Latest local news, weather and high school sports for Tri-State area

CHICAGO -- Many cooks in Illinois are planning "sustainable" Thanksgiving meals this year, starring naturally raised turkeys. That's because leading medical groups have been expressing concern that the overuse of antibiotics in animal production is creating new strains of bacteria difficult to treat in people.

Bob Martin with the Pew Environment Group directed a two-and-a-half year study on farm animal production. "Our number one public health recommendation was to eliminate the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in food animal production."

According to Martin, at least 70 percent of the antibiotics purchased in the United States are used on healthy animals to prevent illness due to overcrowding and poor waste management.

Some consumers complain that "natural" turkeys are too expensive. Martin points out that using antibiotics in farm animal production costs everyone, indirectly - for example, when people have to stay longer in hospitals for hard-to-treat infections.

"The cost has been estimated by a group called the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics. In Cook County hospitals, that would total $26 billion a year in added health care costs."

Free-range, natural turkeys are more nutritious, Martin adds, even though they may have a different appearance.

"They will look different. They'll look leaner, but the meat also will taste better."

Along with serving an antibiotic-free turkey this Thanksgiving, Martin suggests buying locally grown produce, which is getting easier to find in many stores.

"Wal-Mart, for example, has recently announced that in the coming years - and they're fairly aggressive about this - they're going to try to locally source all their produce."

Some meat industry experts deny evidence that antibiotics in animals cause health problems in humans. Still, many people choose to buy only free-range, antibiotic-free turkeys for their Thanksgiving dinner.

Martin will be in Chicago Nov. 17 for a "State of the Plate" conference to discuss sustainable Midwestern meat production with restaurant owners and chefs.

Story courtesy of Mary Anne Meyers with Illinois News Connection.