ABSTRACT
Antibiotics are used to control disease in flocks and herds of our animals raised for food. Some producers also use antibiotics to increase weight gain or improve feed efficiency. These production uses are not necessary and, given the problem of antibiotic resistance, have been condemned. The Food and Drug Administration adopted a Veterinary Feed Directive containing provisions to limit the use of antibiotics in animal production. The US Department of Agriculture adopted certification requirements to support acknowledgments on products that antibiotics were not used in the production of the animals supplying meat products. Marketing firms, stores, and restaurants are telling processors and suppliers they do not want products from animals that received antibiotics.
