Organic meat is the fastest-growing sector of the organic market, according to an April 2007 report released by Michigan State University. Produced with neither antibiotics nor artificial hormones, organic meat poses fewer health risks to consumers. Although antibiotics and growth hormones provide economic benefits to livestock producers, government officials in the United States and the European Union recognize these practices pose serious concerns for public health.
Background
Over the course of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, commercial animal husbandry in the United States increasingly has relied on the use of antibiotics and hormones. These substances protect livestock health and increase the rate of growth, shortening the time between birth and slaughter and also increasing milk production. While the practice of using artificial hormones and antibiotics benefits the commercial livestock industry, residues remain in red meat and turn up on the consumer's plate, with negative implications for public health.
Availability and Definition
The recent increase in availability of red meat free of hormones and antibiotics is a response to consumer health concerns, and the growing support for organic livestock production. According to a September 2009 report released by the USDA, retail sales of organic foods grew from $3.6 billion in 1997 to $21.1 billion in 2008. The number of organic livestock in the United States rose from 18,513 in 1997 to 196,506 in 2005. To market red meat under a "no hormones" or "no antibiotics" label, the producer has to provide the USDA with sufficient documentation to demonstrate that the meat comes from an animal raised without these substances. Additionally, the official definition for organic meat states that the livestock is raised without artificial hormones or antibiotics.
Red Meat Antibiotics and Health
In June 2010, the FDA issued a statement urging livestock and poultry producers to limit their use of antibiotics. Animal antibiotics help to prevent infections, especially infections associated with large-scale livestock rearing and the use of growth-stimulating hormones. The FDA cautioned that antibiotics contribute to pathogen resistance, which might spread to human consumers. Pathogen resistance has implications for important antibiotics in human health care, such as the potential to decrease the efficacy of penicillin and tetracyclines.
Red Meat Hormones and Health
The use of artificial growth hormones in animals has long raised concerns among consumers and public health officials. In 1999, the European Union released a report on the apparent dangers of artificial hormones in meat to consumers, and cited risks such as carcinogenesis, developmental disorders, neurobiological disorders and endocrine disruption. Because of the possible influence of artificial hormones on the human endocrine system, the presence of growth hormones in meat has incited concerns over their possible effect on the age of puberty and sexual maturation. While descriptive evidence suggests that the declining age of menstruation in the United States might be linked to artificial hormones, as of 2011 no epidemiological evidence validates this relationship.
Hormone and Antibiotic-Free Meat
Red meat with no hormones and no antibiotics is increasingly available, poses fewer health risks than conventional red meat and might also be better for both the environment and animal health. Farmers' markets and national grocery stores sell red meat free of hormones and antibiotics. Although it is often more expensive than conventional red meat, the price reflects the true production costs of raising healthy livestock.
References
- Michigan State University; The Organic Food Market; William Knudson; April 2007
- USDA; Marketing U.S. Organic Foods; Carolyn Dmitri, et al.; September 2009
- FDA; The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food-Producing Animals; June 2010
- European Commission Directorate General for Health and Consumers; Growth Hormones in Meat Pose Risk to Consumers; May 1999
- Sprecher Institute for Comparative Cancer Research; Consumer Concerns about Hormones in Food; June 2000
