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Reading food labels is a confusing experience for the majority of consumers. This confusion is purposely engineered in many instances to keep consumers guessing and product sales flowing.
MSG, for example, hides behind over 50 different labeling names. Overwhelmed consumers are often deceived into buying products loaded with MSG that they would never buy if labeling policies required full disclosure.
This very effective cat and mouse game is also played with other neurotoxins like aspartame (NutraSweet), Splenda, neotame and other artificial sweeteners consumers actively attempt to avoid.
These pseudo sugars are frequently hidden in sports drinks and other “low carb” fare using the overly broad “natural” or “artificial” flavorings labels that allow food manufacturers to hide the exact names of undesirable chemicals away from the concerned eyes of the consumer.
To avoid undesirable additives such as carrageenan and gassed meats to keep them red, consumers must battle an ever-changing landscape of labeling gamesmanship played by food manufacturers that is aided and abetted by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Is Your Meat Truly Free of Antibiotics?
Neurotoxins aren’t the only chemicals consumers are trying to avoid in their food. An ever-growing segment of the consumer market is seeking meat from animals raised without antibiotics due to concern over the rapid rise of superbugs like MRSA and the ever plummeting age in which young girls are experiencing the onset of puberty – both of which are linked to low dose antibiotics in animal feed.
In Denmark, a ban on the use of antibiotics in animal feed drastically reduced antibiotic-resistant infections in people. “The Danish Experiment”, a source of pride for the country’s 17,000 farmers, provides strong evidence that feeding antibiotics to animals have deadly consequences in humans.
Low dose antibiotics fed to livestock via feed causes them to mature more quickly, and this may be one cause of early development in girls who consume meat and milk produced from such animals.
Just another reason to avoid taking your children to fast food restaurants where the meats are an antibiotic residue pharma fest. Ah, but I digress…
Antibiotics in drinking water are yet another environmental problem linked to the use of these drugs by agribusiness. A shocking 70% of all antibiotics used in the United States every year are purchased by agribusiness for otherwise healthy livestock!
Consumers concerned about the problems described above and wishing to avoid antibiotics in their food are falling all over themselves to buy meat and milk from animals not subjected to the daily insult of antibiotics in their feed. As with other undesirables like MSG and aspartame, antibiotics are hiding behind confusing labeling nuances.
How to Source Truly Antibiotic Free Meats
A special thanks to Stanley Fishman, author of Tender Grassfed Meat, for helping me track down the USDA reference material for this article.
Grain Grinding 101 (plus video)
My blog software editor is giving me fits today .. Google made some changes yesterday and there are some spacing bugs. I've done my best to make this post legible. Thanks for your patience!
Looks good to me. Thanks for spelling this out, I have has some questions about this myself.
It looks to me like the 'norm' for agribusiness is to treat animals like machines. I find the whole industry rather sickening. It seems that our federal 'consumer' agencies really are the best that money can buy.
We buy our chicken from Horizon Foods. It comes from a farm in PA and they do not use any antibiotics or hormones AT ALL. I do not buy beef since 2 of my family members do not tolerate it well.
How is it that the antibiotics are the reason for girls developing earlier and not the growth hormones?
I hope this actually posts. Sarah, I got your reply about my problems posting. I apologize for not responding back to you yet.
Linda
Hi Linda,
Low dose antibiotics have been used for decades by agribusiness as it promotes faster growth in animals. Antibiotic residue in animal meat and milk may do the same in children. Here's an article about it:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-06-29-antibiotics29_ST_N.htm
Hi Sarah,
This might sound like a stupid question, but how do you talk to the farmers? How do you know what to ask and what to look for? Do you visit their farms personally? Maybe you could do a "meet your farmer post" giving us a glimpse of the important points to look out for.
:o)
You know, that is a really excellent suggestion. I have visited so many farms, you kind of get the groove of it after awhile. No list of questions can make up for just getting the right "feel" about a place and a good, trusting relationship with your farmer so that you believe what they tell you – not to mention the flavor and taste of their product is excellent when things are done right at the farm.
I love your blog, and I think the farmer discussion suggestion is a good one, too! I'm a city girl but I now love talking to farmers. They really seem to appreciate an awareness and appreciation of sustainable practices, small farm struggles, related nutrition, etc. I think it's really important to make individual connections with those who raise our food — on the phone, in person, at farmer's markets, wherever — and encourage good practices. I love learning from them as well as piquing their interest in the benefits of pastured food, cholesterol, CLA, Nourishing Traditions, etc. I often bring them tidbits from the WAPF website and elsewhere. Just this week, I think I may have convinced a local grassfed farmer to get off statins — he seems so grateful for the info and new knowledge.
Here's one more thing that it might be helpful to blog about — the use of soy in animal feed. It's a recurring thing I hear when talking to farmers. It's the default protein in most chicken and pig feed, cheap and subsidized, but I understand it adversely affects meat and eggs, and then us. Plus it's darn near impossible to know if it's GMO-free. If customers ask, with a genuine smile and some gentle persuasion, then it might help the situation.
Beth
What a very helpful article…I know many people will find this invaluable. Thank you for sharing it with Two for Tuesdays this week =)
What an interesting clarification. I am going to be reading descriptions carefully in the future!
Hi Sarah! Wonderful wonderful article and I would LOVE to share it on my thoughts on friday link love post because it is so important and just another reason to support grass fed organically stewarded animal products! Thank you so much for sharing this on the two for tuesday recipe blog hop! HUGS! [email protected]
My goodness, it's all so slippery, when you follow a money trail, and so difficult to be a wise and educated consumer. Thank you for sharing this with Two for Tuesday. I know a lot of people will find this information very helpful.
This was such a useful post – so full of information that we all need to know so we can "fight" with knowledge when we purchase food for our families. Thank you for linking this to Two for Tuesdays!
Hi Sarah – great information here, especially for those who are new to getting acquainted with real food. You know, I have never seen the first three labels you have described, but I don't doubt they are out there. Most of our meat is purchased locally and we know where it comes from, but I do buy some Organic Prairie meats (bacon and hot dogs). We haven't been able to find a good local source of bacon yet without antibiotics/hormones, etc. Organic Prairie's label reads "raised without antibiotics". We also sometimes buy Applegate Farms lunch meats as they are organic (but unfortunately are not pasture-raised and therefore are probably fed grains, corn, and soy). But at least they are organic.
Love the variety of information you offer here at your site. Keep up the great work Sarah!
-Raine
Beyond Organic is a company launcing Oct. 31st. Their beef is grass finished and their cheese is really raw.
If anyone is interested, put your information into the Insider page to access to the information before the company actually launches. It’s just info and you can learn how pure this food is. They also have beverages that are extremely good for your body. I’m an insider and it’s free. Just gives me the info I need and an occasional newsletter. I’m so excited about it. I love this website…so informative and I feel even more encouraged about the organic foods I’m about to purchase!!! Thanks!