Restaurant to establish reduction targets by end of 2020 for medically important antibiotics in its 10 beef sourcing markets.

Krissa Welshans, Livestock Editor

December 11, 2018

3 Min Read
McDonald’s announces new antibiotic policy for beef
McDonalds

McDonald’s announced Dec. 11 a new policy for beef that commits to reducing the overall use of antibiotics important to human health, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), which applies across 85% of the global beef supply chain. The company said it has been developing the policy over the past year-and-a-half while consulting a cross-section of expert stakeholders from veterinarians to public health leaders to the beef producers responsible for taking care of the health of animals within the supply chain every day.

“As one of the world’s largest restaurant companies, McDonald’s has the opportunity to use our scale to tackle some of the most complicated challenges facing people, animals and our planet -- and help drive industry-wide progress,” the company said in the announcement.

“With our new policy, McDonald’s is doing our part to help preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics for human and animal health in the future,” it continued.

Additionally, the company noted that it understands the complexity of the change and that it cannot be accomplished overnight.

McDonald's also pointed out that there are limited antibiotic usage data available across the global beef industry, which is why, in collaboration with its suppliers and beef producers, it will be taking a strategic and phased approach that includes:

  • Partnering with supplying beef producers in the company's top 10 beef sourcing markets to measure and understand current usage of antibiotics across a diverse, global supply chain;

  • Establishing reduction targets by the end of 2020 for medically important antibiotics for these markets, and

  • Starting in 2022, reporting progress against antibiotic reduction targets across the top 10 beef sourcing markets.

The full policy specifics are available here.

“Our overall approach to responsible use of antibiotics focuses on refining their selection and administration, reducing their use and, ultimately, replacing antibiotics with long-term solutions to prevent diseases and protect animal health and welfare. With this in mind, we remain committed to treating animals when needed,” the company said.

The latest announcement builds on 15 years of progress since McDonald’s first developed a position on responsible antibiotic use in 2003. In 2016, McDonald’s USA reached its commitment to serve only chicken that was not treated with antibiotics important to human medicine, nearly one year ahead of schedule. Further, in 2017, McDonald’s announced an expanded antibiotic policy for chicken in markets around the world, as well as a refreshed Vision for Antimicrobial Stewardship statement with commitments to create responsible-use antibiotic approaches for beef, dairy beef and pork.

McDonald’s also announced that it is joining the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Challenge. Launched in September 2018, the AMR Challenge is a yearlong effort to accelerate the fight against AMR across the globe.

“We are on a journey to build a better McDonald’s. As we work in partnership with our supply chain and producer partners to address major challenges like antibiotic resistance, we’ll continue to listen to our customers to make sure we’re meeting and exceeding their expectations every day – from the farm to our restaurants,” the company said.

Dr. Dan Thomson, the Jones professor of production medicine and epidemiology and director of the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, commended McDonald’s on its process in establishing the new policy.

“The path for creating and implementing a global antibiotic use policy for beef is unprecedented. I’ve been encouraged by the thoroughness with which McDonald’s has engaged diverse experts while creating this policy and the seriousness with which they take this important issue,” he said.

About the Author(s)

Krissa Welshans

Livestock Editor

Krissa Welshans grew up on a crop farm and cow-calf operation in Marlette, Michigan. Welshans earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Michigan State University and master’s degree in public policy from New England College. She and her husband Brock run a show cattle operation in Henrietta, Texas, where they reside with their son, Wynn.

Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Feedstuffs is the news source for animal agriculture

You May Also Like