U.S. consumer groups push for fast food chain to halt the use of drugs important to human medicine in raising beef
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Reuters) — Public interest groups have targeted another restaurant chain in their push to convince high-profile food sellers to stop serving meat from animals fed a routine diet of antibiotics.
The new campaign from the Calpirg Education Fund, Friends of the Earth, the Center for Food Safety and other groups was launched amid growing concern that the overuse of such drugs is contributing to increasing numbers of life-threatening human infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Privately held In-N-Out, which has more than 300 restaurants in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas and Oregon, is known for using fresh ingredients such as never-frozen ground beef and hand-cut french fries.
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Activists are pressing the company to follow the lead of popular chains such as Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., Panera Bread Co. and Shake Shack Inc., which already serve meat raised without the routine use of antibiotics.
“It’s time for the company to set a strong antibiotics policy that will help push the meat industry to do the right thing for public health,” said Jason Pfeifle, public health advocate for the Calpirg Education Fund.
Keith Brazeau, vice-president of quality for In-N-Out, said it is heading in that direction.
“Our company is committed to beef that is not raised with antibiotics important to human medicine, and we’ve asked our suppliers to accelerate their progress toward establishing antibiotic alternatives.”
However, he did not lay out a timeline for that change.
Such campaigns have been gaining traction among mainstream fast-food restaurant companies. Notably, McDonald’s Corp. has set a 2017 deadline for its switch to chicken raised without antibiotics that are important to human medicine.
The Subway sandwich chain has also committed to move away from all meat raised on antibiotics.
California governor Jerry Brown last year signed a bill that set the country’s strictest government standards for the use of antibiotics in livestock production.
The bill goes into effect Jan. 1, 2018, and will restrict the regular use of antibiotics for disease prevention and ban antibiotic use to fatten animals.
