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Jelena Berjan
Ms. Bessire
Eng. 1010
12/15/2014
When Money Matters More
Many Americans enjoy a good piece of meat, but rarely does anyone wonder how was
the animal raised before it reached someone’s plate. As the population grows bigger, thus the
demands for nourishment rise with it as well. A handful of powerful corporations have caught
this opportunity to make tremendous amounts of money by finding cheap and efficient means to
satisfy the big American stomach. Mistreated animals that are awaiting the cruel fate of being
slaughtered for human consumption firstly endured a torturous life, caged and stimulated with a
multitude of additives and hormones to grow bigger, and thus more profitable. The sad truth is
that on average, an American consumes about 200 pounds of meat (Sirois). With such surprising
data, one could only imagine how many antibiotics, hormones, and additives has an average
American consumed in a certain period of time. On the other hand, many legislators and
lobbyists are standing behind the few market giants who are monopolizing food production, and
enforce their own rules and find ways to get around federal regulations. The use of hormones and
additives in livestock has negative effects on animal growth, human health and development, and
ecological and environmental balance.
Some hold the view that the use of hormones and additives for animal growth is
legitimate and it highly stimulates the economic productivity, as well as offer affordable meat for
any budget. Even though the hormone use stimulates the American economy by providing low
cost products and thus expands the scope of customers, the negative side definitely outweighs the
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positive. Despite the affordability and cheap methods of increased production, such products are
highly contaminated with hormones, additives and antibiotics which not only affect animals and
their physiological state, but it leaves horrendous effects on human health and development by
placing the consumers at risk of contracting food borne diseases, development of cancer or
diabetes, and even obesity. The consumption of contaminated meat has been linked with birth
defects, and reproductive failures due to presence of multiple chemicals found in animals bred
for consumption.
First, the growth hormones have negative effects on animal development and health.
Among many negative side effects the growth hormones leave, one of the most frequent
abnormalities are physical strains. In the documentary film Food Inc., one of the farmers
explains, “When they grow from a chick and in seven weeks you've got a five-and-a-half- pound
chicken, their bones and their internal organs can't keep up with the rapid growth.” (Food Inc.).
Since these chickens are growing so rapidly, their legs cannot withstand their weight, making
them partially paralyzed. In food production industry, science plays a key role in meeting
customer demands. For example, scientists have developed methods to expressing certain
physical traits in chickens such as their breasts, since the consumer demand is high for such meat
(Food Inc.). As the industry is manipulating the development and growth of livestock, such acts
leave horrendous consequences on the environment as the roles of those animals in nature are
completely wiped out. Animals that are bred for consumption are enduring horrendous living
conditions, which also devalues their health and purpose as animals. Although animals are
suffering through negative consequences of being severely treated with artificial growth
hormones, humans are also fighting their own battle.
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Second, the hormones have a negative impact on human development and health. Even
though it has not been fully tested, some researchers say that hormone induced animal products
when consumed by humans could potentially trigger the development of lethal health conditions.
In “U.S Meat Production”, Sirois states, “It causes many different health problem in cows, the
risk of antibiotic resistance in humans, and may be connected to increased rates of… cancer.”
(Sirois). Apart from antibiotic resistance and the increase in cancer rates, there is a multitude of
other human health issues. When it comes to reproduction, consumption of hormone produced
meat affects the proper way a fetal development as well as diminishing the ability to properly
procreate. As mentioned in “Hormones”, Hunt states “Hormone residues in beef have been
examined as a cause of lower sperm counts in boys.” (Hunt). As much as increased meat
production brings a hefty revenue, it is imperative for human health to be above money and law.
U.S citizens are experiencing a rise of number of patients who are battling with deadly health
conditions which affect the way they live their lives, and most of the time their health never
improves. Although animals and humans experience hardships in their own ways, lastly, the
environment also suffers along the way.
Lastly, because of hormone use in animals, environment is affected negatively as well. In
specific ways, the injected hormones find their ways to contaminate the soil used for producing
resources. Hunt explains, “Scientists are increasingly concerned about the environmental impacts
of this hormone residue as it leaks from manure into the environment, contaminating soil, and
surface and groundwater.” (Hunt). The result of contamination of essential components of food
production is that not only the meat is highly contaminated with hormones, but other sources of
food such as crops, vegetables, and water are infected as well. Lastly, the abnormal physical size
of animals significantly increases carbon footprint. Sirios exposed that United Nations Food and
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Agriculture Organizations reported that, “...18% of all emissions can be attributed to livestockthis is more than the emissions from the entire transportation sector...)” (Sirois). Consequently, it
has become increasing difficult to find organic products that don’t contain absolutely no
additives or hormones. Lastly, not only do hormone treated animals place humans in danger of
developing lethal diseases, they also pollute the essential resources which are ultimately
consumed primarily by humans.
In conclusion, the use of hormones in animals bred for public consumption leaves
negative consequences on the animals, the consumers, and the environment. The consumer is at a
great risk of developing cancer, antibiotic resistance, and have reproductive issues. The demand
for meat in United States will continue to grow, and unfortunately the science still hasn’t found a
safe way to contribute to a safe production of meat. The awareness of negative consequences
needs to be raised among the American population, and dietary changes have to be made in order
to minimize the effect of hormones found in meat. People need to be educated about what they
are putting on their plate before they consume it, and push themselves one bite away from a
potential problem.
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Works Cited
Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. IMDb. IMDb.com, 7 Sept. 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
Forbes, John M. "Metabolites and Hormones." Voluntary Food Intake and Diet Selection in
Farm Animals. 2nd ed. Leeds: CAB International North America, 2007. 71-72. Print.
Hunt, Chris. "Hormones." GRACE Communications Foundation. GRACE Communications
Foundation, 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
Ralof, Janet. "Hormones: Here's the Beef." Pearson - Science News. Science Service, 5 Jan.
2002. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.
Sirois, Emma. "U.S. Meat Production." U.S. Meat Production. Physicians for Social
Responsibility, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.