Another claim you commonly see with ‘Raised without
Hormones’ is ‘Raised without Antibiotics,’ ‘No Antibiotics Added’ or
‘Antibiotic Free.’
First, let me address Antibiotic
Free.
Just like the similar label concerning hormones, the
‘Antibiotic Free’ claim is misleading and shouldn’t be found on a meat label. You
may see it on some marketing claims that are not regulated by USDA, though.
All of the meat you buy in the US should be Antibiotic Free. Even if the farmer
used antibiotics, those antibiotics shouldn’t be in the meat because the FDA
regulates how antibiotics are administered to animals. The time when the farmer
must stop using antibiotics before the animal is harvested is known as the withdrawal
time. Those times differ between types of antibiotics and the species of
animal, and they are explained on the antibiotic label.
Withdrawal times allow the
animal to metabolize the antibiotic and eliminate it from the body so that no
residues will be left in the meat. Therefore, all meat should be free of
antibiotics.
Back to the Label
When a meat company uses the ‘No
antibiotic added’ or ‘Raised without Antibiotics’ label, they must be able to prove to the USDA that no antibiotics were used to raise that animal.
Basically, that’s it. If the
animal has never been given antibiotics, the meat company can use that label.
This has probably been the
simplest of the labels in my labeling series.
Have you seen any other labels that you have questions
about?
Thanks for clarifying labels all summer long, Janeal!
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