Who takes the majority of antibiotics in the U.S.? The surprising answer...

You might think most antibiotics wind up treating strep throat, ear infections or other ailments...

...but those account for just a tiny fraction of U.S. consumption. Consumer Reports says 80% of our antibiotics are actually given to animals to make them fatter and to prevent disease. It’s a big problem for us because those animals are prone to developing resistant bacteria. If we get sick from that, we may not respond to antibiotic treatment.

Experts say we should make the extra effort to buy meat without antibiotics – but some of the labeling is bogus. “Antibiotic free” is a misleading label and doesn’t guarantee there are were no antibiotics used. The same goes for meat labeled “natural.” The best bet are labels that say “no antibiotics ever” and also display the USDA seal. “Organic” is another label that indicates there are no antibiotics in there.