Antibiotic Resistance, Food Production and Human Health

Due to the serious human health consequences of non-therapeutic antibiotic use, the American Academy of Family Physicians advocates:

1. Restricting antibiotic use in farm animals to treatment of established disease;
2. Requiring that industry will provide proof of efficacy and a positive cost/benefit analysis for any antibiotics used in food production with the analysis taking into account the ultimate costs to human health with such analysis including not only economic but morbidity and mortality costs; and
3. Supporting Federal legislation intended to accomplish these measures.
   

(HP/S) (April 2020 BOD) (December 2024 BOD)