Meat contaminated with strains of drug-resistant bacteria

According to a study released on Friday, meat in the U.S. may be widely contaminated with strains of drug-resistant bacteria. More than half of the bacteria is resistant to multiple types of antibiotics and 52 percent were resistant to three or more types.

The problems are both global and local - all the more reason to eat locally, buy from Farmer's Markets and stores with a verified reputation for safe food. I see a lot of stores as I go around and about our city and some of them have meat counters that, frankly, look filthy even to my untrained eye. Where are SF's food safety inspectors?

The study by the Arizona-based Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGRI) examined 136 meat samples from 26 grocery stores in Illinois, Florida, California, Arizona and Washington D.C.

Dr. Lance Price, the head researcher on the study, said high levels of Staphylococcus aureus (S.Aureus) bacteria were found in the meat.

"Staph causes hundreds of thousands of infections in the United States every year," Price said in an interview. "It causes a whole slew of infections ranging from skin infections to really bad respiratory infections like pneumonia."

Staph infections also kill more people in the United States each year than HIV, he said.

A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration said that the agency was aware of the TGRI findings, and similar studies of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meats, and was working with the U.S. Agriculture Department and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the causes and effects.

"The bacteria is always going to be there. But the reason why they're resistant is directly related to antibiotic use in food animal production," Price said. "Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to public health we face today."

"This is one more reason to be very careful when you're handling raw meat and poultry in the kitchen," Price said. "You can cook away these bacteria. But the problem is when you bring in that raw product, you almost inevitably contaminate your kitchen with these bacteria."

Washing hands and counters before and after handling meat and keeping other foods away from uncooked meat are ways to prevent disease from spreading, Price said. But consumer initiatives aren't going to solve the bigger problem, he said.

"To put it all on the consumer is really directing blame at the wrong end of the food chain," Price said. "The bacteria is always going to be there, but the reason why they're resistant is directly related to antibiotic use in food animal production."

Of all the types of meats where bacteria was resistant to three or more antibiotics in the study, turkey was the most resistant, followed by pork, beef and then chicken. Price said it's not clear why turkey was the most resistant.

One of the most important line items in this article is the comment by Dr. Price that putting the onus on the consumer is putting the blame at the wrong end of the food chain. The recent attempt by agribusiness to prevent photography of their animal farms and feed lots show that they are (again) attempting to prevent public outcry and better enforcement of the food and safety laws. The widespread use of antibiotics in animal feed and the horrible conditions on animal farms makes industrial farms breeding grounds for drug-resistant bacteria that can move from animals to humans

CS Monitor article on food safety: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2010/1023/Food-safety-How-to-keep-our-global-menu-off-the-recall-list.

Try eating real food. It's more satisfying, healthier and supports local farming, not big agribusiness. Real Food is food that is grown and raised naturally. Real Food costs more than the "human chow" that is sold in supermarkets and restaurant but real frugality means buying for quality, not simply quantity. Try to buy food without genetic modifications (and selective breeding is different than genetic engineering), It's generally more nutritious, certainly less processed and healthier: pastured (grass-fed) beef and chicken have omega-3 fatty acids in them, whereas corn-fed cattle and soybean fed chicken have little to none.

Where can you find Real Food?
localharvest.org
eatwild.com
are two sites where you can find local farmers that may be producing Real Food.