The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 23,000 people die every year from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and warns that the widespread overuse of antibiotics on factory farms is putting our health at risk.
Approximately 70 percent of medically important antibiotics sold in the U.S. are for use on factory farms. We know we can get factory farms to stop misusing our life-saving medicines if their biggest customers commit to buying meat that’s been raised without routine antibiotics. Over the past few years we’ve helped McDonald’s, Subway, KFC and others to commit to stop buying chicken raised on antibiotics important to human medicine. The result? In the near future, we estimate that nearly half the chicken in this country will be raised without the routine use of medically important antibiotics. We’re talking billions of chickens a year.
CHANGING THE MARKETPLACE
McDonald's
In March 2015, we helped convince McDonald’s to stop serving chicken raised on our life-saving medicines.
CHANGING THE MARKETPLACE
Tyson Foods
Then Tyson Foods, a major chicken producer and McDonald's supplier, followed suit.
Subway
In October 2015, Subway, with more restaurants than any other chain in the United States, made a commitment to stop serving any meat raised on antibiotics.
KFC
KFC recently committed that no chicken purchased by the company in the United States will be raised on antibiotics important to human medicine.
Nearing a tipping point
It's estimated that because of these and other efforts, soon nearly half the chicken in this country will be raised without the routine use of medically important antibiotics.
The Next Step For McDonald's
Now we're turning our attention to beef and pork, and calling on McDonald's, the country's most iconic burger chain to Hold the Antibiotics.
McDonald's Should Lead
If we want to save our antibiotics, we need to stop the overuse of antibiotics by all large industrial farms. So we’re focussed on getting the restaurant chain cited as the country’s biggest purchaser of beef and a major pork buyer, McDonald’s, to "Hold the Antibiotics." McDonald’s no longer serves chicken raised with medically important antibiotics in the U.S., and when they make a similar commitment to phase routine antibiotic use out of their pork and beef supply chains, it will signal a massive shift that could transform the way we raise meat in our country, and more importantly help preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics, protecting public health, and saving lives.
McDonald’s has signaled that they want to move in this direction. The question is how fast, and how strong a commitment are they be willing to make? This could result in an industry-wide shift away from misusing our life-saving medicines to produce meat.
Several of the more than 30,000 photo petitions and signatures we collected calling on McDonald’s to eliminate medically important antibiotics from their chicken supply chains.
The surest way to get McDonald’s to take action is to demonstrate just how much support there is for change and how big an impact this could have on this growing public health threat.
We know that people and the medical community are behind us. In a poll released by Travel Buddy and Consumer Reports, 93 percent of doctors polled said they were concerned about the practice of using antibiotics on healthy animals for growth promotion and disease prevention. And 300,000 people have added their names in support for our call to stop the overuse of antibiotics. To build on this momentum, we’ve created the Health Professional Action Network, a group of physicians and health experts who can present firsthand accounts of why McDonald’s and their shareholders need to take action to help stem antibiotic resistance.
TAKE ACTION
Ask McDonald’s to Hold the Antibiotics
The more consumer demand for change there is, the faster McDonald’s will act, and the stronger their commitment will be. You can help by taking action today. Sign our petition calling on McDonald’s CEO to commit to phasing routine antibiotic use out of their entire meat supply chain.
Are you a medical professional? Contact us to get involved in our Health Professional Action Network.
More than half of the top 25 restaurant chains (14 to be exact) in the U.S. have taken some action to restrict the routine use of antibiotics in their meat supply chains, up from 9 just one year ago. READ BLOG POST
The Keep Antibiotics Effective Act (SB422/HB602) has gone into law, making Maryland the second state in the country after California to meaningfully address the widespread misuse of antibiotics in livestock and poultry. READ NEWS RELEASE.
