Under a newly proposed rule by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the public may finally have a better idea of how much antibiotics are contained in the meat products we buy.
On Tuesday, the FDA announced that it is considering requiring all animal drug companies that sell antimicrobial drugs for use on food-producing animals to report the estimated drug sales for each animal species: cattle, pigs, chickens, and turkeys.
Antimicrobial drugs, which include antibiotics, are often injected into animals or added to animal feed in order to enhance their growth and prevent disease from spreading.
Consumer concerns over the drugs’ potential impact on human health has recently prompted major poultry producers in the United States to pledge to reduce the use of antibiotics on their livestock.
