McDonald’s to stop serving chicken raised with human antibiotics

McDonald’s USA has announced that it will now only serve chicken raised without antibiotics on its menu, which is of particular importantance to human medicine.

The company’s decision came in the light of concerns that the overuse of such antibiotics could lead to a decrease in their effectiveness in fighting disease in humans.

The use of antibiotics in poultry was started by farmers in the 1940s to control outbreaks of disease in chickens. The drugs also helped keep the birds’ digestive tracts healthy and helped chickens gain more weight without eating more food, reported Reuters.

McDonald’s’ new policy is a part of its Global Vision for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Food Animals, which the company introduced this week.

The company aims to implement the new antibiotics policy to the supply chain within the next two years.

Although the company will use chicken free of antibiotics in its supply chain, 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.

McDonald’s’ North America Supply Chain senior vice-president Marion Gross said: "McDonald’s believes that any animals that become ill deserve appropriate veterinary care, and our suppliers will continue to treat poultry with prescribed antibiotics.

"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."

Apart from this initiative, the fast food giant’s US outlets will also offer its customers milk jugs of low-fat white milk and fat-free chocolate milk from cows that are not treated with rbST, an artificial growth hormone.

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Image: McDonald’s USA will stop using chicken with antibiotics safe for humans. Photo: courtesy of McDonald’s.