Chick-fil-A is changing its policy and will now allow some antibiotics in its chicken, starting this spring.
On Thursday, the chicken sandwich chain said in a statement that it would switch from its “never antibiotic-free” pledge to a process called “no antibiotics important to human medicine,” or (NAIHM).
“To maintain the supply of high-quality chicken you expect from us, Chick-fil-A will transition from No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine (NAIHM) beginning in the spring of 2024,” Chick-fil-A said. in a statement on its website.
“NAE means that no antibiotics of any kind were used in raising the animal,” the company added. “NAIHM restricts the use of those antibiotics that are important to human medicine and are commonly used to treat humans, and allows the use of antibiotics for animals only if the animal and they they should have gotten sick over that.”
The company added that it will serve “real, white breast meat with no added fillers, artificial preservatives or steroids,” and reaffirmed that it will use chickens raised to their animal welfare standards.
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The fast-food chain had trouble getting enough antibiotic-free chicken to meet demand.
“As we looked to the future, the availability of high-quality chicken that met our exacting standards became an issue,” a Chick-fil-A spokesperson told PEOPLE. “This change allows us to not only ensure that we can continue to serve high-quality chicken, but chicken that still meets the expectations our customers count on us to deliver.”
The chain first announced that it was committed to selling antibiotic-free chicken in 2014, and that it plans to sell chicken that has not been exposed to antibiotics within five years, USA TODAY writes. The company met its goal by 2019.
Chick-fil-A’s announcement also comes less than a year after meat producer Tyson said it would also change its NAE policy, according to CNN, instead reversing course to allow some antibiotics in its chicken. At the time of its announcement, the company noted that about half of all U.S. chicken producers use antibiotics when raising their poultry.
Antibiotics were first used by farmers raising livestock to reduce the spread of bacteria in the animals, such as salmonella, according to the CDC. They were also used to promote growth in livestock, but the practice officially ended in 2017. Despite this, antibiotic-resistant bacteria remain a growing concern in livestock.
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“When microorganisms become increasingly resistant to antimicrobial drugs, the drugs become less effective at slowing or stopping the growth of microorganisms,” according to the FDA. “This makes it difficult to treat infections in humans and animals. When antimicrobials are used excessively or inappropriately, the rate of this resistance increases.”
Organizations like the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine have tried to combat these problems by creating a plan to limit antibiotic resistance in animals.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education