Did you know that most meat animals in the United States are currently raised with the assistance of antibiotics? Eighty percent of the antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used in animals, not humans, and their use contributes to antibiotic resistance, which the United Nations calls “the greatest and most urgent global risk.” Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Maryn McKenna, author of “Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats.” McKenna describes the extraordinary history of antibiotic use, when the drugs were added to lipstick, ice, and painted on the outside of meat cuts, and the consequences we face today from not heeding warnings about the misuse of these precious drugs. Chickens were the first animals to get growth promoter antibiotics and they may be the first to be raised without them, thanks to growing consumer awareness and pressure in the marketplace.
Related website: www.bigchickenthebook.com