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Vegans, You’re Contributing to Antibiotic Resistance, Too

For the first time, the United Nations general assembly is holding a high-level meeting on antibiotic resistance.
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There are a lot of different reasons why some people choose not to consume any animal products. The fact that we regularly pump our livestock full of antibiotics, significantly contributing to the development of antibiotic resistance, is one of them.

But what some vegans may not realize is that just eschewing animal products doesn't absolve them of any responsibility for the rise of antibiotic resistant superbugs, at least as it relates to the food supply. We douse our fruits and vegetables in antibiotics, too (though at a much, much lower rate than meat). Unless you strictly eat organic, your food is contributing to a problem that threatens to send us back to the dark ages of medicine, where every cut or scrape could be life-threatening.

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I point this out not to shame vegans, but to serve as a reminder. We are all contributing to the problem, and we're all at risk because of it. Even if you keep a strict, organic, vegan diet, and never take antibiotics unless you absolutely need them, you're not granted a magic halo of protection against superbug infection. You can do everything ostensibly right, and it still won't stop antibiotic resistance. Paying attention to what we eat is part of the solution, but there's more work to be done.

"This is the basis for real change."

Part of that work is next week, the United Nations general assembly will be trying to figure that out. This is the first time the international body has ever held a high-level meeting entirely devoted to the issue of antibiotic resistance. Although the UN's World Health Organization deals specifically with public health, the general assembly rarely meets to discuss a single, specific medical issue—Ebola and AIDS are two recent examples—which signals how serious the threat of antibiotic resistance has become. It will likely come up with a new resolution to tackle the issue and encourage legislative changes by member nations, but that's only half of the answer.

"It definitely can't be a top-down [approach], but it also can't be a complete bottom-up," said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, an assistant director-general and the special representative for antimicrobial resistance at the World Health Organization. "Really, what I think the solution is, is that at all levels you need everybody to understand we have a problem. You need some kind of genuine engagement."

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I spoke to Fukuda after a panel on antibiotic resistance in Manhattan on Wednesday night. He compared the social shift ahead to what we saw with smoking.

Read More: How Chipotle Led to McDonald's Ditching Human Antibiotics

"You can put out guidelines. You can put out warnings. But if people don't care, they're going to keep smoking," Fukuda told me. "Yet, what we've seen now is a sea change. People don't smoke indoors. You can go in bars anywhere in the world and see signs that say 'no smoking.' That's not a top-down. That's a cultural change."

There's a role for governments to play, and many, including in the US, haven't been stepping up to the plate. Regulations can greatly reduce how much antibiotics we use in farming, and can even address the overprescription of antibiotics by doctors. But without a public shift that supports these measures, governments can only do so much.

The good news is, it's already started. Major food chains like McDonald's, Subway, and Perdue have dedicated to switch to antibiotic-free meat in their restaurants, due to public demand. We can vote with our dollars, and with our actual votes (you may have heard there's an election coming up, what does your preferred candidate say about this issue?) Like smoking, we need a sweeping change of consciousness that acknowledges this is a very real, very direct threat to our personal health, not some amorphous, distant problem we can shrug off.

"It will be difficult. It will not be quick, and it will take time," Fukuda said. "But this is the first time this discussion has gotten much broader. This is the basis for real change."

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