McDonald’s and Walmart beef suppliers risk public health with ‘reckless’ antibiotics use
Suppliers of beef to McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Walmart are sourcing meat from US farms using antibiotics linked to the spread of dangerous superbugs, an investigation has found.
Unpublished US government records obtained by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Guardian show farms producing beef for meat packing firms Cargill, JBS, and Green Bay are risking public health by still using antibiotics classed as the “highest priority critically important” to human health (HP-CIAs).
Such drugs are so essential to human medicine that their use in livestock farming should be stopped, the World Health Organization has warned.
HP-CIAs are often the last line treatments available for serious bacterial infections in humans, it has said.
The overuse of such antibiotics means they can become less effective.
The findings have prompted condemnation from public health experts and campaigners.
“The reckless overuse of medically important antibiotics on factory farms is a major contributor to this deadly public health threat,” said US senator Cory Booker, who has advocated for stricter controls on how antibiotics can be used in food production.
“Giant agribusinesses have built a system that is dependent on this misuse of antibiotics to maximise their profits, with no regard to the serious harm they are causing.”
Additional information:
In a newly released “Hamburger Report” report out by Clear Labs, scientist say human DNA, rat DNA and other discrepancies were found in some of the burgers they tested.
Clear Labs tested 258 samples from 79 brands and 22 retailers from retailers and fast food chains in Northern California. The sample was representative of both national brands and brands on the West Coast.
Using next-generation genomic sequencing (NGS) and other third party tests, Clear Labs screens for authenticity, major, medium, and minor substitution, contamination, gluten, toxigenic fungi and toxic plants, other allergens, and missing ingredients.
“We also examine products for nutrition content accuracy, such as calories, carbs, fat, and protein. All of our tests are run through a secondary analysis pipeline and scrubbed for statistical accuracy and error,” said Clear Labs.”
Of the 258 sample size, Clear Labs says human DNA was found in one vegetarian burger and rat DNA was found in a fast food burger, a vegetarian burger and a ground meat sample.
While unpleasant, it’s important to note that it is unlikely that human DNA or rat DNA is harmful to consumer health.
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