From Voice Of Reason: Imported Meat: Is Sending Us Into Our Graveyard

DRIP, drip: We’re eating our way out to the cemetery. The Antibiotic induced meat is killing us softly. Are Ghanaians equipped medically and financially to withstand the effects of the over- consumption of antibiotic -saturated meat?

I want to dive right into it: McDonalds, KFC and Wendy’s restaurants around the world are under attack by consumer protection advocates for allegedly using antibiotics –saturated food products. The commotion stems from the founding from scientist and medical studies. The story goes on to say that Scientists have advised that treating live stock (pork, beef, and chicken) with antibiotics is leading to a rise in drug-resistant ‘superbug’. And as a result over 23,000 people die every in USA alone.

The medical experts also warn that the routine use of antibiotics to promote growth and prevention— rather than to treat illness in farm animals contributes to the use of drug-resistant “superbug” infections in humans.

According to the report, more than half of the antibiotics used around the world are used in animals, often to make them grow quickly. This has made some infections in humans very impossible to treat because of excessive use of antibiotics.

Translation:
1.This “superbug” infections are resistant to any antibiotic that we are used to in fighting minor and major diseases in humans.

2. Because of having too much antibiotics in our body system (from the over- consumption of antibiotics- saturated food), penicillin and other antibiotics are no more effect in fighting diseases in human.

3. Almost the majority of imported meat (chicken, port, beef) we wantonly consume on this side of the Atlantic are fortified with antibiotics.

4. Common infections can kill us because there are no effective drugs on the market to fight them.

Questions: If people in developed countries (who have access to better medicines and superb healthcare delivery system) are dying like flies because of over- consumption of antibiotics –saturated foods, what the hell are we doing with these imported beef, pork and chicken when we can’t afford common health Insurance premium payment ?

Yes. I know we’re going to treat this issue the same way we have been treating every ‘national security’ issue in Ghana—don’t do a damn thing about it as long as someone is making zillions of cedis from the importation of these products.

By now the Genetically Modified food’s (GM) enthusiasts are aiming their guns at my throat. They’re going to do everything to prove me wrong because it’s not a big deal if five or ten thousand Ghanaians die every year as result of indecision on this issue.

I’m sure this story is in the public domain therefore all the policy –makers are aware of it. But who is going to do something about it? Can Ghana afford to sacrifice its offspring for our own greediness and selfishness? Your answer is as good as mine!

Until we meet here again stay tuned. Be blessed, informed and educated.

Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi (Voice of reason)
*The author is a social commentator.