Cuddly Wrote:That is to say, while overconsumption of antibiotics by humans is something to consider, these are already tightly regulated in developed countries. The bigger issue is with our treatment of food-to-be.
It's not so much over-consumption as it is irresponsible consumption. Two of the main problems is the tendency to pop up antibiotics when you have viral infections like a cold and failing to follow through the entire length of an antibiotic treatment. There is some irresponsibility on the medical world sometimes to be too antibiotic-happy, either to get rid of an annoying patient or because they fail to ask for the proper evaluation in determining the true cause of infection and the type of baterium involved if it's the case.
At least, the tendency is dropping, but the damage is already done.
It only takes this much to create/select a resistant strain. Control of antibiotics in developed countries will not prevent the spread of resistance, because in a globalized world, pathogens know no boundaries. It does restrict general acess to this, so that's something.
Nevertheless, what you point out is true. I'm not sure to what extent this is a concern in the food industry or for the bussinesses involved, but in the scientific world it is very much known that antibiotics need to disappear from the food industry ASAP.
The problem is this
There is virtually no alternatives to new antimicrobial products because of the cost involved in the process and because regulations are so damn strict that it can take you 20 years to get a single novel compound to be approved, let alone into the market. In the same time, antibiotic resistance is a fast paced process.
I myself have worked in a few antimicrobial compounds, a bit costly but effective, as has been done elsewhere. Trying to convince the major companies of this, however, is terribly difficult.