Costco ending sale of chicken given human antibiotics

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  National Chicken Council

  Costco has revealed it will phase out the sale of chicken raised with the use of antibiotics also used in human medicine.

  From WATTAgNet:
  U.S. retailer Costco is working toward eliminating the sale of chicken and meat animals raised with antibiotics that are vital to fighting human infections, senior executives said March 5.
  Costco, which sells 80 million rotisserie chickens a year, announced the decision on the heels of a similar announcement made by McDonald’s, which is phasing out the sale of chicken raised with antibiotics that are used in human medicine, although the fast food chain will not eliminate chickens judiciously treated with antibiotics that are not used in human medicine.
  "We are working towards, and working with our suppliers and the regulatory agencies ... to see how we can get rid of shared-use antibiotics in animals," Craig Wilson, vice president of food safety at the Issaquah, Washington-based retail giant, said. "I think all of us want to move to a point where we can get the human-use antibiotics out of the system. It's going to take time."
  Wilson and Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti said the company did not have a target date for reaching that goal, a reflection of supply constraints.
  Wilson said Costco has been working with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the goal of eliminating shared-use antibiotics. The Center for Veterinary Medicine is involved in the effort as well, he said.