RIYADH: The Consumer Protection Society (CPS) has called on global food companies to stop selling meat injected with antibiotics used to treat humans because this could result in the development of “superbugs” resistant to these medications.

The CPS made the call to mark International Day for Consumer Rights held on Tuesday. The theme of the day was “Antibiotics off the menu,” said Abdulrahman Al-Qahtani, secretary-general of the CPS, according to a report in a local publication on Wednesday.

Al-Qahtani said that if antibiotics are misused in livestock for purposes of growing the animals larger to produce more meat, then superbugs can develop, making treatment of human illnesses more difficult. It can also lead to death and disability, and increase the cost of treating simple ailments.

He said that according to a report by the International Organization for Consumers, half the world’s production of antibiotics is used in the farming sector. If this continues, there may not be effective treatment for some illnesses within 10 years.

He called on the Saudi Food and Drug Authority to work with private and public bodies to develop regulations that would limit the import of meat injected with antibiotics.