Worried About...

It’s only natural to be interested in how cattle are raised and their affect on the environment. Here are answers to some frequently asked questons about hormones, antibiotics, greenhouse gases and beef’s role in a healthy diet.

Hormones

The use of hormone implants helps keep beef affordable, and the industry healthy. A financially sound industry fosters competition and allows producers to invest in improvements for the future. 
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Yes, even your body produces hormones naturally, no matter what you eat.

Merriam Webster. Hormone definition 
Hormone implants are small, slow release pellets placed under the skin in an animal’s ear to enhance production of natural hormones. Using hormone implants directs growth towards muscle and away from fat, which boosts growth rate and means less feed is needed for the animal to gain weight.

Canada Beef, Inc. “Understanding hormone use in beef.” 
Yes, the use of hormone implants is safe and regulated in Canada. 

Health Canada. “Questions and answers – hormonal growth promoters”  http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/vet/faq/growth_hormones_promoters_croissance_hormonaux_stimulateurs-eng.php

Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. “Procedures for recommending maximum residue limits – residues of veterinary drugs in food  http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/agns/pdf/jecfa/2000-06-30_JECFA_Procedures_MRLVD.pdf
Learn more about hormone use in beef production

Myth: Hormone Use In Beef Production is a Health Concern

Visit Meat MythCrushers for more videos on meat production


References:

[1] Canada Beef, Inc. “Understanding hormone use in beef.”

[2] Merriam Webster. Hormone definition

[3] Hartmann et al. 1998. Natural occurrence of steroid hormones in food. Food Chemistry. 62:1, 7-20. 

[4] Beef Cattle Research Council. “Explaining growth promotants used in feedlot cattle”

[5] Preston, R.L. 1997. Rationale for the safety of implants. Oklahoma State University Implant Symposium Proceedings.

[6] Weiert Velle. 1981. Hormones in Animal Production. FAO Animal Production and Health Paper 31. 

[7] Kaplowitz et al. 2001. Earlier onset of puberty in girls: relations to increased body mass index and race. Pediatrics. 108:2, 347-353.

[8] Magolski et al. 2014. Consumption of ground beef obtained from cattle that had received steroidal growth promotants did not trigger early onset of estrus in prepubertal pigs. Journal of Nutrition. Published online ahead of print. 

[9] Health Canada. “Questions and answers – hormonal growth promoters” 

[10] Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. “Procedures for recommending maximum residue limits – residues of veterinary drugs in food 

[11] Food & Drugs Act. 

[12] Canadian Food Inspection Agency. “Chemical Residues.” Chapter 5.2, Manual of Procedures, Meat and Poultry Products.


[14] Capper and Hayes, 2012. Environmental and economic impact of removing growth-enhancing technologies from U.S. beef production . Journal of Animal Science. 90:10, 3527-3537.

[15] Legesse et al. 2015. Greenhouse gas emissions of Canadian beef production in 1981 as compared with 2011. Animal Production Science. 

Antibiotics

Cattle producers take their ethical responsibility to protect the health and welfare of their families and animals very seriously, which includes using antibiotics when appropriate. Canada's Verified Beef Production program outlines responsible practices for producers, and provides training on how to use antibiotics properly. 

Verified Beef Production – Canada’s Beef On-Farm Food Safety Program http://www.verifiedbeef.org
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Antibiotics are used in cattle for three reasons. 

1. Growth promotion: a category of antibiotics called ionophores help boost growth in cattle. 

2. Prevention: preventing infection can reduce the need to use more powerful antibiotics if the disease becomes more serious. 

3. Treatment and control of disease: antibiotics can help protect cattle health by limiting the spread of disease.
There is no evidence that use of ionophores causes increased resistance to antibiotics used in human medicine.

Callaway, T.R., Edrington, T.S., Rychlik, J.L., Genovese, K.J., Poole, T.L., Jung, Y.S., Bischoff, K.M., Anderson, R.C., and Nisbet, D.J. 2003. Ionophores: Their use as ruminant growth promotants and impact on food safety. Curr. Issues Inest. Microbiol. 4:43-51.

Russell, J.B. and Houlihan, A.J. 2003. Ionophore resistance of ruminal bacteria and its potential impact on human health. FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 27:65-74. 
No — all beef is antibiotic free. A specified withdrawal time must pass after the last treatment to ensure there are no antibiotic residues left in the beef. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency regularly tests for residues.

CFIA National Chemical Residue Monitoring. 2012-2013. Annual Report. 
Learn more about antibiotic use and resistance in beef production.

