaimer

We began this archive as a means of assisting our visitors in answering many of their health and diet questions, and in encouraging them to take a pro-active part in their own health. We believe the articles and information contained herein are true, but are not presenting them as advice. We, personally, have found that a whole food vegan diet has helped our own health, and simply wish to share with others the things we have found. Each of us must make our own decisions, for it's our own body. If you have a health problem, see your own physician.