When it comes to the latest food scare, antibiotics and resistant bacteria, polling shows the public knows two things. Over-prescription by doctors and failure to take the full dose of needed medicine by patients are at the heart of the problem. The natural evolution of bacterial resistance comes in third.

Companies like Chipotle believe they can enhance their reputation by declaring their food is free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), even though most scientists have greenlighted GMOs. Now that this marketing ploy has gone stale, they are trumpeting so-called “no-antibiotics-ever meat.” And you can bet this was driven by their marketing department or PR agency, not by credible science.

Farm veterinarians will tell you that animals in the food supply are “antibiotic-free.” Just as any drug you take passes out of your system over a short time, so it is with farm animals. (Do you think you still have the antibiotics in your system that you took years earlier?) In fact, each drug given to various types of animals has different mandated elimination periods established by the Food and Drug Administration before those animals enter the food supply.

Using misleading statistics, activists are putting public health and animal welfare at risk, while distracting from real problems. These activists focus attention solely on the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture, even when the drugs are used for disease prevention and to treat sick livestock.

Since the Humane Society’s goal is (supposedly) animal welfare, the group’s involvement in the antibiotic issue is bizarre. How is it “humane” to allow animals to fall ill? The real deal is that the Humane Society is a vegan organization. Use the antibiotic issue successfully and more animals die. That drives up the price of your hamburger.

If you really want to hit the problem of developing antibiotic resistance head-on, the single most important thing you can do as a consumer is not ask your doctor to prescribe antibiotics for a viral infection like a cold or the flu. Antibiotics are worse than useless on viruses ― they don’t make the patient any healthier and might lead to resistance. And if you do have a bacterial infection that requires antibiotic treatment, the Mayo Clinic directs that you complete the course of pills in accordance with the label directions even if you’re feeling better.

Vegan activists and corporations after a quick buck focusing on farmers rather than doctors and patients are putting both animal and human health at risk.