Americans as a group are quite aware and concerned about the safety of our food. When it comes to beef about 35 million cattle were slaughtered for food in the US. The majority of that beef had been injected with growth hormones to enhance growth. Only two large countries allow the use of growth hormones in cattle: the United States and Canada. We have been prohibited from selling to Europe since 1988. All of Europe prohibits the use of hormones in cattle production, and prohibits the importation of hormone-treated beef.
Both the USDA and the FDA claim that hormones are safe, and neither agency will allow producers who don't use hormones to claim that non-use as a "health benefit." However, there is a growing concern among consumers that hormone residues pose a human health issue. There is also a concern that these residues pose a risk to the environment.
So specificallly what are those concerns ? We know that hormone residues have been implicated in the early onset of puberty in girls. Perhaps our children, pregnant women, and the unborn are the most obvious targets for health concerns from these substances. We also know that not only does meat from injected cattle contain growth hormone residue, but their manure does as well. This means that when the runoff hits our lakes and streams, the local ecosystems are also effected. Everything from the reproductive cycles of fish to the groundwater can be affected by this runoff.
If you share these concerns, you should search your local area for cattle producers that do not use growth hormones in their cattle to enhance production. In these weak economic times we are all living through, it's great to support a local business. In this case, there will be a bonus: you'll not only be helping support a local business by buying locally, you'll be supporting a business that shares your point of view on the quality of the food you eat and the state of the environment we all live in.
