Is it true that antibiotics are in meat?

Question

Does meat that is available for human consumption actually contain the anitbiotics that are used during animal welfare ?

If so, is this antibiotic broken down during human digestion, or is it absorbed into our bodies like a human antibiotic

I ask this question because I've just seen it posted by someone else and Yahoo saw fit to remove it, but i think its a valid question and an interestedin the answer.

facts please.

Answer 1

Yes they give them to hens an cattle to stop them getting infections and to help boost their weight. They also use hormones to help the beast put on weight so they are worth more when they come to sell them.

Answer 2

I have read multiple times that that is true.

Answer 3

yes it is... i've read research and studies linking it to the reasons for increases in infertility and antibiotic resistance in people. i don't feel like re-researching it all right now but the info is out thre.

Answer 4

yes, and lots of hormones too

Answer 5

It has been proven multiple times that animals secreted dozens of natural hormones, induced hormones and antibiotics to maximize production and profit. They were not revealed in the product labels to delude the poor public.

Answer 6

Yes, antibiotics are in meat.  Factory farmed animals are fed huge amounts of antibiotics to keep them alive in conditions which would otherwise kill them.  There's really no process that removes the antibiotics from the meat, so we actually do consume them when we eat meat.  The same goes with hormones.

And I'm not sure how or if we break it down.  I wouldn't think it would act like a human antibiotic because it's not as potent, I would think.  I mean, an animal has consumes it and used it.  Then we eat the animal and consume the drugs.  But over time I would think it might have some kind of effect.

Answer 7

Since I think it matters to respond with the truth, here are the most factual things I can find for you:

1. Beef has a withdrawl period after the administering of medications.  I believe the period varies with the particular medicine administered.  Note the bullet point midway through this GMP guidline from the BQA program in the USA (which 90% of ranchers voluntarily participate in).

http://www.bqa.org/codeFeed_Additives.as...

2. Page 4 of this document lists the withdrawl periods for many common antibiotic agents.  The previous pages are sampling techniques if that interests you.

http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/...

3.  Direct from the USDA:

"Can Hormones & Antibiotics Be Used in Cattle Raising?

Antibiotics may be given to prevent or treat disease in cattle. A "withdrawal" period is required from the time antibiotics are administered until it is legal to slaughter the animal. This is so residues can exit the animal's system. FSIS randomly samples cattle at slaughter and tests for residues. Data from this Monitoring Plan have shown a very low percentage of residue violations. Not all antibiotics are approved for use in all classes of cattle. However, if there is a demonstrated therapeutic need, a veterinarian may prescribe an antibiotic that is approved in other classes for an animal in a non-approved class. In this case, no detectable residues of this drug may be present in the edible tissues of the animal at slaughter. "

Hope this brings some balance to the discussion.

Answer 8

no  farmers have 2 keep records every time they administer antibiotics ,they record animals ear tag number ,date antibiotics administered, batch number of all drugs, date used ear numbers of all  animals treated with draw times           { usual  28  to 42 days for meat} all records have 2 be keep for 10 years     [ uk farmer]

Answer 9

yes because they put them in chickens to make them grow bigger and sometimes they are in the food that is fed to farmed fish.

Answer 10

yes its true....

Answer 11

Do be careful, Sir. You're in danger of becoming that which you hate the most - albeit an eloquent version.

We're programmed to like fat for survival reasons. Sure, it's programming which is 50 (I do mean 50) years out of date, but in anthropological terms, that's nothing.

The trouble is, now that we can practically avoid meat and as a society could afford to have vegetarian principles, we are now further removed from the farming process.

One girl I spoke to said that Tesco "make meat behind the butcher's counter". It was tongue in cheek, but indicative of how much she like to think of the animal.

Do bear in mind fruit and veg are hardly pure in content - unless you're lucky enough to be able to afford organic or have the time and space to grow your own.

Mind you, if you're in that situation, you could equally find yourself some decent meat.

As for our naturally meat loving programming (unless you've trained yourself otherwise), we'll need that again, in time. Maybe when communicable diseases become resistant to antibiotics.....

Answer 12

Yes there can be , but the traces are so minute that they have untraceable effect on the human body , to be safe go organic , but run the risk of eating meat from an animal that had an infection

Answer 13

Yes, antibiotics are in meat used for human consumption. Here is an article from PBS (Public Broadcasting) and there are additional links:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/...

I would just like to point out that Public Broadcasting does not have any types of political agendas...they are funded by the public....(I had to say that simply b/c I'm sure tons of omnis will answer your question and say how antibiotics in meat is a PETA ploy. Not TRUE!).

Cheers Hollywood!

Answer 14

Some farmers were thinking that a little use of antibiotics , in advance,  might prevent some of the diseases that were hurting their cattle.  It worked.  The antibiotics did kill the organisms that were making the cattle sick.  Cattle are outdoors eating off the ground and lots of little germs and viruses and bacteria would be expected to be ingested in a normal day.  THe antibiotics killed them.  

THen things changed.  Viruses mutate.  They do it to stay alive.  So they become resistant to the antibiotic that previously killed them.  Some farmers increased the dose.  It worked.  Then it also stopped working.  The problem is that some of the antibiotic is eliminated thru the cow's kidneys.  Some stays in the muscle.  That is a problem for a meat buyer.  When you eat the hamburger you have put a little antibiotic in your own body.   Which could theoretically cause any "bugs" in your body to mutate.

We can't worry about every single thing or we'll all go crazy.

Answer 15

Antibotics, steroids, hormones, and pesticides.

Answer 16

Yes the antibiotics do get into your system..  the questions are removed by animal-murderers reporting all of our valid discussions.. how rude!

Answer 17

Yes. It is true.

The only way to make sure you aren't consuming antibiotics in animal products is to make sure that they are advertised that way.

Answer 18

Yes, and lots more besides.

I prefer to buy Organic meat for my family whenever I can.  It's been proved that organic meat tastes better and has less fat in it, therefore is much better for us.

Either buy organic or go veggie!

Answer 19

Yes. We obtain them because of the food cycle. The animal has the antibiotics first, we eat them and therefore obtain the benefits they had.

There are also hormones, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that help reduce the risk of cancer.

Answer 20

Yes, there are antibiotics and hormones in the meat we consume....which is why the UK and Canada will not import ANY meat from the US. Scary, but true.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/...

http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/g...

Answer 21

http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/conten...

http://textbookofbacteriology.net/resant...

Yes. It's true. Put the two top articles together and you find that humans have developed a resistance to certain flu treatments because their bodies already contain the same antibiotics from the consumption of food animals.  That's why they periodically ban the use of over-used anti-biotics, once the body has developed a tolerance the anti-biotic won't even treat a common influenza virus.

Answer 22

Yes, they are! The only way you could possibly get meat without antibiotics would be to buy "natural" meats that are advertised as not having them.

Answer 23

Absolutely anti bios are in meat.

That's why meat eaters are more resistant to anti bios when they are sick,as the ingestion of them whilst eating dead animals builds up immunity to them.

Growth hormones etc are also pumped into animals,to make them ready for market faster.

My hubby used to be a dairy farmer,he isn't now thank god,and he said it would make your hair curl if you realised just what they pumped into animals during their lives.

Many are carcinogenic too!!.