Is U.S. Meat a Health Hazard?

The Taipei City Government incinerates U.S. beef containing traces of the feed additive ractopamine March 12.

The use of ractopamine as a feed additive is an ongoing issue that involves U.S beef imports and in turn the development of Taiwan-U.S. economic and trade relations, Yang noted. While the U.S. allows the leanness-enhancing drug, it is still banned in Taiwan. http://bit.ly/Jbp4uN
______

Livestock operations consume 80% of antibiotics used in the United States, that's a strong statement. The meat industry denies that its drug habit contributes to antibiotic resistance in diseases that affect people. The FDA is now on record contradicting that.

Unfortunately, the corporations will not be stopped from this dangerous practice, but will continue to regulate themselves. If you don't want the antibiotics resistance, don't eat the meat, or switch to a local, free range, organic source. No wonder our meat is not fit for consumption in so many other countries! http://bit.ly/JcEai8
______

The European Parliament has backed a deal that will increase EU imports of beef from the US and Canada and help European food exporters.

A row over growth hormones used on North American cattle ranches led to a trade war lasting more than 20 years.

The new deal sets an annual EU quota of 48,200 tonnes for high-quality North American beef from cattle that have not been treated with growth hormones. http://bit.ly/JcEyx3
*Note: So, the Europeans get the meat WITHOUT the hormones. I wonder who gets the hormone laden meat? Hmm?!
_______

A livestock drug banned in 160 nations and responsible for hyperactivity, muscle breakdown and 10 percent mortality in pigs has been approved by the FDA.

The beta agonist ractopamine, a repartitioning agent that increases protein synthesis, was recruited for livestock use when researchers found the drug, used in asthma, made mice more muscular.

Ractopamine is started as the animal nears slaughter.

How does a drug marked, "Not for use in humans. Individuals with cardiovascular disease should exercise special caution to avoid exposure. Use protective clothing, impervious gloves, protective eye wear, and a NIOSH-approved dust mask" become "safe" in human food? With no washout period?

The drug is banned in Europe, Taiwan and China, and more than 1,700 people have been "poisoned" from eating pigs fed the drug since 1998, but ractopamine is used in 45 percent of U.S. pigs and 30 percent of ration-fed cattle. http://bit.ly/cu5AWL
_________

The FDA ruled that ractopamine was safe and approved it for pigs in 1999, for cattle in 2003 and turkeys in 2008. As with many drugs, the approval process relied on safety studies conducted by the drug-maker — studies that lie at the heart of the current trade dispute. http://bit.ly/KWjA7S