skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Study Finds Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Retail Pork

play audio
Play

Friday, January 20, 2012   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Researchers say they have found that a serious antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is becoming more prevalent in retail pork products. David Wallinga, senior adviser on science, food and health with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), says samples were collected at stores in New Jersey, Iowa and Minnesota.

"We found the highest amount of MRSA in pork of any study to date – in fact, more than twice as much MRSA as in any previous study."

Of the 395 pork samples collected from three dozen stores, Wallinga says about 6.5 percent were found to be contaminated with MRSA. He believes the findings pose a public health issue, and says many people are sickened, and some die each year, because of MRSA.

"I'm not saying if you go out and buy a piece of pork you're going to die – but what I am saying is that it's in our food supply, and we ought to be taking action."

Among the actions he suggests is additional testing by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, so consumers will have the information they need when making decisions about food for their families. He says something must also be done about the overuse of antibiotics on farms.

"Raising pigs on antibiotics in their feed makes them more likely to have antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the pig and in the meat, and it makes the bacteria resistant not only to that particular antibiotic, but even to other antibiotics that aren't in the feed, too."

When asked to comment on the study, the National Pork Board referred calls to Dr. Peter Davies of the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota. According to Davies, proper cooking and handling of raw meat can reduce any potential risk - and he says this new report isn't a "game changer," based on what he's seen in studies from other countries.

"The Dutch have done a risk assessment study on what it means and they've essentially come to the conclusion that, although we can't be 100 percent certain, all the evidence suggests that it's not actually of much importance at all in terms of public health."

The IATP has not yet named which brands of pork tested positive when sampled, but says those details are forthcoming.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021