Due to recent hype surrounding meat raised without antibiotics – Iowa State University’s authority on antibiotics in food production took a look at data to back up his own claims that it’s all antibiotic free. Dr. Scott Hurd says there’s not much difference between conventionally raised animals and antibiotic-free production when it comes to residues in meat. In fact – Hurd says because farmers follow appropriate withdrawal times – there are very few violations. In the last three years of USDA testing – he finds no broiler chickens have been found with violative residues for the scheduled sampling; only two out of 16-hundred were found in beef and for market hogs there were only three out of 22-hundred samples.
The bottom line is – the residue detection levels in beef cattle, market hogs and broilers reveal residue levels that are extremely small and well below the levels that would cause adverse effects to a human eating the meat. Hurd notes an animal that tests positive for residues does not enter the food supply – but adds that antibiotics are not toxins. He says they are useful and safe products used by everyone.
Source: NAFB New Service