Beef. It's what's for dinner.
Maybe with a side of ketamine, phenylbutazone and chloramphenicol, too.
Consumer Reports found, using government data, that trace amounts of those and other banned drugs might be in the U.S. meat supply more often than originally thought.
About 6,000 samples of beef, pork and poultry collected by U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service had varying levels of such drugs.
For example, an antibiotic called chloramphenicol was found in 81 samples of beef -- 12 of which were above the cutoff of what would be considered safe for consumption. Ketamine, an anesthetic used experimentally as an antidepressant, was in 225 of pork and beef samples -- 15 above the FSIS cutoff.
It's worrisome, Consumer Reports says, because it's not exactly known how these drugs get into the food supply or what their risks might be to consumers. It is possible drug residue could reach an animal's water supply, the feed is contaminated or by another method.
However, it's not entirely bleak for the carnivores or omnivores at heart.
"CR’s food safety experts don’t think that the concerns raised in this investigation mean you should give up or necessarily cut back on meat. The findings are too uncertain and the potential risks still unknown," according to Consumer Reports.
"But research suggests that many Americans eat more meat than recommended for good health and that reducing meat consumption can be better for the environment. The potential problems identified here may be enough for some to consider eating less meat."
FSIS in response criticized Consumers Reports' findings, saying the report is "sensational and fear-based infotainment aimed at confusing shoppers."
It said that in the final test results returned from chicken samples, there was no drug residue found.
