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Posted on 05/23/2003 4:19:07 PM PDT by ozone1
NANCY JACOBSON, OF THE NEWS STAFF
Last updated: Friday, May 23, 2003
Protesters picket fast-food restaurants
Ten people representing the Maine People's Alliance took to the sidewalks in front of Burger King and McDonald's on Main Street in Bangor Thursday waving supersized "pill burgers" to illustrate what they claim is the "massive overuse of antibiotics in food animals."They were joined by Michael Khoo, an organizer from the Washington, D.C., office of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
"Hey, hey, ho, ho, drugs in meat have got to go," demonstrators chanted as the noontime rush of traffic passed.
Khoo said his concern is that the overuse of antibiotics in food can cause the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria leading to the reduced effectiveness of antibiotics in humans.
Large companies, which are powerful consumers, have helped to create this industrial food system that relies on large amounts of antibiotics, he added. Animals are raised in crowded, unhealthy conditions to create a low-cost product and, as a result, need these drugs to stay healthy. Antibiotics also are used to promote efficient use of feed, he said.
Kristen Patterson, McDonald's spokesperson in Portland, said, "McDonald's meets or exceeds rigorous USDA standards with respect to food quality and safety. ... The FDA is charged with the regulatory responsibility of ensuring that the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals does not result in adverse health consequences to humans."
Jessie Graham, a community organizer with Maine People's Alliance, said, "We are working on federal legislation as well." He said Burger King and McDonald's make up 61 percent of the fast-food meat market and "are the biggest purchasers of factory-farmed cattle. We are calling on them to use consumer power and work with suppliers to change things. We have seen that they are responsive to public pressure in the past," referring to changes McDonald's has made to its packaging and how their suppliers slaughter animals.
Sen. Olympia Snowe's office said she is considering co-sponsoring a bill with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., that would ban the use of nontherapeutic antibiotics in farm animals. She has requested a study by the General Accounting Office to review domestic and international policy on this issue.
The issue may be less significant with cattle than with swine and poultry. Gary Weber, executive director of regulatory affairs at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, said cattle are not mass medicated with antibiotics used in humans. Antibiotics are prescribed as needed.
Khoo agreed the bulk of the 13 million pounds of antibiotics a Union of Concerned Scientists study estimates are given to farm animals are given to poultry and swine, not cattle. The use of chicken and bacon at both fast-food chains makes this an issue, he says. He cited a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that found 20 percent of chickens studied were contaminated with salmonella, and of those bacteria, 84 percent were resistant to one antibiotic.
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Any chant that stars off as such, is signs that the protesters are weak, pathetic, idiotic, moronic, liberals. Hey-hey, ho-ho, all the freaking' liberals have got to go.
Indeed, but a wiser one.
Sometimes things just work out....
I love it!
The teens also, could stand to lose a few pounds from Partnership For a Tobacco Free Maine as well!
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