McDonald's announced yesterday that it would end the sale of chicken treated with human antibiotics at its restaurants in the U.S. within the next two years.
The move, which follows other restaurant chains, addresses the consumer demand for more natural foods as well as the medical community's concerns that the overuse of these drugs has lead to the creation of antibiotic-resistant "super bugs."
According to the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), McDonald's "market power alone could be enough to force the unnecessary use of antibiotics out of chicken farming." Roughly 80 percent of all antibiotics used in the U.S. are given to farm animals, according to an article on the website of On Earth, the magazine of the NRDC.
The fast food giant said it would continue to treat chickens with ionophores, an antibiotic not used in humans.
"If fewer chickens get sick, then fewer chickens need to be treated with antibiotics that are important in human medicine," said Marion Gross, senior vice president of McDonald's North America Supply Chain, in a statement. "We believe this is an essential balance."
Tom Super, a spokesperson for the National Chicken Council, told Nation's Restaurant News that producers have been taking steps to end the use of human antibiotics in their flocks. Both Tyson and Perdue discontinued the practice last year.
In addition to its decision to phase out the use of human antibiotics in chicken, McDonald's also announced that later this year it would begin offering low-fat white milk and fat-free chocolate milk from cows not treated with rBST, an artificial growth hormone that increases milk production.
"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, in a statement.