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Buy antibiotic- and hormone-free meat regularly

Why This is Green

Antibiotics are administered to factory farmed animals for several reasons.

1. Large concentrations of animals shoved together in cramped and unnatural conditions get sick, quickly spreading disease. Preventative antibiotics keep this in check.

2. With cattle, antibiotics help steers tolerate the corn they're intensively fed to fatten up. They're ruminants, designed by nature to be eating grass, not corn, which can make them fatally ill.

Hormones are given to stimulate growth. The faster an animal grows, the sooner it can be slaughtered. Banned in Europe (health risk), livestock hormones are permitted in the United States for ruminants (steer/cows and lamb). If you see "no hormones administered" on chicken or pork, that's marketing; our government doesn't permit hormones use in either.

The overuse of livestock antibiotics has been linked to drug resistant strains of bacteria. When we eat animals, we're ingesting residues of the drugs they’ve been administered. Livestock hormones have been linked to early puberty and cancer.

Learn More

How To

Finding hormone and antibiotic free meat can be tricky. Almost all conventional meat found in supermarkets is raised with antibiotics, and most conventional beef and dairy contains hormones as well. The terms "no hormones administered" or "no antibiotics administered" are only defined by the government, not enforced.

USDA organic standards do not permit hormones or antibiotics. Trustworthy third-party certified labels to look for beyond USDA organic include Certified Humane and AWA Approved.

Buying local pastured animals at a farmers' market or a butcher shop that specializes in well-raised meat is a good way to find drug-free meat. Always ask questions.