Supermarket Meat Contaminated With Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs. Time To Panic?

The news is enough to make any sensible person consider becoming a vegetarian. A recently reviewed study by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, a meat monitoring program set up by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration, found these shocking facts about the American meat supply:

• At least 39% of chicken sold in the United States in 2011 contained at least one strain of bacteria that is resistant to at least one antibiotic.
• At least 55% of the ground beef sold in the United States in 2011 contained at least one strain of bacteria that is resistant to at least one antibiotic.

Read More: US Pediatricians: Antibiotics are Over-prescribed to Children

• At least 69% of the pork chops sold in the United States in 2011 contained at least one strain of bacteria that is resistant to at least one antibiotic.
• At least 81% of the ground turkey sold in the United States in 2011 contained at least one strain of bacteria that is resistant to at least one antibiotic.

Or maybe these facts are not quite a shocking as the headlines have been telling us.

And even 61% of chicken, 45% of ground beef, 31% of pork chops, and 19% of ground turkey that don't contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria of any kind probably does contain antibiotic-treatable E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter, all of which can cause serious diarrhea, vomiting, and sometimes even kidney damage and death. But that doesn't mean it's time to panic. Here's why:

• The report focused on bacteria that were resistant to at least one antibiotic. The study didn't find meat that contained bacteria that were resistant to every antibiotic. It specifically stated no samples were found that contained bacteria that were resistant to all the drugs that could treat them.
• "Antibiotic resistance" was defined as not being killed by a high dose of an antibiotic. It is possible that higher doses of the drug would have killed the bacteria in the sample.
• When antibiotic resistance is taken out of the analysis, and the question becomes the much simpler "Does this meat contain E. coli?" then the results of the study are quite different. The most frequently contaminated meat becomes chicken breast, with 83.5% of samples containing E. coli, whether antibiotic-resistant or not. E. coli typically isn't treated with antibiotics, although the most serious cases could be, since there were no strains of the bacteria detected that couldn't be treated with at least one drug.

• As poultry growers stop using antibiotics (usually because they are banned by the government), the products contaminated by antibiotic-resistant bacteria become fewer and fewer.

In fact, contamination of some kinds of meat with some kinds of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has dropped up to 90% over the last 10 years as growers stop using certain antibiotics. This suggests a series of simple steps can help you make sure your meat is safe to eat.

Four Steps To Making Sure Your Meat Is Safe To Eat

If we're honest about it, butchering animals so we can eat them is, well, icky. Those E. coli bacteria we're always hearing about get there from animal feces that somehow finds its way onto meat. And you don't really want to know where the Salmonella come from. (The feces in which they are harbored isn't from farm animals.)

But if you can get past the visual images of bacterial contamination, then there are some simple steps you can take to make sure the meat you eat is safe.

1. Buy organic-certified meat.

Bacteria don't become antibiotic-resistant if they aren't exposed to antibiotics. Meat from animals that are raised without antibiotics in their feed typically won't harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In the extremely unlikely event you contracted an infection from organic-certified meat, your doctor will be able to find a drug to treat it.

It's not impossible for a microbiologist to identify some strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria even in organic meat. A study of organically produced chicken parts by researchers from the University of Maryland School of Public Health, for instance, found 10% of organic chicken samples contained strains of Enteroccocus faecalis that are resistant to at least one antibiotic and 17% of organic chicken samples contained strains of Enterococcus faecium that are are resistant to at least one antibiotic (compared to 42% and 87% of conventionally raised chicken, respectively). 

2. Buy fresh meat that has been put in the refrigerator case the same day you buy it, and cook or freeze it within two days of purchase.

Bacteria don't just become resistant to antibiotics. They also become resistant to disinfectants that are used in meat packing plants. A study conducted at Texas A&M University found that the single chemical most likely to cause disinfectant resistance is a product known as OdoBan, which is used to cover up odors of decaying meat. If you don't want to buy meat that carries bacteria that are resistant to the disinfectants you use in your own kitchen, buy from local companies that specialize in providing fresh products.

3. Keep raw meat separate from other foods both in the refrigerator and on preparation surfaces.

Bacteria don't survive cooking, but the juices from raw meat can spread to other foods and carry bacteria with them. It's important to keep meat wrapped in plastic or paper when it is in the refrigerator. Don't put meat in the produce bin, especially not with fruit or salad greens. Wash cutting boards on which raw meat has been prepared with warm soap water before using them to prepare other foods, and wash you hands with warm, soapy water (it doesn't have to contain a chemical to kill bacteria, the water and suds are enough to remove bacteria), rinsing them under running water, every time you handle raw meat. Make sure meat is heated through with a meat thermometer.

4. Combine meat with small amounts of bitter foods.

Even if a few bacteria find their way into your food, they will be killed when they reach your stomach, if your stomach acid is strong enough. But how can you increase stomach acidity in a healthy way?

One way of increasing the production of stomach acid to levels that protect you against infection is by eating bitter foods. Eating something bitter triggers a nerve reflex that makes the stomach produce more acid. Bitter foods that increase stomach acid include quinine water, radicchio, coffee, citrus zest, endive, and pungent cheeses, eaten in small quantities.