The majority of fast-food and fast-casual chains are falling short on efforts to limit antibiotic use in their meat supply chains, a new report found. According to the Serving Up Superbugs report, most major chains source from farms that use medically important antibiotics in their beef, pork and poultry. The high use of antibiotics is helping to fuel the antibiotic resistance crisis that has weakened the power of many life-saving medicines for humans. Among the 20 food companies analyzed, only KFC and Chipotle earned A grades for having meaningful policies for all kinds of meat on their menus. The report revealed that “the restaurant sector as a whole is moving in the wrong direction with some of the largest companies reversing earlier policies that stopped overuse”.
Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in both people and animals is accelerating the rise of bacteria that no longer respond to live-saving drugs. As a result, the risk of common surgeries and procedures is much higher, especially for more vulnerable patients. In 2019 treatment-resistant germs directly caused 1.3 million people worldwide.
