McDonald's adopts policy limiting antibiotics in chicken

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  WATT Global Media

  McDonald's will phase out serving chickens raised with antibiotics that are also useful for human health.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Chicken served at McDonald’s U.S. restaurants will soon be raised without antibiotics that are important to human medicine, the company announced on March 4. The fast food chain intends to phase into its new antibiotics policy over the next two years.
  While McDonald's will only source chicken raised without antibiotics important to human medicine, the farmers who supply chicken for its menu will continue to responsibly use ionophores, a type of antibiotic not used for humans that helps keep chickens healthy.
  "If fewer chickens get sick, then fewer chickens need to be treated with antibiotics that are important in human medicine. We believe this is an essential balance," said Marion Gross, senior vice president of McDonald’s North America Supply Chain.
  McDonald's has been working closely with farmers for years to reduce the use of antibiotics in its poultry supply. This new policy supports the company's new Global Vision for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Food Animals introduced earlier this week, which builds on the company's 2003 global antibiotics policy and includes supplier guidance on the thoughtful use of antibiotics in all food animals.
  All of the chicken served at McDonald's approximately 14,000 U.S. restaurants comes from U.S. farms which are working closely with McDonald's to implement the new antibiotics policy to the supply chain within the next two years.
  At the same time McDonald’s announced its new policy on antibiotics in chicken, the company also revealed it would phase out milk from cows treated with artificial growth hormone rbST.
  "Our customers want food that they feel great about eating -- all the way from the farm to the restaurant -- and these moves take a step toward better delivering on those expectations," said McDonald's U.S President Mike Andres.