Month: September 2022

THE TESTING NUMBERS. "The agency is also significantly increasing the number of annual samples it takes per type of animal slaughtered, from 300 to 800 samples. In 2010, FSIS tested a total of 800 samples for beta-agonists ... across 5 categories of livestock. The most samples were taken from beef cows (309), mature chickens (319) and sows (300). One sample was taken from market hogs." http://lnkd.in/dAEzM7D View in LinkedIn

FSIS TESTING NUMBERS. "The same year, a total of 4,771 samples were tested for antibiotics across 22 slaughter classes. Of these 22 classes, only 3 were tested 300 or more times for antibiotics. These included samples of mature chicken (319), beef cows (309) and sows (300). For the most part, samples from each class fell in the mid 200s, with the exception of ducks, geese, goats, different types of veal and rabbits, all of which were tested less than 100 times." http://lnkd.in/dAEzM7D View in LinkedIn

THE NUMBERS OF ANIMALS EATEN IN THE US. "In 2012, the meat and poultry industry processed: 8.6 billion chickens, 32.1 million cattle, 250 million turkeys, 2.2 million sheep and lambs, 113.2 million hogs." And we test 4,000 carcasses a year? The best example of fuzzy math. http://lnkd.in/dpw6qw2 View in LinkedIn

MORE TESTING BY FOSTER FARMS THAN BY GOVERNMENT. "Foster Farms uses sophisticated technologies such as biomapping to help identify and reduce the potential for Salmonella. We perform more than 150,000 microbiological tests each year at our microbiological laboratory." http://lnkd.in/dtkFJ2T View in LinkedIn

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. "The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology has now stepped in, recently announcing a five-year plan to address antibiotic resistance. Unfortunately, this again simply reaffirms the US government's unwillingness to put big business in the hot seat in order to protect human health." http://lnkd.in/dKPUCaj View in LinkedIn

THE MICROBIOME PROJECT has perfect timing for relevance to the heated debate on overuse of antibiotics in farm animals. The confluence of a completely new understanding of the benefits of microbes, and the realization of the perils of a poison-based agricultural strategy truly opens a new era in our approaches to food. View in LinkedIn

A BRANCH IN THE ROAD. "Unlike antibiotics, which means “to destroy life,” probiotics literally means “life giving.” In more practical terms, antibiotics destroy without prejudice — killing the bad bacteria that can cause infection, while also destroying the good bacteria that help fight infection. Probiotics, on the other hand, re-populate the good bacteria that can help kill the bad bacteria and fight infection." http://www.jigsawhealth.com/resources/probiotics-new-antibiotics View in LinkedIn

NEW ALTERNATIVES. "With the number of bacteria-resistant diseases on the rise and the length of time it takes to develop new antibiotics, it might be time to consider another alternative: Probiotics." http://www.jigsawhealth.com/resources/probiotics-new-antibiotics View in LinkedIn

SLOW SEA CHANGE. "For more than 50 years, antibiotics have been routinely used to prevent or control poultry diseases and to promote growth and feed efficiency. But due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Europe has banned the use of antibiotics as growth promoters for poultry production while some countries, such as the United States, are considering a ban." http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140702102214.htm View in LinkedIn

PROBIOTICS NOT ANTIBIOTICS. "Over the past five years, Purdue has increased the amount of probiotics in their chicken feed by five times. The company is now vowing to restrict use of antibiotics to sick chickens only, leaving the vast majority, about 95 percent, to be raised without antibiotics." Surprising and welcomed leadership. http://lnkd.in/dKPUCaj View in LinkedIn