Tom Colicchio, the face of Top Chef and Craft Restaurant, is talking antibiotics in the food system on this week's What Doesn't Kill You. Katy Keiffer calls up Tom to talk about how he good involved in the politics of food and activism. Listen in to hear Tom talk about the differences between charity and direct action, and their respective impacts in the realm of food policy. Hear how Tom's experience with staph has inspired him to tackle antibiotic usage in food production. How can the restaurant industry support antibiotic-free meat besides using their purchasing power? Find out how Tom's restaurants source their meat, and how they can afford humanely-raised, antibiotic-free meat. Tune into this episode to hear more about growth promotion, the environmental effects of livestock production, and CAFO conditions. Thanks to our sponsor, Fairway Market. Thanks to Dead Stars for today's music.

"If there is a food movement, it needs to encompass everything. We need to look at hunger issues, environment, farm safety, antibiotics... we really need to make a voting block that will vote on food issues." [9:50]

-- Tom Colicchio on What Doesn't Kill You

Jean Halloran rejoins Katy Keiffer on this week's installment of Straight, No Chaser. Jean has worked on food safety and sustainability issues at in the Yonkers Office of Consumers Union for the last 25 years, and also works with consumer organizations globally. She helped develop international standards for safety assessment of genetically engineered food at the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Once again, Katy and Jean are talking about antibiotic usage in meat production. Recently, Consumers Union has urged Trader Joe's to stop selling antibiotic-laden meat with a petition of 557,772 signatures from consumers. Learn more about the campaign and its outcome on this episode. Later, Katy and Jean talk about MRSA in pork, and other forms of resistant bacteria. How do antibiotics in meat affect antibiotic resistance in hospitals and medical treatment? Find out on this week's Straight, No Chaser! This episode has been sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

"MRSA has become disturbingly common in hog production and among hog workers. How it got there, we're not exactly sure...but there is evidence of Staph Aureus at a very low level in about half of the samples they [Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy] looked at. About 6 percent was antibiotic-resistant MRSA."

"The treatment of sick animals accounts for only 5% of antibiotic use as indicated by how many animals are injected with antibiotics. The remaining percentage of usage has been traditionally thought to be for growth promotion, although now they are calling it disease prevention..."

"'Natural' has nothing to do with how the animal was raised. 'Natural' only means that there was no coloring added to the meat after slaughter." -- Jean Halloran on Straight, No Chaser

On this week's episode of Straight, No Chaser, Katy Keiffer is talking with Dr. James Johnson. James R. Johnson, M.D. is Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota, Director of the Infectious Diseases T32 Training Program and Senior Associate Director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program (both, University of Minnesota), and Director of the Minneapolis VA Molecular Epidemiology Unit. Dr. Johnson is a frequently invited speaker at national and international scientific meetings, has presented at Capitol Hill briefings and hearings, and has served on multiple national task forces, committees, and grant review panels. He serves as an Attending Physician for the VA Infectious Diseases Consult Service and Infectious Diseases Clinic, and sits on multiple hospital committees, including (currently) the Antimicrobial Subcommittee, Space Committee, and Institutional Biosafety Committee. Tune into this episode to learn about the spread of resistant strains of bacteria, and how mere contact can cause extreme contamination. Hear how nations abroad have curbed antibiotic use food animals, and how it has affected food safety. Listen in to hear Dr. Johnson and Katy discuss the measures that consumers can take to protect and educate themselves from the ever-prevalent problem of food contamination. This episode has been brought to you by White Oak Pastures.

"The U.S. uses more antibiotics per animal per pound of meat that comes to market than any other industrialized country for which we have data." [10:00]

"To suggest that one needs growth promoter to have a healthy agriculture industry is patently false as demonstrated by the totality of Europe." [23:50]

-- Dr. James Johnson on Straight, No Chaser