McDonald's Is No Longer a Leader in This Important Food Quality Factor
McDonald's has been accused of greenwashing again, and its inaction could harm public health.
It's no secret that antibiotic overuse in livestock increases drug-resistant microorganisms. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can infect
humans, making infections harder to treat. National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System for Enteric Bacteria (NARMS) and other
However, issue-tracking organizations frequently can just keep track. Producers and significant livestock buyers must reduce the use of
prophylactic antibiotics, which treat diseases on a broad scale rather than treating sick animals individually. McDonald's, the nation's top beef buyer
McDonald's declared three years ago that it would restrict antibiotic use among its beef suppliers and launch U.S. pilot programs to set reduction targets by 2020.
The firm issued a statement that said: "As one of the world's largest food companies we will use our scale for good,
partnering with industries in transparent conversation to advance practices related to use of antibiotics and susceptibility testing."
Lena Brook, NRDC director, says we're about a year past that date, and the chain hasn't shared its progress on attaining this target. In 2015, the
chain pledged to stop medically critical antibiotic use in the U.S. poultry supply chain. Brook claims that "the company has fallen from its leadership position