Tyson Chickens: False Claims Regarding Antibiotics

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In a message dated 11/29/08 2:22:41 AM Eastern Standard Time,

presentdayprods@... writes:

> You Need to Know This If You Eat Tyson Chicken

>

>

>

> Tyson Foods, the world's largest meat processor and the second largest

> chicken producer in the U.S., has admitted that it injects its chickens with

> antibiotics before they hatch and then labels them as raised without

antibiotics.

>

>

>

> The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has told Tyson to stop using the

> antibiotic-free label, but the company has sued for the right to keep using

> it.

>

> Poultry farmers regularly treat chickens and other birds with antibiotics.

> But scientists have become increasingly concerned that the routine use of

> antibiotics in animal agriculture may accelerate the development of

> antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

>

>

>

> After Tyson began labeling its chicken antibiotic-free, the USDA warned the

> company that such labels were not truthful, because Tyson regularly treats

> its birds' feed with bacteria-killing ionophores. Tyson argued that ionophores

> are antimicrobials rather than antibiotics, and are not used on human

> patients. Tyson suggested a compromise which was eventually accepted by the

USDA --

> they would use a label reading " raised without antibiotics that impact

> antibiotic resistance in humans. "

>

> Tyson's competitors: Perdue Farms Inc., on Farms Inc. and

> Farms sued, and in May 2008, a federal judge ruled in their favor and told

Tyson

> to stop using the label. Not long after, USDA inspectors discovered that in

> addition to using ionophores, Tyson was regularly injecting its chicken eggs

> with gentamicin, an antibiotic that has been used for more than 30 years.

>

> The agency told Tyson that based on the new discovery, it would no longer

> consider the antibiotic-free label " truthful and accurate. " Tyson objected

> again, claiming that because the antibiotics are injected before the chickens

> hatched, the birds can truthfully be said to be " raised without antibiotics. "

> Tyson has filed a lawsuit against the USDA, claiming that the agency had

> improperly changed the definition of " raised without antibiotics " to include

the

> treatment of eggs.

>

> Sources:

>

> Natural News November 9, 2008

>

>

>

> Breeding Antibiotic-Resistant Disease

>

> Poultry farmers regularly treat chickens and other birds with antibiotics to

> prevent the development of intestinal infections that might reduce the

> weight (and profitability) of the birds.

>

> Yet scientists have become increasingly concerned that the routine use of

> antibiotics in animal agriculture may accelerate the development of

> antibiotic-resistant bacteria that could lead to a pandemic or other human

health

> crisis.

>

> For example, gentamicin, the antibiotic that Tyson injects into its eggs,

> has been used for more than 30 years in the United States to treat many types

> of bacterial infections in humans, including urinary tract and blood

> infections. The drug is also stockpiled as a treatment for biological agents

such as

> plague.

>

> Does the practice of using gentamicin in poultry pose a real hazard to your

> health?

>

> Yes. The practice is likely contributing to and speeding up the emergence of

> antibiotic-resistant enterococci, which are the leading causes of surgical

> wound infections and urinary tract infections. Enterococci have developed

> high-level resistance not only gentamicin, but also other antibiotics over the

> last two to three decades.

>

> Another antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria that can wreak havoc on your

> health is campylobacter, a pathogen common to chicken products, which is

> responsible for inducing food poisoning in more than 1 million Americans every

> year, and is considered a growing health threat.

>

> Chickens that are truly raised without antibiotics, however, are far less

> likely to carry antibiotic-resistant strains of campylobacters, according to a

> study by s Hopkins.

>

> Researchers have also found that conventionally-grown chicken products are

> up to 460 times more likely to carry antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli

> than antibiotic-free chicken products.

>

> But That’s Not the Only Problem With Conventional Poultry Products!

>

> However, my concerns with conventionally-raised poultry (and other

> livestock) do not end there. Because in addition to the antibiotics typically

added to

> conventional livestock feed, this feed is also laced with the pesticides

> used in growing the foods it's made of.

>

> Unlike conventional fruits and vegetables, where peeling and washing can

> greatly reduce the amounts of these toxins, the pesticides and drugs that

these

> animals get exposed to during their lives can become incorporated into their

> very tissues, especially their fat.

>

> While you can cut off some of it, you may still be ingesting high amounts of

> toxins if you consume such foods regularly.

>

> Additionally, feed additives like Roxarsone, the most common arsenic-based

> additive used in chicken feed to promote growth, kill parasites and improve

> the color of the meat, have been raised as having potential health risks.

>

> Although Roxarsone is normally benign, under certain conditions that can

> occur within live chickens or on farm land, the compound converts into more

> toxic forms of inorganic arsenic, which has been linked to:

>

>

> Bladder cancer

> Lung cancer

> Kidney cancer

> Skin cancer

> Partial paralysis

> Diabetes A number of food suppliers have stopped using Roxarsone, including

> Tyson Foods. But even so, 70 percent of the chickens produced annually in

> the United States are fed Roxarsone.

>

> Yet another problem with conventional livestock feed is that it is typically

> made of foods that are not natural to the animal's diet. Whether it's corn

> for cows or soybeans for chickens, these animals rarely have access to the

> foods they are naturally adapted to eat. This situation is not only

problematic

> for the animals -- when you eat their meat, it can become a problem for you.

>

> One of the main reasons for this is that the fatty acid profiles of chicken

> fed its natural diet have a much better balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fats

> than those of a conventionally-raised chicken. An imbalanced intake of these

> fats is a contributing factor to many of the chronic diseases modern society

is

> faced with today.

>

> Last but not least, conventionally-raised chickens are typically given

> little, if any, access to the outdoors. The benefits from frequent sunlight

> exposure can certainly be extrapolated to cows and chickens as well as humans.

At

> the very least, the vitamin D levels in an animal that has regular access to

> sunlight are likely to be much higher than those of an animal kept indoors all

> day.

>

> More vitamin D for them means more vitamin D for you when you eat their

> meat.

>

> What’s the Answer to This Problem?

>

> If you really want to be sure your food is healthy and safe, you might want

> to try avoiding grocery stores altogether, as conventionally-raised

> livestock, including chickens, are not your best choice.

>

> And, adding insult to injury, about 30 percent of all fresh chickens sold in

> your supermarket have been pumped and plumped with as much as fifteen

> percent salt water, potential cancer-producing carrageenan, and other

additives.

> This equates to cash strapped consumers paying about $2 billion a year for

salt

> water! These chickens also contain about 800 percent more sodium per serving

> than expected.

>

> More and more people are buying food fresh off the farm from producers they

> personally know and trust, through CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture),

> farmers’ markets, or other local food movements. When you can actually go

> visit the farm itself, you can see that it’s natural, fresh, and exactly as

> advertised.

>

> If you want to get started on this, there are plenty of organizations around

> to help you out. If you live in an area with severely restricted access to

> any of these outlets, then, for your convenience, I also have organic,

> free-range, antibiotic-free chicken available in my online store.

>

> And if you are concerned that organic, free-range poultry and other natural

> foods are too expensive, please be sure to read Colleen Huber's excellent

> article on finding organic foods for the same price as processed, conventional

> foods.

>

>

>

>

> Related Articles:

>

> Resistant Bacteria Common in Grocery Store Chicken

>

> Be Very Careful Eating Chickens You Buy at the Supermarket

>

> Surprising Health Benefits of an Organic Diet

>

>

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>

>

>

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