Myth: Animal Agriculture is the Biggest Contributor to Antibiotic Resistance. Visit MeatMythCrushers for more videos on meat production

Myth: Antibiotics are Use in Animal Agriculture to Cover up for Unsanitary Conditions. Visit MeatMythCrushers for more videos on meat production

How are Antibiotics Used on the Farm? This video, from the North American Meat Institute, takes you on a virtual farm tour with Dr. Brad Jones, a veterinarian with the University of Nebraska and Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center. https://www.youtube.com/embed/_FKJ5EKgmhU?list=PLkBbso1kwZ3bZTqN5MBLqHWGpRqPCH7gK

What Beef Producers Need to Know About Antimicrobial Use and Resistance. Video Credit: Beef Cattle Research Council 

Watch Dr. Joseph Perrone explain important facts about antibiotic use. Video Credit: Centre for Accountability in Science 

Centre for Food Integrity Best Food Facts: True? Or Not? “Regular use of antibiotics in healthy cows, pigs and chickens has led to increased antibiotic resistance in humans eating meat products” 

Centre for Food Integrity: Antibiotics for Animals: Dangerous for Humans

Beef Cattle Research Council: Antimicrobial 

Health Canada – Antibiotic (antimicrobial) resistance 

Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS) 

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Residue 

References:

[1] Bhullar, K., Waglechener, N., Pawlowski, A., Koteva, K., Banks, E.D., Johnston, M.D., Barton, H.A., and Wright, G.D. 2012. Antibiotic Resistance is prevalent in an isolated cave microbiome. PLoS ONE, 7(4):e347953. 

[2] Government of Canada. 2015. Federal action plan on antimicrobial resistance and use in Canada: Building on the federal framework for action. 

[3] Callaway, T.R., Edrington, T.S., Rychlik, J.L., Genovese, K.J., Poole, T.L., Jung, Y.S., Bischoff, K.M., Anderson, R.C., and Nisbet, D.J. 2003. Ionophores: Their use as ruminant growth promotants and impact on food safety. Curr. Issues Inest. Microbiol. 4:43-51. 

[4] Russell, J.B. and Houlihan, A.J. 2003. Ionophore resistance of ruminal bacteria and its potential impact on human health. FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 27:65-74. 

[5] Beef Cattle Research Council. 2015. What producers need to know about antimicrobial use and resistance. 

[6] Health Canada. 2009. Categorization of antimicrobial drugs based on importance in human medicine. 

[7] Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS). 2013. Annual Report. 

[8] FoodNet Canada. 2013. Short Report. 

[9] Government of Canada. 2015. Canadian antimicrobial resistance surveillance system report. 

[10] Gow, S., Deckert, A., Leger, D., Agunos, A., Carson, C., Avery, B., Parmley, J., Finley, R., Reid-Smith, R., Irwin, R. Antimicrobial Use and Resistance Surveillance. Public Health Agency of Canada presentation to the Alberta Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Steering Committee. June 30, 2015.

[11] CFIA National Chemical Residue Monitoring. 2012-2013. Annual Report. 

[12] Hurd, H.S., Doores, S., Hayes, D., Mathew, A., Maurer, J., Silley, P., Singer, R., and Jones, R.N. 2004. Public health consequences of macrolide use in food animals: A deterministic risk assessment. J. Food Protec. 67:980-992. 

[13] Verified Beef Production – Canada’s Beef On-Farm Food Safety Program 

[14] Morley, P.S., Dargatz, D.A., Hyatt, D.R., Dewell, G.A., Patterson, J.G., Burgess, B.A., and Wittum, T.E. 2011. Effects of restricted antimicrobial exposure on antimicrobial resistance in fecal escherichia coli from feedlot cattle. Foodborne Pathog. Dis. 8:87-98. 

[15] Chang, Q., Wang, W., Regev-Yochay, G., Lipsitch, M. and Hanage, W. P. 2015. Antibiotics in agriculture and the risk to human health: How worried should we be? Evolut. Applic. 8: 240–247. 

[16] Phillips, I., Casewell, M., Cox, T., De Groot, B., Friis, C., Jones, R., Nightingale, C., Preston, R. and Waddell, J. 2004. Does the use of antibiotics in food animals pose a risk to human health? A critical review of published data. J. Antimicrob. Chemo. 53: 28-52. http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/content/53/1/28.short

[17] Guardabassi, L., Schwarz, S. and Lloyd, D.H. 2004. Pet animals as reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. J. Antimicrob. Chemo. 54:321-332. 

[18] Britt, R.R. 2005. The Odds of Dying. livescience. 

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Even though the proportion of GHG emissions from beef cattle is small, Alberta Beef Producers continue to explore reduction options through research and innovative management practices.
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False — a Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO) report attributes 14.5% of global emissions to livestock.

Pasturelands remove greenhouse gases from the air and stores them in the soil. Removing cattle from these lands would put the land at risk for conversion to other land uses that could release more GHGs. 
Cattle are able to digest grass and grains that other animals (including people) cannot. Microorganisms in the cattle’s stomach produce methane as a by-product.

