050818 Company Aims to Curb Antibiotics in Pork

Des Moines, IA - Food service giant Compass Group, which cooks for schools, museums, hospitals and corporations nationwide, says it has a new purchasing policy aimed at reducing the use of antibiotics in pork production.

The policy prohibits the purchase of pork in which antibiotics approved for human use, including penicillin, erythromycin, oxytetracycline and sulfamethazine, have been used to promote growth.

It was drafted with the help of Virginia-based Smithfield Foods Inc., the nation's largest pork producer, and the nonprofit group Environmental Defense.

The announcement, made Tuesday, comes just days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of Baytril in poultry because of concerns the drug could lead to antibiotic-resistant infections in people.

For years, medical professionals have been calling for halting the use of antibiotics as a feed additive, said Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, state epidemiologist in Iowa, which leads the nation in pork production.

While there are valid reasons to treat sick animals with the drugs, there are concerns that the effectiveness of human antibiotics has been compromised.

"The biggest danger is that you would end up with an infection for which no antibiotics work," Quinlisk said.

Of greatest concern are the kinds of infections that can pass from animals to people, including foodborne illnesses such as salmonella, she said.

Becky Goldburg, senior biologist with Environmental Defense, said antibiotics in feed provide only the slimmest advantage to pork producers.

"If you give the pigs a good diet and manage them well and keep them in a clean environment, the antibiotics make little difference," she said. "Antibiotics can be used as a crutch for mediocre management."

The policy also requires Compass Group suppliers to report and reduce antibiotic usage over time, something that Smithfield Foods has been tracking, spokesman Dennis Treacy said in a statement.

Cheryl Queen, spokeswoman for Compass Group, said the policy is a good business move as consumers become more conscious of the food they eat.

"I think it's consumer driven," Queen said. "We are all looking at our diets. This is just a response to that."

Compass Group restaurants and cafes use 30 million pounds of pork each year. With beef and chicken, the company uses 200 million pounds of meat each year. Compass Group, The Americas Division, is based in Charlotte, N.C.

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