Restaurant chains rated on their antibiotic policies

The report concludes that: ‘Top USA restaurant chains have a unique opportunity and responsibility to help tackle the antibiotic resistance crisis by using their considerable purchasing power to shift production towards meat and poultry raised without the routine use of antibiotics’. Although Dunkin’ Donuts already has an existing policy limiting antibiotic use in its meat, it has no specific timeline for the implementation.

While each of the companies received a top score having “good” policy content, the survey said they varied in terms of other points awarded based on whether that policy applied to all the meats that company serves, as well as on the current availability of meat and/or poultry produced without routine antibiotics. All but five of the companies analyzed got a failing grade.

Of the 25 companies included in the report only 5 received “passing grades” – these were McDonald’s, Panera Bread, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Chick-fil-A, and Dunkin’ Donuts.

The report gives an F grade to 20 of the top 25 restaurant chains – including Burger King, Wendy’s and KFC – because they have no disclosed policy on antibiotics use or have policies that the group deemed allow for the routine use of antibiotics in the meats they serve. The said antibiotics are reportedly used by fast food chains to prevent illness and fatten up livestock. Research shows the use of human antibiotics to treat animals raised for food has contributed to the rise of “superbug” bacteria that resists powerful medicine and can lead to unsafe epidemics. In fact, 80 percent of antibiotics in the United States are used for this objective . This is why groups are watching antibiotic use in fast food chains. Most cattle producers won’t read the “Chain Reaction” report once they see the authors-Friends of the Earth, the Natural Resource Defense Council and Consumer Union are three of the primary groups issuing the report. While his background is mainly rooted in sports writing, he has also written and edited guides, ebooks, short stories and screenplays. For instance, Papa John’s told Buzzfeed the company is planning to prohibit the use of antibiotics in the chicken on their pizzas next year.

“Even though we purchase a limited amount of meat, we are working with our suppliers to address concerns about antibiotic use and are looking to collaborate with others across our industry…to promote best practices on this issue”, Starbucks said in a statement. Mcdonald’s has previously announced that within two years, it aims to serve chicken that are only fed antibiotics when they are sick.