Is It Really That Serious?
Tyson Foods continues to use antibiotics in the raising of their chickens after advertising
explicitly since 2007 that they do not use them anymore. I offer two solutions to this problem so
that Tyson can have options. The solution for this is either to restrict the usage of the antibiotics
or to stop the use all together if Tyson is going to continue advertising that it doesn’t use them.
This solution is beneficial to all parties involved because the public is being flat out lied to. If
Tyson wants to continue to use the antibiotics then advertise accordingly to be fair to the people
and let them know what they are eating. If Tyson wants to be truly “Natural” as they advertise
then they can stop using antibiotics and deceiving the public. If all parties can find a middle
ground then everybody should leave happy. The deception of the consumer cannot continue.
Problem
The problem is that as of September 2007, Tyson Foods Inc. – The world’s largest processor and
marketer of beef, chicken, and pork – announced that it would no longer be raising chickens
treated with antibiotics. There have been reports as early as 2008 of Tyson finding ways around
the FDA and their labels advertising “raised without antibiotics.” Tyson has even admitted that
they inject the eggs with antibiotics before hatching. Tyson also admits they use a type of feed
with microbials in it, which is very close to an antibiotic. These are “loopholes” that Tyson has
used to fool the consumer. Besides the problem of ethics, this presents a problem for our health.
Medical studies have shown that the more we are exposed to antibiotics, the more resistant the
bacteria get. Our own immune system gets weaker in a way in the process. Soon enough the
bacteria will not be affected by the antibiotics anymore then we will have an epidemic on our
hands. In some cases women are said to be at risk of bladder infections because the resistant
bacteria cannot be killed off. Another version of Staphylococcus aureus or Staph is called MRSA
(Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus,) this is a version of staph that cannot be controlled
by normal means of antibiotic use. With these bacteria becoming resistant this fast, even if we
find a new means to fight them how soon will it be before they resist that? If this process was
caused even more to speed up by Tyson how would the company stand in the public eye? How
would Tyson be able to stand through all of the lawsuits and court fees? Since Tyson is a native
Arkansas business I think this makes the problem even more personal, the people being affected
are our very own friends, family, and neighbors.
Proposed Solution
For at least five years now, Tyson has been getting away with lying to the consumer and evading
the FDA on “technicality.” Tyson is threatening our health and well-being by being dishonest on
its labels, all because of greed. If I choose to eat antibiotically infused chicken then the blame is
on me if I end up getting sick or if something goes wrong. If I am trying to eat “Natural” and
“Organic” products containing no antibiotics or hormones, and I pay money for these products so
that I can stay healthy only to find out that I was being deceived when I get sick, it is not my
fault but the company’s. If the company lies to the consumer then they are at fault every time.
My solution to this problem is either to A. Stop lying to the consumer and label the product
accordingly or B. Keep it “natural” and honest by stopping the usage of any type of antibiotical
or antimicrobial substance. Either one of these options will at least keep things fair and keep
people healthy. Eventually the deception will catch up and there could be a major lawsuit on
Tyson’s hands. Continuing to put antibiotics in the chickens may save the company a few more
dollars now, but how many dollars will Tyson lose in the long run if in fact the company is
responsible for a medicine resistant super-virus or bacteria that knocks out the population of the
whole state of Arkansas? This proposal could keep that very thing from happening.
Justification
The reason this proposal would work if used is because it gives Tyson options, and both options
are fair to the consumer. This proposal also allows Tyson to save face as well as avoiding
possible lawsuits and further negative exposure. This proposal would be honest, there would be
no further complication afterwards and it would make business easier in the longrun. There
would be nothing left to cover-up if business was being taken care of legitimately. Human health
would be kept in highest regard and there would be no threat to the commonwealth and welfare
of the state of Arkansas.
Conclusion
In closing, I would like to reiterate the fact that the welfare of humanity and the citizen
consumers of this great state of Arkansas are at stake here. Deceiving the public about the
content of food products is unacceptable, especially when children are being fed these things.
There is a proven health risk to anybody ingesting these antibiotically enhanced chickens. The
only right thing to do is to choose one of the options I have presented and come clean about the
product in a way that everyone comes out happy. Nothing unreasonable is being asked, only that
Tyson follows the same guidelines as the rest of the food production industry.