McDonald's to shift meat supply chain away from antibiotics

Driven by consumer demand, more fast food restaurants and food suppliers are looking to remove unnecessary antibiotics from their meat and chicken supply chain. Food producers have long relied on antibiotics to keep animals disease-free and promote growth, but scientists warn that use of antibiotics in agriculture is creating a growing risk of antibiotic resistance. About 70% of medically-important antibiotics go to food-producing animals in the U.S.
This move is likely to have significant impacts on the beef market, especially since McDonald's has 37,000 restaurants worldwide. But the shift won’t happen overnight, giving producers and franchisees a chance to adjust. Over time the chain plans to refine and reduce the use of antibiotics and replace them with long-term alternatives that will prevent diseases in animals, the company said in its announcement.