Tips to Protect You & Your Family

Below are a variety of tips on how to use antibiotics safely, what labels to look for in the grocery store and how to prevent the spread of foodborne illness.

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Know What Labels to Look for in the Grocery Store

Are you confused about labels on meat and poultry at the grocery store? There are many labels out there and many are confusing and misleading when it comes to antibiotic use. There are very few labels that are verifiable and transparent regarding antibiotic use. Check out the resources below to learn more about what to look for when you are shopping for meat and poultry raised with responsible antibiotic use.

Watch Reel Talk with Lance Price: Understanding Food Labels.

This video was created by ARAC and MPH@GW, the online MPH program from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University.

Look for the labels below at the grocery store. Note: the most confusing and misleading labels are “natural” and “antibiotic free” which are not USDA-verifiable labels. These labels do not mean antibiotics were never used during production.

	Animal Welfare Approved
	American Grassfed
	Certified Humane
	Certified Responsible Antibiotic Use
	Global Animal Partnership Certified
There is no standard logo, look for these words instead.	No antibiotics ever
There is no standard logo, look for these words instead.	No antibiotics administered
	Organic
There is no standard logo, look for these words instead.	Raised without antibiotics

And if your store doesn’t carry these labels, ask your store manager to carry meat and poultry raised with responsible antibiotic use. Below are additional resources that help explain labeling as it relates to antibiotic use:

Can You Trust the Label on That Steak?, Consumer Reports (November 2015)
Tips to Help You Avoid Superbugs in Meat, Environmental Working Group (2013)
What’s In A Name? Reading Meat Labels Around Antibiotic Use, Consumers Union