McDonald's extends antibiotic ban to global supply chains
The fast food giant's US restaurants already serve chicken raised without the use of those antibiotics that have been categorised by the World Health Organisation as critically important to humans. McDonald's now plans to extend the policy to markets in the rest of the world, and to other meat supply chains.
Given the company's buying power, the policy -- if implemented within the 10-year time frame proposed -- could have a dramatic impact on husbandry practices in industrial meat production systems everywhere.
The over-use of antibiotics in farm animals, to promote growth and prevent infection, has been linked to the rise of fatal infections in humans, which cannot be treated because the disease-causing agents are resistant to all available antibiotics.
Read McDonald's policy statement here.
Sustain is part of the Alliance to Save our Antibiotics. Find out more and support us here.
Published Saturday 26 August 2017
Save Our Antibiotics: The Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics is a coalition of health, medical, environmental and animal welfare groups campaigning to stop the overuse of antibiotics in animal farming.
