Industrial meat is often used as a term to denote a large and complex segment of food animal production. As per the Centre for Food Safety, industrial meat refers to meat production that is done by confinement of animals in enclosed spaces such as barns, cages, houses or on feedlots. Such setups have poor sanitation, ventilation, and lighting, and also involve bad quality food to animals which decreases the quality of meat. (Image: istock)
The ill treatment of animals makes them unfit for consumption and such meat or over consumption of such meat is likely to increase the risk of obesity, heart disease, cancers, type-2 diabetes and shorter life span. If we go by the Centre for Food Safety, such meat also increases the risk of exposure to antibiotic- resistant bacteria and animal drug residue. Such meat also results in an increase of cholesterol and saturated fatty acids, both of which are associated with risk of coronary heart disease. From the community health perspective, such animal factories often expose harmful gases and chemicals into the environment which may lead to asthma and asphyxiation. From the food safety perspective, such animal meat factories often lead to food-borne illness. The poor living conditions of animals often expose them to their manure, which further results in infections like E.coli and MRSA, a serious antibiotic-resistant staph infection.
