by Long Island Attorney Paul A. Lauto, Esq. / www.liattorney.com
Vegans and Vegetarians alike, have long professed that eating meat is bad for your health. Conversely, meat lovers have claimed that one needs to eat meat because it has protein and that the FDA makes sure our food is safe for consumption.
Among the plethora of inferior feed and potentailly dangerous drugs given to conventional cattle bred for consumption in the U.S., is a drug called Zilmax. Zilmax is a beta-agonist drug given to conventional cattle in the weeks before slaughter, in an effort to increase bulk and weight. The drug can quickly add up to 30 pounds of meat to a cow and up to 7 pounds to a pig. The FDA, with all its rules and regulations, says it is safe for consumers.
Notwithstanding the FDA’s declaration of safety, Zilmax is currently banned for use in horses due to serious side effects involving the heart, muscles, liver, kidneys and blood chemistry. Ractopamine, another beta-agonist, is also used in the US, even though it’s been banned in 160 other countries due to its potential health hazards. Zilmax is approximately 125 times more potent than Ractopamine.
Also notwithstanding the FDA’s declaration of Zilmax safety, Tyson Foods Inc. has voluntarily decided to stop buying Zilmax fed cattle as a result of concerns over related health and behavioral problems. There is something fundamentally wrong, when a profit driven corporation does more to protect consumers than the very administration designed for that purpose.
The conventional food supply in the US, is replete with antibiotics, GMO’s, pesticides, hormones and countless other drugs that are potentially dangerous to your health. If you would like to avoid these food pitfalls but are not quite ready to go Vegan or Vegetarian, focus on buying organic whole foods, avoid processed foods and patronize your local family farm instead of the conventional super food stores. Until such time that we have better food label laws and regulatory agencies, consumers are compelled to choose their food wisely.
Long Island Lawyer
Paul A. Lauto, Esq.
Paul A. Lauto, Esq. completed his undergraduate studies at SUNY at Stony Brook in 1987, with a major in political science and a double minor in socio-legal studies and moral-legal issues in philosophy. Mr. Lauto received his Juris Doctor from New York Law School in 1990 and was admitted in 1991 to practice in the courts of New York State, as well as the Eastern and Southern Districts of the United States District Court.
Mr. Lauto has primarily focused on personal injury throughout his career and previously worked as in-house counsel to a major insurance company. In 2002 Mr. Lauto established Paul A. Lauto, PLLC, with a primary concentration on personal injury, all types of accident cases, Wills, Trusts and Estates and more. Paul is the sole author of his Scales of Justice blog, which provides updates and information about current legal stories in the news and how they may affect our lives. Mr. Lauto prides himself on providing clients maximum results, with a high level of personal attorney service and attention that is uncommon in the profession. For more information please visit http://www.liattorney.com
Mr. Lauto has primarily focused on personal injury throughout his career and previously worked as in-house counsel to a major insurance company. In 2002 Mr. Lauto established Paul A. Lauto, PLLC, with a primary concentration on personal injury, all types of accident cases, Wills, Trusts and Estates and more. Paul is the sole author of his Scales of Justice blog, which provides updates and information about current legal stories in the news and how they may affect our lives. Mr. Lauto prides himself on providing clients maximum results, with a high level of personal attorney service and attention that is uncommon in the profession. For more information please visit http://www.liattorney.com
