Tyson Debuts Antibiotics-Free Pork Brand

Though American consumers increasingly say they prefer antibiotics-free meat and poultry, and food companies announce moves in that direction, producers continue to buy large amounts of drugs used in human medicine – 32.6 million pounds in 2013, a factor in the decline in antibiotics effectiveness in humans. According to Takepart.com, the FDA’s voluntary control guidelines “have thus far proved ineffective at reducing the use of antibiotics by the agriculture industry.” Still, the trend toward antibiotics-free meat is working its way from the avian sector into livestock. Most recent example: Tyson Foods' Open Prairie Natural Pork brand made from pigs raised without antibiotics, hormones, or the use of gestation crates. The move makes Tyson the leading producer of antibiotics-free pork in the U.S.