 There is a very real public health crisis looming on the horizon, and its origins stem from the common food industry practice of force-feeding antibiotic drugs to cattle in order to bulk them up and rush their meat to market as quickly as possible. And a major consumer advocacy group is calling on the popular grocery chain Trader Joe's to step up and stop selling meat and poultry derived from animals raised in this manner, which is causing widespread health problems and antibiotic resistance. Consumers Union , the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports , recently ran a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times (LAT) petitioning Trader Joe's to be an industry leader on this important issue. Since Trader Joe's has already forged the way in taking a stand on other important health and food safety issues in the past, Consumers Union hopes Trader Joe's will once again do the right thing and nix conventional meat from its product lineup. You can view Consumer Union 's full-page ad here: http://notinmyfood.org 'Eighty percent of the antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used by the meat and poultry industries so factory farm animals can grow faster and tolerate crowded and unsanitary conditions,' reads the Consumers Union announcement. 'As a progressive retailer that has already demonstrated care for their customers' health by saying no to GMOs, artificial colors, and trans fats, Trader Joe's should take the obvious next step by helping move the livestock industry in the right direction - towards healthy animals raised without drugs.' Sign the petition urging Trader Joe's to stop selling drugged meats Though Trader Joe's admittedly sells a variety of organic, grass-fed, and antibiotic-free meat and poultry products, some of its food offerings still contain conventional varieties of these same meats from animals raised in typical CAFO conditions - CAFO stands for concentrated animal feeding operation, and represents the typical format in place at most factory farms. With an increasing number of informed Americans interested in safe, antibiotic-free meat and poultry, it only makes sense for Trader Joe's to take action now and lead the way towards improved meat production standards. 'It's critical that we do everything possible to curb the growing public health crisis of antibiotic resistance,' says Jean Halloran, Director of Food Policy Initiatives for Consumers Union . 'Virtually every respected medical and public health organization agrees that we must reduce the use of antibiotics in healthy livestock in order to preserve the effectiveness of these drugs to treat disease.' According to a recent press release, Consumers Union launched a campaign last year called Meat Without Drugs that aims to convince all grocery stores to scrap antibiotic-raised meats, starting with Trader Joe's. You can learn more about this vital campaign, and sign the petition urging Trader Joe's to be the first to take this important action, by visiting: http://www.meatwithoutdrugs.org 'Continuing to sell meat from animals that are routinely fed antibiotics contributes to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance,' adds Halloran. 'As a company that has taken socially responsible stands on other issues, Trader Joe's could make an important contribution to improving public health by carrying only meat and poultry raised without antibiotics.' To learn more, visit: http://www.meatwithoutdrugs.org 