Consumer Reports: Meats Produced Without Antibiotics Harbor Fewer “Superbugs”
December 13, 2015
Yonkers, NY – A review of a series of in-depth studies conducted by Consumer Reports show that, in general, meat, poultry and shrimp from animals raised without antibiotics are less likely to harbor multidrug-resistant bacteria than conventionally-produced meat from animals that get the drugs routinely.
During the past three years, Consumer Reports’ Food Safety and Sustainability Center has conducted tests of bacterial contamination in four different types of primarily raw and uncooked meat while also examining antibiotic resistance of bacteria as a consequence of antibiotic overuse, including the presence of dangerous “superbugs.” Hundreds of packages of meat, poultry and shrimp were methodically tested for bacteria and antibiotic resistance and analyzed by an expert team of scientists and statisticians.
