You’re probably already aware that there’s been massive nation wide distribution of antibiotic resistant salmonella in ground turkey (especially if you follow our Twitter feed, @ColloidsGuy!). Farming animals is one of the major causes of bacteria which are increasingly resistant to the strongest antibiotics.
A new study has some good news, though: raising animals organically, without unnecessary antibiotics, is reducing the amount of antibiotic resistant bacteria!
Antibiotics are used to keep bacteria from contaminating food, but clearly that’s not working and is just another cause of bacteria which is antibiotic resistant. Fortunately, the study found that in the first flock of birds (chicken, turkey…) raised without antibiotics, antibiotic resistance in farm bacteria dropped dramatically.
Conservatively, it’s estimated that there’s about twenty years left of antibiotic use. That theory relies upon the idea that in the meantime antibiotics will be used sparingly, that causes of bacterial infection (poor hospital hygiene, not washing hands…massive food contamination!) will be avoided, and that some governments or non-profs will continue developing antibiotics (albeit at a slower pace than Big Pharma, who can’t make a profit off of antibiotics which take years to develop and then burn out quickly to antibiotic resistance).
With massive bacterial outbreaks like this, and with most people unaware of the rapidly approaching end to antibiotics, other’s estimate it may be as little as 12-15 years before we’ve exhausted our supply of antibiotics.
Do you think organic food is worth the price? What about buying local? Share your opinions in the comments!
