Wash. hospital chef adds antibiotic-free meat to menu

Jan. 2—At Overlake Hospital Medical Center, Executive Chef Chris Linaman has succeeded in making nearly half of his kitchen's meats antibiotic free by the second half of 2013.

The effort gained significance as the Food and Drug Administration took steps toward phasing out the use of some antibiotics in animals processed for meat, citing a potential threat to public health.

Antibiotic resistance in humans has been a growing concern in the medical community for years. While antibiotics’ efficacy in fighting formerly fatal infections earned them a reputation as “miracle drugs” in the 20th century — indeed, the safety of chemotherapy and many surgeries depends on them — they’ve always come with a measure of risk.