What’s Lurking on Supermarket Meat?
Meats sold in grocery stores in the United States have been found to contain high levels of bacteria resistant to antibiotics, says a new study released last week.
Nearly half of the meat and poultry samples collected were contaminated with S. aureus (Staphylococcus aureus); the bacteria that causes staph infections.
The scientists say their findings stress the importance of safe food-handling and thorough cooking.
Researchers at The Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, discovered 47% of their meat and poultry samples were contaminated with S. aureus. The results of the study showed 96% of the bacteria on samples were resistant to at least one antibiotic. And 52% of those bacteria were resistant to three classes of antibiotics (maybe more).
The team analyzed 136 samples from 26 grocery stores; supermarkets in Illinois, Florida, California, Arizona, and Washington D.C.
Lead researcher Dr. Lance Price explains that bacteria will always be present on meat, but the most shocking finding is that bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics farmers administer to their animals before slaughter.
So now more than ever, consumers should be sure to take proper precautions when handling and cooking meat.
In recent years, commercial meat production has drawn increased ire stemming from improper procedures and inhumane treatment of food animals. Last year, an undercover Humane Society video exposed horrible conditions at Cal-Maine, the biggest egg producer in North America.
While not as widely publicized, Dr. Price points out that every year staph infections kill more people in the U.S. than HIV.
In addition to staph infections, S. aureus can cause skin infections, boils, scaled skin syndrome, and even life-threatening diseases such as toxic shock syndrome, sepsis, meningitis, and pneumonia.
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