[LeonB]

> These days, American meat is absolutely overflowing with antibiotics. I don’t know if there’s any kind of serious effort to address that

There’s several clearly wrong claims in that paragraph alone.

Here’s one counter claim with sources:

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/antibioticresistance...

“Less than 0.5% of all meat samples tested in 2018 contained detectable antibiotics (U.S. Residue Program). Farmers, processors, and regulatory agencies work together to get this number to zero.”

Please challenge the thoughts you carry around. Sometimes it’s isn’t so.

[pgalvin]

Perhaps they meant to suggest that factory farms are overusing antibiotics, rather than the antibiotics remain in the meat we consume?

Anecdotally, I’ve heard plenty of concern (from the public) that the latter could breed resistant bacteria, but never even heard of your interpretation as a concern.

[ChrisMarshallNY]

That was it. I chose a colorful turn of phrase that muddied the meaning. I can do that, sometimes. I’m too fond of my own sense of humor.

My understanding, is that antibiotics are used in the living animals. I’m sure that they do show up in butchered meats, but I don’t think that they would stay valid through cooking.

[DangitBobby]

Sounds like the overuse of antibiotics in animals we slaughter was noted and regulated against, according to the document you linked:

> Did you know? As of January 1, 2017, Federal guidelines require a veterinarian to write the prescription or order when antibiotics important to human health will be used in feed or water of livestock and poultry. Why is this important? As in health care, professionals in veterinary medicine must identify where antibiotic use practices can be improved. Eliminating unnecessary antibiotic use is an important part of antibiotic stewardship.

Anyway, I took GP's comment to refer to the overuse of antibiotics in animals we slaughter and not the amount of antibiotics still detectable in the meat. As of 2015 at least that was still a problem and had an impact on resistant bacteria.

> Of all antibiotics sold in the United States, approximately 80% are sold for use in animal agriculture; about 70% of these are “medically important” (i.e., from classes important to human medicine).2 Antibiotics are administered to animals in feed to marginally improve growth rates and to prevent infections, a practice projected to increase dramatically worldwide over the next 15 years.3 There is growing evidence that antibiotic resistance in humans is promoted by the widespread use of nontherapeutic antibiotics in animals. Resistant bacteria are transmitted to humans through direct contact with animals, by exposure to animal manure, through consumption of undercooked meat, and through contact with uncooked meat or surfaces meat has touched.

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4638249/