2rocky
Well-known member
Well it is if you prepare it right
There’s a lot of nuance missing from that claim. While it’s true that antibiotics are used in animal agriculture, their use is highly regulated and tightly controlled.
That’s exactly why antibiotic withdrawal periods exist. For example, in dairy, every single tanker of milk is tested for antibiotic residues at the processing plant before it’s unloaded. If a tanker tests positive, individual farm samples are run to identify the source, and the farm responsible is financially liable for the entire load, often 6,000 gallons at a cost of $8,000 to $12,000. Because of that accountability, positive tests are extremely rare.
In poultry and swine, the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion was eliminated in 2017. Antibiotics are still used therapeutically when animals are sick, much like how antibiotics are prescribed in human medicine. Treated animals must meet strict withdrawal times before entering the food supply.
So when people say there are antibiotics in meat, milk, or eggs, it is usually a misunderstanding of how the system actually works. The reality is that residue testing, withdrawal rules, and enforcement make the U.S. food supply among the most closely monitored in the world.
