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The Salt
Antibiotic-Resistant Bugs Turn Up Again In Turkey Meat
May 1, 2013 Consumer Reports found that turkey meat that came from birds raised without antibiotics was significantly less likely to harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria, compared with meat from conventional turkeys that were given antibiotics. But turkey producers contend that they use antibiotics judiciously to help keep their flocks healthy.
The Salt
In Meat Tests, More Data Tying Human Illness To Farm Antibiotics
April 17, 2013 A new analysis of government data finds that antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause human illness were widespread in supermarket meat samples tested. The implications are significant: that the bacteria had become resistant to antibiotics back at the farm because farmers were overusing them.
The Salt
A Legal Twist In The Effort To Ban Cameras From Livestock Plants
April 11, 2013 Legislation introduced in several states would require anyone who records evidence of animal abuse to turn it over to authorities within a set period of time. But animal rights activists aren't welcoming these measures: They see the bills as veiled attempts to stifle long-term undercover investigations that can prove a pattern of abuse.
The Salt
Pig Genome Project May Pave The Way For Better Bacon
November 16, 2012 Scientists have sequenced all of the DNA in the cells of a female pig. While this information will likely be used to create happier pigs that get sick less often, it could be used to create tastier pork products.
The Salt
A Nation Of Meat Eaters: See How It All Adds Up
June 27, 2012 Americans eat more meat than almost anyone else in the world, but habits are starting to change. This may be in part because of health and environmental concerns. We explore some of the meat trends and changes in graphs and charts.
The Salt
The Making Of Meat-Eating America
June 26, 2012 Thanks to American wealth and ingenuity, we're a nation of meat eaters. But that's not the whole story. Over the years, we've made access to land near cities affordable to farmers, and created a cheap market for beef and chicken.
The Salt
FDA Launches Voluntary Plan To Reduce Use Of Antibiotics In Animals
April 11, 2012 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it will collaborate with the livestock industry to reduce the use of antibiotics in animal feed. But activists say a voluntary approach won't go nearly far enough to protect human health.
The Salt
Europe's Mixed Record On Animal Antibiotics
March 23, 2012 Yesterday, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to proceed with a 1977 plan to outlaw the use of certain antibiotics as growth promotion drugs for livestock. American farmers are unsure about how this could impact their industry, but there's a real-world example that provides some answers: Europe, and specifically Denmark.
The Salt
Meat Substitute Market Beefs Up
March 19, 2012 According to a U.S. product database, 110 meat substitute products were introduced in 2010 and 2011. All those new products are giving people who are looking for tasty alternatives to meat a lot more choice.
The Salt
States Crack Down On Animal Welfare Activists And Their Undercover Videos
March 1, 2012 Iowa is poised to join several other states that have passed or are considering what activists call "ag gag" laws. Such legislation criminalizes undercover photography or video inside animal farms.
The Salt
How Using Antibiotics In Animal Feed Creates Superbugs
February 21, 2012 Researchers have shown how a bacterium resistant to antibiotic treatment passed from humans to pigs to humans. And now the new resistant human bug appears to be spreading beyond people with direct exposure to livestock.
The Salt
Urban Farming: Don't Count Your Eggs Before They've Hatched
February 13, 2012 When an urban farmer loses some baby chicks she was going to raise in her backyard, she's reminded that nowadays the consumer rarely has to bear the risks or costs of raising food.
The Salt
Is Today's Beef Better For The Environment?
February 1, 2012 A new study wants to rectify beef's image as an environmental miscreant. It says modern beef production is a lot kinder to the environment than it was 30 years ago.
The Salt
Lamb Boom Has Sheep Farmers Flocking Together
January 31, 2012 WOUBLamb prices are at an all-time high, but American sheep farmers are worried. They say they need more farmers to raise sheep. And they want existing sheep farmers to increase the size of their flocks to meet growing demand.
The Salt
How One Former Vegan Learned To Embrace Butchering
January 21, 2012 To connect better to community and food, one twenty-something has trained to become a butcher.
