McDonald's Bans Antibiotics in Meat

Fast food giant McDonald's has responded to public health concerns by telling its meat suppliers to stop pumping their animals with growth-promoting antibiotics.

Fears that the routine use of antibiotics in food production makes humans resistant to antibiotic medicines have prompted the firm to begin phasing out the practice.

Frank Muschetto, senior vice president of worldwide supply chain management at McDonald's, said today: "As a company committed to social responsibility, we take seriously our obligation to the emerging science of antibiotic resistance and to work with our suppliers to foster real, tangible changes in our own supply community and hopefully beyond.

"McDonald's is asking producers that supply over 2.5bn pounds of chicken, beef and pork annually to take actions that will ultimately help protect public health."

The company, which announced the policy change yesterday, said it was calling on suppliers to halt the use of some antibiotics that promote growth in healthy animals and to significantly reduce the use of others that protect animals against disease. Instead, its new policy emphasises "good animal husbandry, hygiene and immunization".

Archie Schaffer, senior vice president of external relations of Tyson Foods, one of McDonald's major poultry suppliers, said: "We believe it is critical for our company and our industry to utilize antibiotics in a responsible manner, which preserves their long-term effectiveness in both human and veterinary medicine."

Environmental groups and animal rights activists have campaigned for years for an end to the use of antibiotic growth promoters.

Growth promoters are being phased out by the European Commission and will be banned by 2006.

Peter Riley, a food and farming campaigner for the Friends of the Earth, welcomed McDonald's announcement but said it was "not before time".

He said: "McDonald's are at last catching up with present thinking on how meat should be produced. This move will decrease the chances of antibiotic resistance developing in human and veterinary medicine.

"When a company as big as McDonald's does something, it inevitably influences the market. But if some firms persist in using growth promoters the risk is that antibody-resistant bugs will endure, so we still need firm legislation to ensure that every producer complies."