MRSA superbug in US Factory Farm Operations

Researcher Tara C. Smith has just published a study in PubMed Central, a peer-reviewed journal, linking Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to swine in Confined Animal Feed Operations (CAFOs), or factory farming facilities. This potentially fatal Staph bacterium is resistant to certain antibiotics, which include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin.

Although previous studies linking MRSA to swine and swine workers have been conducted in other countries, Ms. Smith's study, albeit small in size, is the first to be conducted in the U.S. The Iowa State researcher and her team found MRSA strain ST398 present in 45% of swine workers and 49% of swine at production facilities, housing approximately 87,000 live animals in Iowa and Illinois.

Factory farming operations confine a large number of animals to relatively small areas. These operations require both antibiotics and pesticides to reduce the spread of disease and pestilence. An excessive reliance on antibiotics can result in the incubation of virulent, resistant bacterial strains. A similar phenomenon occurs in hospitals, another area that is heavily-antibiotic reliant.

In March 2008, in a presentation to the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Canadian researcher Dr. David Weese reported that 10 per cent of pork chops and ground pork samples from four provinces tested positive for MRSA. An expert on zoonoses, the pathogens that are transmitted between people and animals, Dr. Weese said that proper cooking would kill the bacteria on pork. However, he wondered about meat handlers who may come into contact with MRSA on the surface of meat.

MRSA infections were once mainly limited to hospitals, but in recent years, there have been reports of people with the infection who have not been in hospital or taken antibiotics. According to the Center for Disease Control, some 94,360 people developed a serious MRSA infection, which resulted in 18,650 deaths in 2005. The incidence of MRSA is on the rise in the U.S., and this bacterium is now recognized as a major community-acquired pathogen.

Tim Hortons: Freshly Baked Environmental Solutions

AKAmamma could not end a 4-part investigation without serving up some freshly baked solutions.

On the Tim Hortons Web site, the company attempts to sell itself as an environmental leader. Yes, it uses biodegradable packaging, offers reusable dinnerware in its stores and gives a 10-cent discount to patrons bringing their own cup. And indeed this is a step up from most fast food restaurants, but does that make TH a leader? No. If the company aims to be an environmental leader then it has to do away with the following three practices:

1. The Roll up the Rim to Win Contest
Although there are no figures available to the public about how much revenue this contest generates, we can safely assume that it's a success. After all, how many companies are willing to run a contest that wasn't profitable the first time. Judging by the increased number of prizes and the general banter around water coolers everywhere, I'd say that it's a hit...for selling and using millions upon millions of paper cups. And let's not forget, the contest targets children who enable their caffeine-addicted parents, by convincing them they need just one more cup... But I digress.

Not only is this contest irresponsible, but it also taxes the finite resources of our municipal waste diversion programs. As I learned from the TH media relations team, Ontario businesses collectively pay 50% of municipal recycling programs in that province, but obviously municipal taxpayers foot the rest, through their municipal and provincial taxes. Ah sorry, did Tim Hortons ask Ontario taxpayers whether they wanted their tax dollars to be used on disposing of avoidable waste instead of on recreational facilities? In essence, Tim Horton's increased revenues are at the expense of the taxpayer.

Surely, TH can come up with an imaginative contest that doesn't further burden our municipalities or taxpayers.

2. Kill the Drive-thru

One way to get more people into the restaurant and use an actual dinner plate and cup is to kill the drive-thru. In the interest of adult fitness, have customers get out of their cars and walk across the parking lot for their coffee. Drive-thrus are bad for two reasons. One, people using drive-thrus are notorious for letting their cars idle as they wait, wasting gas, polluting the air and causing traffic jams. Two, this is a convenience that requires disposable containers and packaging, creating a monumental amount of avoidable waste. I also have a hunch that the very people using drive-thrus are the ones throwing empty cups out onto the sidewalk when no one is looking.

I say phase out the drive-thru and create a new corporate model of environmental responsibility. Implement a surcharge ($2.00) on every drive-thru order and have two sets of prices, one for those eating in and the other for those behind the wheel. Make it a noticeable difference. After all, convenience is a luxury that people should pay for. And for patrons coming into the store for their take-out coffee, give them a 30-cent reduction if they bring their own cup and charge them 30 cents more if they opt for the paper model. Of course, people sitting down in the store for their coffee would pay the regular price. This could all be part of TH's friend-of-the-environment campaign.

TH should focus on ways of getting large groups of people out of their cars and into its stores. Instead of the drive-thru, I suggest adding an extra room for holding community events, such as minor sports registration, town hall meetings, union meetings, conferences, PTA meetings, etc. You could even cater these events, and everybody would be using porcelain plates and cups. Another suggestion, put in some more bike racks to encourage cyclists.

3. A reusable and recyclable cup for your Ice Cap
Last summer I went to a TH with my family and asked for my Ice Cap in a china cup. I was told that it only came in the plastic container even if I drank it in the store. Apparently, the plastic cup was the only one that could be used with the mixer. Funny, I seem to remember way back in the 80s that we used a metal cup with this type of mixer. Would it be a corporate faux pas to use a metal cup to mix the Ice Cap and then pour it into something reusable? Must be...The worst part is that Ice Caps are served everywhere in number 6 plastic, the evil polystyrene, which cannot be recycled in the Montreal area. Surely, TH could come up with a cup made from number 2 or 5 plastic, two types of plastic that according to RECYC-Quebec can be recycled almost anywhere in the province.

As I have said before Tim Hortons has the customer loyalty to implement changes like these and set itself apart from the other fast food chains. However, its current outlook with respect to the environment is shortsighted. This will inevitably lead to a backlash, which as far as I can see is already off to a good start.

I'd also like to say kudos to the City of Toronto for standing up to corporations on behalf of municipal taxpayers. Push for your discount for consumers with refillable cups!

Check out what you can do as consumers and voters in Part 3 of this investigative series.