Bacteria-eating viruses (bacteriophages) have been approved as meat additives to reduce the food safety risks associated with processed meat and poultry products. There is a concern, however, that viruses fed to chickens could spread toxin genes between bacteria, the subject of my 3-min. video Viral Meat Spray (and noted in my full-length 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death).
In my book Bird Flu I have a chapter about more of these creative meat industry “technofixes.” Rectal poultry superglue anyone?
In the video I talk about Listeria, the third leading cause of food poisoning related death. For more about leading causes #1 and #2 see my video Total Recall, and for what Campylobacter can do, Poultry and Paralysis.
For videos on other risks associated with processed meat consumption, see Preventing COPD with Dietand Prevention Is Better Than Cured Meat.
Additional feed additives of questionable safety in chicken are depicted in my video Drug Residues in Meat.
The meat industry is concerned that consumers might be wary of the meat sprayed with bacteria-eating viruses: “[C]onsumer acceptance of bacteriophage usage may present something of a challenge to the food industry.” If they think they’re going to have consumer acceptance issues with spreading viruses on meat, that’s nothing compared to an even more novel technique to preserve meat I profile in my video Maggot Meat Spray.
Think about it. Maggots thrive on rotting meat, yet there have been no reports that housefly larvae have any serious diseases, indicating that they may have a strong immune system. They must be packed with some sort of antibacterial properties—otherwise they’d presumably get infected and die themselves.
So… researchers took 3-day-old maggots, blended them up, and voilà’—good grub! Or shall I say grubs?
Other videos liable to bug you include Cheese Mites and Maggots, Are Artificial Colors Harmful?, The Healthiest Meat and Bug Appétit: Barriers to Entomophagy.
–Michael Greger, M.D.
