Increasing concern for farm animal welfare (see cover story, this issue) has not necessarily been accompanied by rising concern about the connection between modern agribusiness and antibiotic resistance (see "The Case Against Meat," cover story, January/February 2002). The Keep Antibiotics Working (KAW) campaign points to a recent study published in Consumer Reports that found that 49 of brand-name whole broiler chickens purchased in food stores in 25 U.S. cities were contaminated with Campylobacter and/or Salmonella bacteria. Those bacteria are the two most common causes of food poisoning in the U.S., resulting in 3.3 million illnesses and 650 deaths annually. The study also found that 90 percent of the Campylobacter and 34 percent of the Salmonella tested were resistant to at least one antibiotic.

According to Sierra Club scientist Navis Bermudez, "More than half of the antibiotics fed to factory-farmed animals to compensate for crowded conditions are identical, or nearly identical, to the ones doctors rely on for treating sick people." David Wallinga of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy argues, "We can't afford to play Russian Roulette with our existing antibiotics." CONTACT: Keep Antibiotics Working, (202)572-3250, www.keepantibioticsworking.com.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Earth Action Network, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group