Natural Vitamin D vs. Supplemental Vitamin D: Proposing a Federal Statute to Require Natural Sunlight Exposure for Vitamin D Absorption for Factory Farm Animals that are used for Food Production

No sunlight, no natural vitamin D, and no strong immune system; that is the crux of an argument against factory farms housing tightly packed caged animals with almost no exposure to sunlight. Legal and medical analyses are presented to justify the necessity of proposing federal legislation requiring natural sunlight for farm animals raised for food production. Factory farming gained popularity in the the1920s and was one of the primary industries producing foodborneillnessesis poultry. Natural vitamin D from sunlight has many promising properties against poultry-based foodborne pathogens, parasites, diseases, and bacteria(Salmonella, Escherichia Coli, and Campylobacter) that grow in the intestine and can be passed on to human consumers. Being a fat-soluble vitamin, vitamin D can be obtained by supplementing farm animals’ feed or by absorption of sunlight through the skin. Sunlight is the best source of natural vitamin D which boosts animals’ immune system and overall health, as compared to vitamin D supplements. Though factories farms proclaim to maximize food production in an economically feasible way, the true cost is evident in the increased health care cost, water pollution, and environmental waste. Given the numerous health benefits of sunlight exposure, it is clear that factory farms should be legally required to operate by using humane methods of farming. Therefore, Congress should recommend to the United States Department of Agriculture provisions enforced by a federal statute to mandate factory farms to provide sunlight access to farm animals to protect human consumers from foodborne illnesses.