Animal Antibiotics Discovered in Common Vegetables

Mitch Kennedy, ND

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found residues from animal antibiotics in common produce. Spreading raw manure on fields from animals treated with antibiotics is a common practice on conventional farms. Unfortunately, scientists have now discovered that vegetables like corn, cabbage, and green onions absorb those antibiotics, which are then ingested by consumers. “Vegetarians may think the huge overuse of antibiotics in livestock and poultry will not affect them, but that’s not true,” stated Margaret Mellon, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Consumers eating vegetables grown on soil fertilized with manure may be unknowingly ingesting antibiotics.” Regular consumption of these antibiotics can then cause bacteria in the body to become resistant.

Source: http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/antibiotics112305.cfm

Mitch Kennedy, ND has a family practice in Avon, CT, and is the first ND with clinical privileges at the University of Connecticut, a teaching hospital. Before graduation from Southwest College, Kennedy earned an international reputation as a leader in pollution prevention, showing industries around the world how preventing pollution saves money.