Introduction
The use of antibiotics in the food industry has been a controversial topic for many years. While antibiotics are used to treat and prevent disease in humans and animals, their overuse in the food industry has been linked to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Unfortunately, many fast-food companies are still using dangerous antibiotics in their beef products. This article will discuss the top fast-food companies that are still using antibiotics in their beef and the potential health risks associated with their use.
Top Fast-Food Companies Still Using Dangerous Antibiotics in Beef
The use of antibiotics in the food industry has been a controversial topic for years. While antibiotics are necessary to treat and prevent disease in humans and animals, their overuse has been linked to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Unfortunately, many fast-food companies are still using antibiotics in their beef products, despite the potential risks.
McDonald’s is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to using antibiotics in their beef. The company has been using antibiotics in their beef since the 1950s, and they continue to do so today. McDonald’s has made some progress in reducing their use of antibiotics, but they still use them in some of their products.
Taco Bell is another fast-food chain that has been using antibiotics in their beef for years. The company has made some progress in reducing their use of antibiotics, but they still use them in some of their products. Taco Bell has also been criticized for using antibiotics in their chicken products.
Burger King is another fast-food chain that has been using antibiotics in their beef for years. The company has made some progress in reducing their use of antibiotics, but they still use them in some of their products. Burger King has also been criticized for using antibiotics in their chicken products.
Wendy’s is another fast-food chain that has been using antibiotics in their beef for years. The company has made some progress in reducing their use of antibiotics, but they still use them in some of their products. Wendy’s has also been criticized for using antibiotics in their chicken products.
KFC is another fast-food chain that has been using antibiotics in their beef for years. The company has made some progress in reducing their use of antibiotics, but they still use them in some of their products. KFC has also been criticized for using antibiotics in their chicken products.
These fast-food companies are still using antibiotics in their beef products, despite the potential risks. While some progress has been made in reducing their use of antibiotics, more needs to be done to ensure the safety of consumers. It is important for consumers to be aware of the potential risks associated with consuming beef products that contain antibiotics.
Nobody wants to buy beef that will harm their families or the environment, but companies often try to keep it under wraps or skirt the issue when it comes to what’s in their beef. Case in point, many fast-food restaurants have pledged to reduce the use of antibiotics from where they source their beef. Some, aren’t actually making any headway into making due on the promise, and, in fact, still have ties to suppliers that have some questionable practices.
A recent investigation by The Guardian revealed that McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s have ties to farms and meat-packing firms that are using dangerous antibiotics. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and The Guardian obtained unpublished government records that tied the three chains to beef suppliers that still use antibiotics considered ‘highest priority critically important’ to human health or HP-CIAs.
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The World Health Organization has called for the use of these types of antibiotics to be stopped in food sources because they are considered essential for saving human lives and the use in food animals can make the bacteria resistant to these antibiotics, putting human lives in jeopardy. U.S. Senator Cory Booker even goes so far as to label the use of these antibiotics by some companies a ‘reckless overuse’ and to call the use a major contributor to this deadly public health threat, built on maximizing profit over human health.
And he’s not wrong in terms of the amount of use. According to the investigation, 10 of the biggest meat packers had evidence of these HP-CIAs, with some using as high as seven. JBS, which sells to Wendy’s and Taco Bell, was found to have the highest at seven. Cargill, the company that sells to McDonald’s was found to have five. And, the study says, there were other antibiotics found that weren’t considered HP-CIAs.
In terms of legality, the U.S. banned the use of antibiotics for growth purposes in 2017, and the use of all antibiotics dropped substantially. However, there is no ban on antibiotics for the treatment or prevention of disease in animals, and one veterinarian and public health consultant, said in the article, that the level the companies were using for illness prevention was essentially at the same level as those used for growth in the past.
All three companies have pledged to reduce antibiotics in their meat supply. Taco Bell is shooting for a 25% reduction by 2025. Wendy’s has pledged to reduce the use of medically-important antibiotics’ by 2030. McDonald’s did not meet its initial goal and had to revise its plan for beef. For the use of antibiotics by other fast-food companies check out: 12 Fast-Food Chains That Use the Lowest Quality Beef.
In the end, there isn’t any evidence that antibiotic-free meat is safer to consume and some antibiotic use is necessary to prevent disease and ensure healthy animals. Both JBS and Cargill had statements to that effect. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control antibiotic resistance is responsible for 35,000 deaths in the U.S. and 1.3 million worldwide so its use is certainly a real public threat.