Additives to Food Animals By: Elizabeth Jurgens

California Beef Recall Involving ‘Diseased’ Cattle Spreads to 35 States Rancho Feeding Corp. recall of 8.7 million pounds of meat products “diseased and unsound” animals that weren’t properly inspected Class I recall – could cause serious illness or death

% Disposable Income Spent on Food

Types Antibiotics Hormones

ANTIBIOTICS Treatment of sick animals – Less controversial Subtheraputic – Low dose treatment – Food and Water

Drugs Penicilin Tetracycline Eythromycin Tylosin Lincomycin Virginiamycin Bacitracin Baytril

Why low dose? Treat undiagnosed diseases Promote growth Increase Feed Efficiency

Feed Efficiency Improved Carcass – Beef: higher marbling, less carcass and liver condemning Improve daily weight gain – 6% Beef (4% feed efficiency) – 10% Swine (5 % feed efficiency) – Reduces stress, increases absorbance in gastrointestinal tract

Concerns Bacterial resistance – 10% drug resistant pathogens – Passed through uncooked meat or proximity to animals – Degree of transfer is unknown – million lbs/year (93 billion lbs meat)

Baytril Used to treat sick birds from E.coli May compromise use of Cipro – treats anthrax, campylobacteriosis, and salmonellosis In the drug class fluoroquinolone

Fluoroquinolone FDA approved use in poultry drinking water (1999) 11,000 people contracted resistant campylobacter FDA encouraged pulling Baytril use in poultry (2013)

Meat Industry’s Side Not enough evidence to support fluoroquinolone resistance Other reasons for resistance – Over reliance in human medicine – Failure to take antibiotics for full prescription duration – Increased cluttering (i.e. hospitals, daycare)

Meat Industry estimated loss of $45.5 million for swine production if drug banned – 22.8 billion lbs of pork sold each year 0.2 cents per pound

Labels Approved: – Variations of Raised without antibiotics, No antibiotics ever, No antibiotics administered, No antibiotics, No antibiotics added – USDA stamp next to antibiotic claim gives assurance Unapproved: – No Antibiotic Residues, Antibiotic Free, Drug Free, Chemical Free, No Antibiotic Growth Promotants

HORMONES Added to meat and dairy products to increase milk production and growth – rbGH – recombinant bovine growth hormone – Estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone – Estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone (natural) – Man-made steroids from estrogen, androgen, and progestin

rbGH Use is not permitted in European Union/Canada Most denatured by pasteurization Critics: treated milk contains higher level of hormones – FDA concluded no evidence that a biologically active form is absorbed – rbGH is not active in humans (no health consequences)

Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) rbGH causes higher level in milk? – FDA concludes there is the same level in treated and untreated milk – Different study says increases by 2 to 5 ng/ml (compared to 3-10 ng/ml in untreated) Present in both humans and cattle Assumed that humans can absorb more from milk – Associated with increased risk of cancer? – Estrogen levels and risk of ovarian/breast cancer

rbGH – more concerns Milk drinkers have 10% higher IGF-1 levels in blood than non-milk drinkers – Same as in people who drink soymilk Udder infections more common – Increased antibiotics

rbGH – more concerns Assuming no degradation/complete absorption – IGF-1 represents 0.09% normal daily production – Infants: drinking 1.5 liters treated milk a day; <<1% of infants normal IGF-1 production

Milk and Early Puberty? Study from China showed no linkage between cow’s milk and age of puberty (2012) – apply to US citizens? Previous studies in US have been inconclusive Other causes: higher BMI among girls, household products

Labels

Law FDA prohibits use of hormones on pigs and poultry – Labels are misleading – FDA requires disclaimer on these labels

Hormones in Beef Inject natural oestradiol, progesterone, and testosterone; synthetic zeranol, trenbolone, and melengestrol Linked to breast, prostate and colon cancer? – inconclusive Maternal beef diet leads to lower male sperm count? (2007) – did not pinpoint direct cause

Environmental Concerns Growth hormones pass through cattle in manure – contaminating soil, groundwater Downstream sights contain more androgenic and estrogenic pollutants Fish in river different skull shapes

Discussion Hormone runoff in water supply? Should sub-therapeutic antibiotics be banned? Should rbGH be banned?