It Kills 23,000 and Makes 2 Million Sick Every Year

You're lying in a hospital bed, you're sweating, you’re struggling to breathe, and there's nothing that can help you... you’ve been infected by a superbug. Doctors have tried everything, but you’re resistant to every single antibiotic they have at their disposal.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, superbugs (formally known as antibiotic resistant bacteria), kill 23,000 and make two million of us sick every year in the U.S. alone. But wait, where are they coming from...? While it's comfortable for most to blame doctors for overprescribing and then forget about the issue, what is rarely mentioned is that superbugs are often traced back to factory farms, where -a whopping 80%- of all manufactured antibiotics are used each year in America.

In intensely crowded sheds, farmed animals are often drugged with antibiotics to do two things: force unnaturally fast growth (causing them pain when their legs can no longer support their own weight), and to keep them alive in unsanitary conditions. Consequently, their tolerance to antibiotics builds, and superbugs are born. Farm and slaughterhouse workers become infected, as do consumers who purchase tainted meat from their local supermarket, and the superbugs spread...

According to Eco Watch, a recent study found that 70 percent of pigs on Iowa farms tested positive for MRSA (an antibiotic-resistant staph infection). That same study also found that 64 percent of the workers on that particular farm were also infected.

Sadly, and to make matters even worse, powerful meat companies like Sanderson Farms are now pouring millions of dollars into advertising campaigns to confuse consumers about antibiotic labeling laws, more likely than not, to protect their own profits which solely depend on meat consumption. When businesses put their own interests above public health, it’s crucial that we educate ourselves. Antibiotic resistant bacteria is a frightening public health issue which we mustn’t take lightly.

Superbugs are just one of many reasons why millions of people are choosing to transition to animal-free foods that are cleaner for their health and the environment.

If you would like to learn more about transitioning, click here to download your free starter guide today.