U.S. Meat Production

On average every America consumes nearly 200 pounds of meat each year. Most of this meat comes from an industrial meat system plagued with a variety of problems. Through the Campaign for Safe Food we work to address some of the biggest issues created by this system. Specifically, we focus on the health, environmental, and animal welfare problems present in the livestock industry and support the advancement of more sustainable production methods. We also offer practical solutions for how individuals, institutions, and businesses can reduce their contributions to each of these three issue areas.

The goals of our program are to:

Increase consumer awareness about the problems associated with the U.S. meat system

Decrease the negative health, environmental, and animal welfare impacts associated with meat production

Increase support for sustainable meat production and purchasing

Health

Antibiotic Resistance

Diet Related Disease

Additional Concerns (GE and Clones; Growth Hormones)

Links to meat-related articles

Antibiotic Resistance

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 60,000 Americans die each year from antibiotic resistant disease. Inappropriate use and overuse of antibiotics in human medicine is often thought of the main cause of this problem. While this phenomenon is indeed seen in the health care sector, much of the inappropriate use comes from agriculture.

It is estimated that non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock production accounts for nearly 80% of all antibiotics used in the United States. An example of non-therapeutic drug use is the administration of low levels of antibiotics to animals through feed and water to prevent disease and promote growth. This is generally done to compensate for overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions (i.e., conditions often found in confined animal feed operations, or CAFOs) and to fatten livestock to get them to market sooner. The routine feeding of antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention contributes to the presence of resistant bacteria.

At Oregon PSR we believe it is imperative to preserve the integrity of antibiotics for necessary medical interventions. This is seriously threatened by overuse of non-therapeutic drugs in livestock production.

Diet Related Disease

In the U.S. we are faced with an unprecedented amount of diet related disease including obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. There are many different contributing factors to these illnesses and over consumption of meat produced in unsustainable manners is certainly one of them.

Diets high in red and processed meat have been found to be associated with greater mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Additionally, such a diet is connected to higher rates of Type 2 Diabetes. Red meats are often high in saturated fats which increase cholesterol levels leading to greater risk of heart disease and stroke.

Animals raised on grain fed (i.e., corn, soy, etc.) diets versus a more sustainable grass-fed diet may have higher levels of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories. Additionally, some studies have found that animals raised on such a diet have less Vitamin E and C, beta carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids compared to their grass-fed counterparts.

Most Americans eat far more than the serving size recommended by the USDA Dietary Guidelines adding to overweight and obesity rates and the other health problems associated with these conditions. By reducing meat consumption and opting for a more balanced diet high in whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, these diet-related diseases can be mitigated.

Additional Concerns

Cloned and Genetically Engineered Animals:

In early 2008 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the commercial sale of meat and milk from cloned animals. This was done despite concerns raised by their own scientists.

Due to the increased rates of medical problems and prenatal failures, large amounts of hormones and antibiotics are administered to both surrogate mothers and clones. This adds to the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture and the resulting resistant bacteria that can cause difficult to treat illnesses in humans. Additionally, few studies have actually looked at the safety of consuming products from clones and their offspring and no long-term studies have looked at potential health risks associated with eating these products.

Similarly, food safety concerns arise with genetically engineered (GE) animals. In a 2002 report raising and addressing concerns associated with animal biotechnology, the National Research Council noted three areas of potential food safety risks stemming from GE animals, including the:

Introduction of new allergens into the food system

Continuation of bioactive proteins after digestion

Creation of potentially toxic effects from novel protein expression

The safety of consuming products from clones, their offspring, and GE animals has not been thoroughly investigated. We believe that the FDA has prematurely approved these products for commercial sale and has not put strong enough safeguards in place to ensure public and environmental health. At the very least the products should be labeled to allow consumers to be able to make informed decisions about the food they eat.

Growth Hormones:

There are many different types of hormones given to dairy and beef cows to increase rates of milk production and growth. Some of the hormones have known human health implications while others pose potential threats that are not fully understood.

Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST) is injected into cows to increase their milk production. It causes many different health problems in cows, increases the risk of antibiotic resistance in humans, and may be connected to increased rates of colon, breast, and prostate cancer.

There are six other FDA approved growth hormones used to promote growth in cattle production. Administration of these hormones may interfere with estrogen and progesterone in humans. Varying levels of these hormones are known to have a hand in cancer growth. Eating meat from animals raised on hormones may increase risk for cancer growth.