Beauchemin, K. and McGinn S. Reducing methane in dairy and beef operations: What is feasible? Prairie Soils and Crops. 1:3.
Learn more about greenhouse gas emission in beef production

Environmental Footprint of Beef Production:
 
Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef National Beef Sustainability Assessment and Strategy:
 
Meat Myth Crushers:
Livestock have a greater negative environmental impact than cars:
 
Going meatless one day a week can have a significant environmental impact:
 
References:

[1] Government of Canada. 2016. National Inventory Report, 1990-2014 Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada: The Canadian Government’s Submission to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. 

[2] The Daily Telegraph. March 24, 2010. UN admits flaw in report on meat and climate change. 



[5] Perry and Cecava. 1995. Beef Cattle Feeding and Nutrition. 2nd Ed. Elsevier.

[6] Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). (2016). National Beef Sustainability Assessment and Strategy Summary Report. 

[7] VandenBygaart, A.J. 2003. Influence of agricultural management on soil carbon: A compendium and assessment of Canadian studies. Can. J. Soil. Sci. 83:363-380. 

[8] Scurlock, J.M.O. and Hall, D.O. 1998. The global carbon sink: a grassland perspective. Global Change Biology. 4: 229-233

[9] Statistics Canada. Human Activity and the Environment: Annual Statistics 2009. Table 1.2. Global availability of agricultural and arable land, 2005.

[10] Borer et al. 2014. Herbivores and nutrients control grassland plant diversity via light limitation. Nature. 508:517-520. 

[11] Beauchemin, K. and McGinn S. Reducing methane in dairy and beef operations: What is feasible? Prairie Soils and Crops. 1:3. 

[12] Legesse, G. et al. 2016. Greenhouse gas emissions of Canadian beef production in 1981 as compared with 2011. Anim. Prod. Sci. 56: 153-168. 

[13] Tom et al. 2015. Energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions for current food consumption patterns and dietary recommendations in the US. Environ. Syst. Decis. 36:92-103 

[14] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2011. Global food losses and food waste – Extent, causes and prevention. 

Nutrition

Beef is a cost-effective and nutrient-dense food. As part of a healthy, balanced diet, beef is an excellent source of protein, iron, B12 and zinc.
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A 75g serving of cooked beef provides 26g of protein, 25mg of iron, 1.8µg of vitamin B12, and 6.5mg of zinc. 

Health Canada.  Canadian Nutrient File, version 2015
Red meat does not significantly increase cardiovascular risk when consumed in recommended amounts.7 About half of the fat found in beef is the same type of monounsaturated fat found in olive oil.1 A European study found no association between unprocessed red meat and any cause of death, including heart disease or cancer. 

Bronzato et al.  2017.  A contemporary review of the relationship between red meat consumption and cardiovascular risk. Int. J. Prev. Med.  8:40


Health Canada.  Canadian Nutrient File, version 2015

A 75g serving of cooked beef contains 26mg of protein and 184 calories. To get the same amount of protein from other sources, you would need to eat 1¾ servings of tofu (260 calories), 2 1/3 servings of black beans (391 calories), or 3 2/5 servings of almonds (715 calories). 1

Health Canada.  Canadian Nutrient File, version 2015

Thinkbeef.ca

Meat intake:
 
Nutrition brief:
 
Cancer:
 
Plant vs. animal protein:
 
Fat:
 
 
Meat MythCrushers:

Cancer:
 
Heart disease: 
 
Processed meats:
 
Sources of iron:
 
Grass vs. grain-fed in terms of healthfulness of beef
 
Obesity:

References:

[1] Health Canada.  Canadian Nutrient File, version 2015
Codes Used: Cooked Beef 6172, Black Beans 3377, Tofu 4909, Almonds 2534, Spinach 2213*, Pork Loin 1783, Chicken Breast 842, Salmon Fillet 3053, Eggs 130, Ground Beef 5009, Ground Pork 6120, Ground Chicken 919, Top Sirloin Steak 6144

[2] Health Canada. 2012.  Do Canadian adults meet their nutrient requirements through intake alone? 

[3] Health Canada.  Dietary Reference Intakes Tables 2010.

[4] International Agency for Research on Cancer. 2015. Q&A on the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat.  

[5] IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans.

[6] Rohrmann et al.  2013.  Meat consumption and mortality – results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.  BMC Medicine. 11:63.

[7] Bronzato et al.  2017.  A contemporary review of the relationship between red meat consumption and cardiovascular risk. Int. J. Prev. Med.  8:40

[8] Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. 2016.  Protein disappearance and demand by species.

[9] White and Hall.  2017.  Nutritional and greenhouse gas impacts of removing animals from US agriculture.  PNAS 114:48.

[10] All retail prices sourced from Save-On Foods Calgary, AB on February 13, 2018.

[11] Canadian Food Inspection Agency – Ground Meat Standards