Costco to cut down on antibiotics in your meat

Costco will soon require meat producers to limit antibiotic use in poultry, hogs and cattle, as part of its animal welfare policy that will be released next year.

Health researchers estimate that farm animals are by far the largest users of antibiotics — 70 percent. Over the decades, antibiotics have been widely used to promote growth and prevent disease in animal, but with negative effects on humans.

The widespread use of antibiotics in animals has caused problems in treating infections in humans that no longer respond to regular antibiotics.

“Humans who develop infections with antibiotic resistant bacteria can’t be treated with one or more antibiotics and that has been known to result adverse health outcomes,” says Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer at Public Health Seattle-King County.

Costco’s new protocol will require producers to provide certification. The company will start product testing in 2020.

Duchin said Costco’s policy is a good first step, but he’d like to see antibiotics used only when animals are ill. “They’re still going to allow, potentially, antibiotics for use in disease prevention, which is something that is not recommended by the World Health Organization.”