FAO Calls for “Bold Action Today” to Mitigate Foodborne AMR, Highlights Economic Burden and Possible Courses of Action
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a pressing threat to global public health, to which the agrifood sector contributes through the use of antibiotics for treatment of and growth promotion in food-producing animals. To highlight the economic burden of the emergence and transmission of antimicrobial-resistant foodborne pathogens, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently released a publication on the topic.
Foodborne antimicrobial resistance increases costs of both health care and food production. FAO described the worldwide decline in efficacy of antimicrobials as a “tragedy of the commons,” because, although the use of antibiotics may benefit an individual, it can also cause negative impacts on society as a whole. Such societal consequences include higher public and private health costs associated with difficult-to-treat AMR infections, as well as the presence of potentially harmful levels of antibiotic residues in food. FAO also emphasized that the social costs associated with AMR are not fully reflected in the price paid for antimicrobials or food.