Banned in 160 nations but safe for the U.S. food supply?

Nutrition is a key component to all health and wellness. I don't think you need a chiropractor or medical doctor to tell us that. So why is there a continued war being waged against our food supply? As a Seattle chiropractor, I am often times preaching to choir, as many people have a great awareness of these issues, and you are just as likely to know a vegetarian as you are a carnivore.

The FDA has approved the drug, ractopamine, in spite the fact that is has been directly linked to poisonings in 1700 cases in Europe, China, and Taiwan. They are just a few of the 160 nations that have chosen to ban the drug which carries the disclaimer :

"Not for use in humans. Individuals with cardiovascular disease should exercise special caution to avoid exposure. Use protective clothing, impervious gloves, protective eye wear, and a NIOSH-approved dust mask"

Although I am not a vegetarian, I have posed questions about antibiotics and hormones in livestock to scientists and other colleagues, and do understand that many of these drugs do not stay in the animal before consumption(which I still have my doubts on, as I attribute to the you are what you eat philosophy). This drug, however, does not follow the same course and definitively stays in the food supply, for human consumption.

The article that made me aware of this, Alternet, quotes farmers calling to complain about the results of the drug:

hyperactivity, muscle breakdown and 10 percent mortality in pigs

This of course doesn't include the known human poisonings.

I am unsure which part of me is more compelled to turn to a vegetarian diet, but the combination of being a chiropractor, parent, and caring human being is having a harder time ignoring these continued stories about our food supply. Whether it be corporate greed, lobbyists, or politics, people need to demand for serious change. At the very least, we should all start to go out of our way to eat local, buy organic, and contribute to some of the fantastic relatively humane livestock farmers in our area.

Our food is making us sick, and I believe we all want better for ourselves and our families. Now is the time to start speaking with our wallets. Let's actually pay more for quality food that is good for us, and eat a little less of it.

Here is a link to some resources on where to purchase livestock that are raised naturally and as humanely as possible: Eatwild and US Wellness Meats.