GrainsWest summer 2016

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The result is fewer
resources are used to
produce beef, with smaller
impacts on the
environment and your
grocery bill.
Hormone implants are small,
slow release pellets placed
under the skin in an animal’s ear
to enhance production of
natural hormones. Using
hormone implants directs
growth towards muscle and
away from fat, which boosts
growth rate and means less
feed is needed for the animal to
gain weight.1
All plants
and animals have
hormones naturally
in their systems.
Your body produces
hormones no matter
what you eat.2
EAR TH FRIEN
D
L
Y
You don’t need to be
Worried about hormones
in cattle? 165, 6815 - 8th Street N.E.
Calgary, AB T2E 7H7
Phone 403-275-4400
Email
For references, more
information about
the beef industry,
and beef recipes,
please visit the
consumer section of
ADULT
FEMALE
ESTROGEN = 480,000 ng
ESTROGEN | Amount of estrogen (1 ng = 1 billionth of a gram)
# OF COW EQUIVALENTS | Produced with the use of hormone implants
Food/supplement Estrogen* Servings of beef~(75 g)
75 g beef 1.1 ng 0.65
without hormone implants
75 g beef 1.9 ng 1
with hormone implants
75 g chicken 2.1 ng 1.1
75 g pork 2.5 ng 1.3
355 ml beer 15 ng 7.9
355 ml milk 51 ng 26.8
75 g cabbage 2025 ng 1,065.8
1 tbsp soybean oil 28,370 ng 14,931.6
Birth control pill 20,000-50,000 ng* 18,421.1 – 26,315.8
depending on brand
Many common foods have higher amounts of hormones than
beef produced with the use of hormone implants3|4|5
*
AMOUNT OF ESTROGEN (1 ng = 1 billionth of a gram)
~ EQUIVALENT # OF SERVINGS OF BEEF produced with the use of hormone implants
Would have to eat 95.3 cows' worth
of beef produced using hormone implants
PER DAY (~222 kg each) to match her
own daily production of estrogen
ADULT
MALE
ESTROGEN = 136,000 ng
PRE-PUBERTAL
GIRL
ESTROGEN = 54,000 ng
PRE-PUBERTAL
BOY
ESTROGEN = 41,500 ng
Would have to eat 27 cows' worth
of beef produced using hormone implants
PER DAY (~222 kg each) to match his
own daily production of estrogen
Would have to eat 10.7 cows' worth
of beef produced using hormone implants
PER DAY (~222 kg each) to match her
own daily production of estrogen
Would have to eat 8.2 cows' worth
of beef produced using hormone implants
PER DAY (~222 kg each) to match his
own daily production of estrogen
Health Canada,
the World Health Organization and the
United Nations all conclude the use of
hormones is a safe practice that can
be continued without harm to human
health.9 | 10
Result in food products that are
safe for people to eat on a
regular basis11
Canada’s Food and Drugs Act makes it
law that hormone implants used must:
Do what they are supposed to
(be effective)
Be safe for
the animals
Random sampling of final beef product is
done by the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency to ensure hormone
levels are within
the normal range.12
1
2
3
Compare those amounts to the
amount of estrogen produced
by your body every day5
The use of
hormone implants is
safe and regulated
No peer-reviewed scientific studies exist to indicate eating
beef produced with hormone implants has any negative
impact on human health.13
Regardless
of production system,
beef is an
important part of a
healthy diet.