Antibiotics in Ethanol

In July, IATP (Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) published “Fueling Resistance? Antibiotics in Ethanol Production“ by Julia Olmstead. The paper reported on the widespread and unnecessary use of antibiotics in ethanol production. “The epidemic of antibiotic resistance threatens every one of us,” said IATP’s David Wallinga, M.D. “The best way to keep our existing antibiotics effective is to stop unnecessary antibiotics wherever they are used — in hospitals, in animals and in ethanol production.” Later in July, Julia visited a Wisconsin ethanol plant that uses a hops-based alternative to antibiotics to manage bacteria growth in the fermentation process. Watch the video here.