Antibiotics in Food: Should Parents Be Concerned?

By: Sophie E. Katz, MD, FAAP & Ritu Banjeree, MD, PhD, FAAP

Antibiotics have been helping people get well since the 1930s. In fact, chances are good that your child has already taken antibiotics for a common infection like strep throat or a urinary tract infection.

At the same time, you've also heard that too many antibiotics are dangerous for our health. This is one reason pediatricians are careful to prescribe antibiotics only when they're needed and helpful. But antibiotics in our food supply can pose concerns, too.

How antibiotics got into the American diet

For decades, U.S. farmers have given antibiotics to animals raised as food, or animals that make food for us. Examples include cows or goats that give milk or chickens that produce eggs. As the population of our country grew, this helped food producers keep up with food demand. It helped keep animals healthy and speed up their growth.

But by the 1960s and '70s, researchers found that bacteria in the animals' bodies were fighting back. When chickens were given antibiotics in their water or feed, disease-causing bacteria in their bodies adapted quickly. After a short time, these germs, or bacteria, showed resistance to antibiotics. Evidence of resistant germs were found in the animals themselves, and also in the bodies of people working on the chicken farms.

This showed us how antibiotic resistance can develop in germs that cause food poisoning and other illnesses. Chicken, beef, pork, turkey, eggs and milk—and products made from them—are a big part of the U.S. diet. That's why concerns about antibiotic resistance and how it relates to our food supply are growing.

Antibiotic resistance & children's health

Decades after the chicken studies, there's a growing awareness that human health is closely linked with the health of animals, plants and the environment. This view is sometimes called One Health. It helps explain why DNA evidence of drug resistance can be found in water supplies and soil near farms where food animals are raised. Antibiotics make their way into the water we drink, too, not only from farms but also hospitals or homes where we throw drugs down the drain or into the trash.

Health professionals who work with children are concerned that antibiotics will lose their power to cure common infections. If this happens, outbreaks of illness caused by Salmonella and Campylobacter could happen more often. Superbugs that are resistant to common antibiotics, like C. diff and MRSA, might sicken more children (and claim more lives). Each year in the U.S., antimicrobial-resistant bacteria cause at least 2.8 million infections and more than 35,000 deaths, including in kids.

How we can help ensure antibiotics work when we need them

The AAP applauds the work our government has already done to fight antibiotic resistance. But research and health trends show we need to go much further.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are often found in meat and other products headed to market. And since children under 5 years old face the worst risks for illness or death from foodborne germs, this is an issue parents and caregivers can't afford to ignore. Already, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has passed regulations that:

• End the use of antibiotics to make farm animals grow faster and larger. Antibiotics can only be used to keep diseases from spreading in animal groups.

• Require a prescription from an animal doctor (veterinarian) who oversees farm use of antibiotics.

The AAP now urges government agencies to:

• Follow the lead of countries in the European Union, where antibiotics are no longer used to grow food and food-producing animals

• Focus on getting antibiotics that humans need most—the ones often called "medically important"—out of our food supplies

• Limit the length of time that food animals can take antibiotics

• Require better tracking and reporting of food production practices

• Share facts with the public so we can work for progress together

Everyday steps parents can take

While we seek better regulations, here's what you can do to protect your family's health—and the health of others too.

• Whenever you can, choose meat and dairy products raised with zero antibiotics. Look for labels that say "antibiotic-free," "no antibiotics used" or "no antibiotics ever."

• Eat at restaurants that use antibiotic-free foods. Major restaurant chains buy a lot of meat and dairy. Those that pledge to go antibiotic-free give food producers another reason to cut back on antibiotics—or stop using them altogether.

• Partner with your child's doctor to limit the antibiotics they take. Remember that viral infections like colds and flu won't go away with antibiotics, since they only fight bacterial infections. Read more about viruses and bacteria here.

• Follow cooking safety rules to prevent food-borne illness. Here's a look at healthy kitchen practices that can help.

• Make sure kids wash their hands after touching pets, visiting petting zoos or gathering eggs from backyard chicken coops.

Remember

Antibiotics help kids get well. And in cases of serious illness, they can save lives. We need these powerful drugs in our toolkit. And to help ensure they will still work when we need them, we should limit our overall exposure to them.

Limiting antibiotic use in farming and food production is a key part of keeping antibiotics effective. This is a job that parents, families, communities, food producers and government officials must all take on together.

More information

• Antibiotics: FAQs for Families