FDA Meat Message

This week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a letter to the American meat industry urging farmers to ditch growth hormones used on farm animals to speed up growth and increase production. Specifically, government officials discourage the use of antimicrobial drugs, as research shows that high concentrations of the drug are creating antibiotic resistance in humans, which the FDA deems a health risk. Meat industry groups such as the National Pork Producers Council responded to the FDA recommendation with disdain, while scientists are outraged at the timidity of the letter, arguing that the industry will never regulate itself.