US body condemns livestock antibiotic report
A statement from the organisation’s board of directors said that the report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) overlooked “important data and the facts about food safety”.
It pointed out that the US Food and Drug Association (FDA), which compiled the 2011 Retail Meat Annual Report – on which EWG’s analysis was based, had warned that the data was not comprehensive enough to show trends in resistance.
It added that FDA officials noted on 22 April, “While FDA is always concerned when we see antimicrobial resistance, we believe the EWG report oversimplifies the NARMS data and provides misleading conclusions.”
According to ASAS, EWG also failed to acknowledge the fact that foodborne illness outbreaks have actually fallen by 40% over the last decade according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It pointed out that livestock farmers take antibiotic use seriously, and both producers and veterinarians are governed by strict regulations on levels on antibiotics in meat, which is enforced by both the FDA and the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).
“To even get a new antibiotic approved for use in livestock production is a very rigorous and hugely expensive long-term process,” said Dr Keith Belk, professor in red meat safety at the Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University.
Belk added that some antibiotics are important to maintain livestock and poultry health, which ensures that food is safer and more nutritious. He said consumers could reduce risks from antibiotic-resistant bugs by ensuring meat and poultry is cooked properly.
