McDonald's Antibiotic Free Chicken is a Game Changer in Poultry Industry

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The initiative of McDonald's to serve antibiotic free chicken would dawn a new era in the way the meat industry functions around the world. McDonald's had made an announcement on March 4, 2015 that the company would be serving antibiotic free chicken in almost all the restaurants in the U.S. within a period of two years.

McDonald's is also planning to give customers the choice of low fat milk as well as chocolate milk, made of milk from cows that has not been given rBST -- an artificial growth hormone, reports the Longview News-Journal. Steven Roach, food safety program director for Food Animal Concerns, said that the McDonald's initiative for antibiotic free chicken would drive many companies of its kind to address the concern, just like few other instances in the past that was pioneered by McDonald's.  

Tyson Foods, the world's largest fast food chain which is said to have reduced the use of antibiotics up to 84 per cent starting 2011, is reportedly planning to cut down the use of antibiotics as early as the chicks are in the hatchery production phase.

Darren Tristano, a restaurant industry analyst at Technomic, said that this is a good thing to happen to McDonald's. He also added that it is a sign that the fastfood chain is willing to improve its standards because being idle is not a solution in the food industry, noted Forbes.   

Tristano also explained that many countries in the world produce chicken without antibiotics or hormones but this initiative of McDonald's would help them regain the leadership they had a while back in the food industry.

Guy Loneragan, professor of food safety and public health at Texas Tech University, told Feed Navigator that the food chain's idea would make the antibiotic-treated chicken worthless and thereby making antibiotics more expensive.

It is to be noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had notified about the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry and the resulting increase of resistance in bacteria towards various drugs. CDC also reported that about 2 million people in the U.S. were affected and about 23,000 deaths in 2013 because of the multi-drug resistant bacteria commonly referred as super bugs.

Justin Ramson, senior director of quality systems in the supply management of McDonald's US, said that the company will work with poultry suppliers in the process of obtaining quality product with the help of best practices with respect to antibiotic free chicken, said Feed Navigator.