Fact checked

Niamh Harris

A new laboratory report has found veterinary drugs and hormones in foods sold by some of the most popular fast food restaurants in the US.

According to a Moms Across America (MAA) report on veterinary drugs and hormones American children may unknowingly be consuming an animal contraceptive when they eat a chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A.

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In September, MAA submitted food samples from 10 popular American food chains to the Health Research Institute, an Iowa-based nonprofit laboratory that tests food for nutritional value, biofunctionality, contaminants and toxins. They requested that the laboratory test the samples for over 100 common veterinary drugs including antibiotics and hormones.

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The Defender reports: The results showed that a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich contained nicarbazin, an antiparasitic that also functions as a bird contraceptive.

Sixty percent of samples from the U.S.’ top 10 fast food chains also contained the antibiotic monensin, which can cause severe harm in humans and remains unapproved for human use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Zen Honeycutt, MAA’s founder and executive director, called the results “shocking” and “disturbing,” especially because some fast food chains supply school lunches.

Honeycutt and other healthy food advocates on Oct. 17 will present the test results to U.S. lawmakers during a congressional briefing on U.S. food toxicity.

“Thirty million school meals are served to our children each day,” Honeycutt told The Defender, “and for millions of underprivileged children, these toxic meals are their only access to nutrition.” She added:

“The impact of millions of Americans, especially children and young adults, consuming a known animal contraceptive daily is concerning.

“With infertility problems on the rise, the reproductive health of this generation is front and center for us, in light of these results.”

Commenting on MAA’s fast food testing initiative, attorney Michael Baum, a senior partner at Wisner Baum said:

“Toxins like the ones Moms Across America’s testing found in major fast foods don’t belong in anybody’s food, especially children’s food.

“Repeated exposure to them can build up and cause unexpected harms — kudos to Moms Across America for getting this testing done and published.”

Under Baum’s leadership, the law firm has won billions of dollars in consumer fraud and product liability cases against major pharmaceutical and life sciences companies, including Bayer Corp. (formerly Monsanto), Eli Lilly, Forest Labs, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and more.

Baum added, “These fast food companies should now take steps to eliminate the toxins from what they offer kids and adults to eat.”

Health Research Institute tested samples from Taco Bell, Chipotle, Dunkin’, Wendy’s, Domino’s, Burger King, Subway, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s.

Only products from Chipotle and Subway had no detectable levels of veterinary drugs and hormones.

Testing found monensin, an antibiotic used to increase milk production in dairy cows, in: McDonald’s Big Mac, Burger King’s Quarter Pounder, Domino’s extra pepperoni pizza, Wendy’s Cheeseburger, Dunkin’s sausage, egg and cheese Breakfast Sandwich and Taco Bell’s Beef Taco Supreme.

The Dunkin’ sandwich, the Domino’s pizza and Starbucks’ Double-Smoked Bacon, Cheddar & Egg Sandwich had traces of narasin, an antibiotic used in livestock and poultry. Wendy’s Cheeseburger also contained a substantial amount of narasin.

Monensin and narasin are antibiotic ionophores that work by increasing the ion permeability of cell membranes. They are primarily used to prevent coccidiosis, an intestinal parasitic infection.