antibiotics

The incentives that companies use to help develop new antibiotics for food animals are coming under pressure.  A USDA research economist says those incentives are being pressured by high development costs, changing markets, and shifting consumer trends.  ...

WashPIRG Foundation is calling on the third latest burger chain in the U.S. to stop serving beef raised with routine use of antibiotics.  The consumer and public health advocacy organization and its partners have called on Wendy’s to follow the lead of its rival, McDonald’s.   “We can’...

Antibiotics use in livestock dropped 33% between 2016 and 2017, according to data from the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA’s 2017 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals documents the decline.   ...

USDA officials are reportedly developing an alternative set of guidelines on antibiotic use in animal agriculture, rather than abide by those developed at the World Health Organization. The WHO recommendations first came out last November, proposing to end the use of medically important antibiotics in healthy animals to promote growth and prevent disease...

Kansas State University recently announced the results of a study on the economic impact of treating high-risk groups of animals with antimicrobials.  They undertook the study to contribute to the growing public debate on antibiotic use in animal agriculture.  The stu...

Wendy’s will reduce antibiotics use in its beef supply chain.  The announcement follows similar measures the fast food restaurant chain took in its poultry supply chain.   Starting next year, Ohio-based Wendy’s will source about 15% of its beef from producers that have committed to a 20% reduction of the only medically important antibiotic product routinely fed to cattle.  Wendy’s noted in the rep

The World Health Organization issued a strong statement this week against the use of all antibiotics in healthy food-producing animals.  The WHO said overuse and misuse of antibiotics in both animals and humans is contributing to the buildup of antibiotic resistance.  The org...

McDonald’s Corporation announced it’ll be expanding its effort to cut back on the use of antibiotics critical to human health across the global chicken supply.  The fast food giant will require its poultry suppliers to phase out drugs categorized under the highest priority category in the World Health Organization’s four categories by January of next year.   Those antibio...

McDonald’s USA announced Tuesday that they will only be sourcing chickens raised without antibiotics that are important to humans.   President Mike Andres said, “Our customers want food they feel great about eating, all the way from the farm to the restaurant table, and these moves are a way to help that happen.”   McDona...