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 has 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 is 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 is 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.
Sarah Pope has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. Her work is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.
Her work has been covered by major media including USA Today, ABC, NBC, and many others.
Grain Grinding 101 (plus video)
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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
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!
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.
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]