Antibiotics

Today, McDonald’s released a new policy to restrict medically important antibiotic use in its beef supply chain. The company will monitor antibiotic use in its top ten beef sourcing markets and set reduction targets for medically important antibiotic use by the end of 2020. Principles in the policy include restricting the routine use of the drugs to prevent disease, a practice that the World Health Organization recommends ending because it breeds antibiotic resistant bacteria. As the largest beef purchaser in the United States, McDonald’s new commitment could spark an industry-wide change to help keep antibiotics effective.

“The Golden Arches just set a gold standard for responsible antibiotic use in meat production. We can’t afford to misuse these precious medicines. Otherwise, we lose our ability to treat life-threatening infections,” said Bay Scoggin, TexPIRG Director, “McDonald’s new commitment is a promising step forward that will help preserve antibiotics for the future, and that’s something we should all be happy about.”

McDonald's Commits to Reducing Medically Important Antibiotic Use in its Beef Supply Chain 

AUSTIN-- Two growing burger chains, Shake Shack and BurgerFi, stand out from the herd when it comes to serving beef raised without the routine use of antibiotics in the burger industry. They were the only restaurants to earn an “A” on the fourth annual Chain Reaction scorecard released today by six major consumer and environmental organizations. The vast majority of hamburger chains — 22 of the top 25, including giants such as McDonald’s and Whataburger — got an “F” grade because they lack established policies restricting antibiotic use in their beef supply chains.

“We should all be worried that so many restaurants are failing when it comes to antibiotic stewardship. We need more burger chains to follow the lead of BurgerFi and Shake Shake and commit to protecting our life-saving medicines. Antibiotics are too important to lose and these companies can use their purchasing power to protect our health,” said Bay Scoggin, TexPIRG Ed Fund Director.

AUSTIN, Thursday, January 25, 2018:  The consumer and public health advocacy organization TexPIRG Education Fund is calling on McDonald’s to commit to a concrete timeline to phase out routinely using medically-important antibiotics in its beef and pork supply chains. The TexPIRG Education Fund and its partner groups are singling out the iconic fast food company because McDonald’s has an outsized influence as the biggest purchaser of beef in the United States, and it has a vague long-term antibiotics plan. Health experts, including the World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics, warn that the routine use of antibiotics on animals that aren’t sick fuels drug-resistant bacteria, a major health threat to humans.

“Protecting antibiotics requires action, not reaction. If we don’t act now to preserve the effectiveness of these medicines, we’ll face a world in which common infections once again kill” said Bay Scoggin, TexPIRG Education Fund. “The Big Mac can make a big dent in stopping the misuse of antibiotics in our food system.”

“Many hospitals now purchase meat and poultry produced without antibiotics because of the growing number of problems associated with overuse of these medicines in food production. Using antibiotic-free meat helps to both preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics and move our food system towards a healthier and more sustainable future,” Diane Papillion, MPH, RD. Texas Physicians for Social Responsibility