A meal to die for?

The use of antibiotics in food animals is not the only cause of antibiotic resistance, but in the foodborne bacteria Salmonella and Campylobacter resistance is clearly linked to antibiotic use in food animals.

Hormone Growth Promotants

The Australian Lot Feeders’ Association informs us that: “Cattle may be treated with Hormone Growth Promotants (HGP's) depending on customer requirements. HGP's are naturally occurring hormones used by some grass fed and grain fed beef producers to help cattle meet market weight at an earlier age”.  The Australian government assures consumers that HGPs applied to cattle in Australia contain naturally occurring hormones or synthetic hormones and are safe. Nevertheless, consumers are wary and a large Australian supermarket chain has started sourcing HPG-free beef.

Feeding manure to animals

Animals in factory farms are frequently not fed in a species-appropriate way. Like other businesses, animal factories are trying to cut costs as much as possible. To save money, the ingredients of animal feed are often not what the animals would eat if given a choice, or what is best for human health. According to some animal nutritionists in the US, poultry litter can be safely fed to cattle. Litter includes excreta, bedding, wasted feed and feathers. The taste of the meat is supposedly not affected.

Do you feel sick to your stomach reading this? Relax, in Australia the feeding of poultry litter or manure to food animals is banned.

Feeding meat to vegetarian animal species

With the exception of ruminants, such as cattle, sheep and goats, factory farmed animals can legally be fed meat from their own species. Pigs should not be fed fresh meat, but processed meat is allowed. The rendering industry converts animal parts that are not used for human consumption into products such as meat and bone meal. This can include bones, fatty tissue, offal, as well as entire carcasses of animals condemned at slaughterhouses and those that have died on farms or during transport. Meat and bone meal, as a proportion of up to 100%, is fed to animals such as pigs, poultry, carp, perch, barramundi, trout, salmon, prawn and shrimp. Would perch or turkeys in their natural environment eat dead cows or sheep?

Consumer concern

As a consumer, I’m deeply worried about these practices. I’m not sure which meat is produced in more hygienic circumstances and is safer for human consumption, the fly-studded meat from the Asian open food stall or the meat from factory farming sold in my local supermarket. To be on the safe side, I avoid both.