San Francisco Is Known For Leading The Food Trends

Now, San Francisco lawmakers have voted unanimously on a local ordinance that requires large retailers to annually report on antibiotics used by their meat and poultry suppliers

This has far reaching effects as it puts the retailer in a new position that requires them to collect this information from suppliers, then verify it is correct with evidence like third party certification. If they don’t – they could be fined $1,000 per day per incident. The law only applies to those retailers that have more than 25 locations globally. 

The information would then be posted publically and submitted to the San Francisco Environment Department. 

There is no question that shoppers today are demanding more transparency and clean labels and antibiotic use is a well debated and consumers exhibit concern about their improper use. About 2 million people in America contract antibiotic-resistant infections every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control; and more than 23,000 die. 

There are groups such as The Pork Board, that have already taken a lead and has created a significant antibiotic stewardship program; but we need others to follow suit.

Food Dive writes that “consumers are concerned that when producers use antibiotics in meat that are also used in humans, those antibiotics can become less useful to humans — and help fuel the rise of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs." Even though the Food and Drug Administration continues to report rising sales of antibiotics for food animals. 

So will this law make its way out of the Bay Area and spread to the rest of the country? Could it be so powerful that it changes the industry? One thing to remember is that antibiotics were created to make our food supply safer, perhaps we have new technologies and new production methods that do raise the question if antibiotics are an outmoded production method. 

For me? Just one more reason to accelerate cellular agriculture.