The meat that Americans consume today is not the same as the meat 20 years ago. The increase of meat production has impacted the way large meat producers feed and modify animals for consumption.
The increased size of the animals we consume is not due to evolution but from hormones and unnatural products being fed to them.
Meat processing also has impacted the treatment of animals and workers with more reports of abuse than ever before.
Local and small farms have lost business to mainly four large companies that have control over 80 percent of all meat production in the U.S., according to Business Week. Only 45 percent of hog and cattle farms are still around from 1980.
Meat consumption is growing throughout the world with an increase of 60 percent since 1960. Beef and pork consumption has tripled in the U.S. alone, according to Worldwatch Institute. The growth of fast-food chains in the U.S. has caused the drastic increase of production.
In order to keep up with the meat production, companies have found hormone use as a helpful solution to make animals grow faster at the earlier stages of life. According to a report by Cornell University, the FDA, to assist in speedy growth for cattle and sheep, approves six different hormones.
Though hormones help companies make money faster, are we OK with consuming hormones on a daily basis?
Increased hormone usage in milk-producing cows can cause an increase of infection in the cow’s udders. Cows will then receive antibiotics which are then in the milk and in the long-term can affect the human immune system where antibiotics may no longer be useful to fight infection in the body, according to the report.
The hormone that is used to increase milk production is known as rbGH and its use is banned throughout the European Union and Canada due to health risks. So why are Americans using it?
The increased demand for meat and milk has shifted standards for animals and workers.
Animals such as cattle living in close proximities give opportunities for the spread of bacteria like E. coli and animal diseases such as salmonella, according to one health non-profit. Factory cattle are said to live their lives in 14-square-foot pens chained at the neck with no free roaming until they are slaughtered, says E-Magazine.
Worker abuses are also a consistent problem in the meat industry. Human Rights Watch, a non-profit organization, has claimed that conditions for U.S. workers are extremely dangerous.
Often workers are denied the right to organize in unions and are not compensated for injuries on the job. Undocumented workers are underpaid and are exploited through their immigration statuses when they are injured.
As consumers we should be investing in our health, not fast food. Investing in meat corporations is only helping the monopoly and conditions. Purchasing local meat can be an easy alternative to going vegetarian. Local Arizona farms such as “A bar H Farm” or “OX Ranch” ensure organic meat and healthy animal living conditions. Local meat can be purchased at local farmers markets throughout the Valley. If we know what we are actually consuming, we can all be healthier.
Reach Justine at jrgarci8@asu.edu
