Food & Agriculture

CFA, Public Health Advocates Urge Action on Antibiotic Resistant Salmonella

Consumer Federation of America joined member and colleague organizations of Keep Antibiotics Working in writing to federal officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the United States Department of Agriculture, urging them to work together to address the ongoing rise in human Salmonella infections resistant to antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones. Because of resistance to other antibiotics, fluoroquinolones serve as a key treatment for treating serious Salmonella infections. The letter asks federal officials to do more to trace back antibiotic resistant Salmonella strains to the farm, and to better control risks associated with the cross-border movement of food animals. FDA prohibits the use of fluoroquinolones in food animals in the U.S., but animals or animal products are imported from many countries that either allow its use or fail to control it effectively.