The responsible use of antibiotics is just one tool used on farms to keep animals healthy. Good stewardship also involves proper nutrition, good ventilation, biosecurity, appropriate housing and other measures designed to protect animal health and ensure food produced from animals is safe. Although vaccines are not available for every disease, when they are, they help protect an animal’s health, too.
While some labels proclaim chicken as “Antibiotic Free” and “No Antibiotics Ever”, strict regulations are in place to ensure all products in your grocery store meat case contain no unsafe antibiotic residues.
The revelation that a bacteria resistant to an antibiotic of last resort has been found in the United States is a big deal and something public health officials are taking very seriously, as they should. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in late May that E. coli bacteria carrying what’s known as…