Is Meat Natural?
So often, we hear that animal flesh is “natural” compared to plant based meats.
But is meat truly natural?
98% of farmed animals in the US are raised on factory farms.
Let’s examine the practices of the factory farming industry in raising and processing meat.
Antibiotic Use
Factory farms crowd as many animals as possible into as small a space as possible in order to maximize profit. Animals are forced to live in their own waste and the waste of others.
The 33,000 broiler chickens inside this shed will reach slaughter weight at 35 days old, and they’ll be slaughtered by 42 days old. The natural lifespan of a chicken is 10-12 years. Credit: We Animals Media
As you can imagine, this is a breeding ground for disease and bacteria. Antibiotics are steadily administered throughout the animals’ short lives in order to combat disease and decrease pre-slaughter mortality rates.
Antibiotics also help animals gain weight quicker and increase slaughter weights, which also maximizes profit.
About 80% of all antibiotics in the US are administered to animals used for food.
Pigs crowded together at a large CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation). They will reach slaughter weight at 6-9 months old. The natural lifespan of a pig is 10-12 years. Credit: We Animals Media
This causes two key issues for consumers.
First, consumers of meat products are ingesting antibiotics through meat.
Second, the widespread use of antibiotics is creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
In a 2013 survey of US supermarkets, ““Environmental Working Group found that among the most common meats bought in US supermarkets, 81% of turkey, 69% of pork chops, 55% of ground beef and 39% of chicken contained antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”
The widespread development of antibiotic resistant bacteria through factory farming could catapult us back into a pre-antibiotic era. We could be at risk of lethal infections in minor surgeries or procedures.
The practice of administering antibiotics to farmed animals is so dangerous that the European Union banned this practice in 2006.
It is still standard practice in US farming.
Drugs Administered to Animals
There are at least 450 drugs that are routinely administered to farmed animals.
A baby pig is injected with a shot of vitamins after it’s tail was cut off with no anesthetic. Credit: We Animals Media
The drug classes include but are not limited to: artificial growth hormones, hormones, steroids, beta-agonists, arsenicals, antibiotics, antioxidants, and anti-parasitics.
According to the center for food safety, the US is lagging behind international standards when it comes to the safety of raising animals for meat:
“At least twelve of the specific drugs discussed in this report are prohibited for use as animal drugs in other countries, and the EU has issued a ban on the use of all antibiotics for growth promotion. For six of the drugs, FDA has established residue tolerance levels significantly higher than the international standards.”
The consumer is exposed to all of these drugs through ingesting meat.
A dairy cow is given a calcium supplement. Credit: We Animals Media
Additives and Preservatives in Meat Processing
According to the Food Safety And Inspection Service, there are at least 28 classes of preservatives and additives used in meat production.
As an example, let’s consider farmed salmon.
Farmed salmon are crowded together by the thousands in small aquatic cages, which are filled with their waste. They are constantly breathing and coated in their own waste.
Due to the highly unsanitary environment, salmon often develop what is colloquially called “sea lice” - a parasite that eats their flesh from the outside in. Farmers add antiparasitic drugs and antibiotics to the water to combat these diseases.
Based on our existing knowledge, this is to be expected.
But there’s something else particular to salmon…
The flesh of wild salmon is pink because they eat shrimp and krill.
Due to a poor and nutrient deficient diet, the flesh of farmed salmon is not naturally pink, however. It’s gray.
Fish farmers must feed their salmon a supplement called astaxanthin to artificially turn their flesh pink. Because pink is the color that the consumer expects.
There’s even a color catalog! Farmers can choose which shade of pink they want the flesh of their salmon to be.
According to Time Magazine, consumers pay up to $1 more per pound for deeper, redder flesh colors.
Even the color of meat is not natural.
Preservatives and additives are added to meat during processing to improve flavor, texture, and prevent decay.
Here is an example of one such preservative from the glossary provided by the Food Safety and Inspection Service:
“RANCID/RANCIDITY - oxidation/breakdown of fat that occurs naturally causing undesirable smell and taste. BHA/BHT and tocopherols are used to keep fats from becoming rancid.”
Meat will go rancid fairly quickly after slaughter. We unnaturally extend its shelf life through preservatives.
Conclusion
Meat is portrayed as very natural. You just kill an animal and voila! Food.
But that’s not reality.
From birth all the way up to our plate, there are drugs, additives, and preservatives added to meat that unnaturally alter the bacteria and parasite content, flavor, texture, shelf life, and even color.
It’s not natural.
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