McDonald's to End Growth Antibiotic Use in Meat

Yahoo/Reuters ^ | June 19,2003 | not given

[pttttt]

Yahoo! News   Thu, Jun 19, 2003

McDonald's to End Growth Antibiotic Use in Meat Thu Jun 19,12:53 PM ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp. on Thursday told its meat suppliers to phase out growth-promoting antibiotics that are also used in human medicine, prompted by concerns that overuse could reduce the effectiveness of the drugs in people.

McDonald's, the largest fast-food chain in the world, uses more than 2.5 billion pounds of chicken, beef, and pork annually.

McDonald's said its new policy calls for the elimination of antibiotic drugs some producers have used to help animals grow faster. It sets standards for its direct suppliers and encourages indirect suppliers to take similar steps.

"We take seriously our obligation to understand the emerging science of antibiotic resistance," the company, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, said in a statement.

Two major U.S. meat producers that supply McDonald's, Tyson Foods Inc. and privately held agribusiness conglomerate Cargill Inc., were part of a coalition that created the policy, McDonald's said.

The policy comes amid heightened consumer awareness over the use of additives in food production, including a backlash against genetically modified crops.

McDonald's said its antibiotics policy for food animals was developed with help by Environmental Defense, an environmental advocacy organization, and Elanco Animal Health, an animal pharmaceutical company.

Also participating were Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital physician Thomas O'Brien of Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and Oxford University animal welfare expert Marian Dawkins.

 

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[pttttt]

If there's been public discussion about this, I've missed it. But I've wondered about it. The big wheeze from outfits like the AMA and such were the bugs were getting tougher because they were exposed to antibiotics which were allegedly being overprescribed by doctors.

Well, maybe, though I sure didn't see that happening. But I couldn't help but think a bigger cause had to be the antibiotics in the food chain, since everyone who takes in milk, meat, or grain products in the US is getting a small subclinical dose every day and why no health experts like on ABC News etc. ever had much to say about it, even to deny the possibility. I figured money talked with a loud voice and ADM et al. had a lot of money.

Wonder what changed their minds. Maybe they were in near-term danger of being sued. If they weren't, doing this could actually put them in more danger of that since it could show that they had known of a problem but had waited.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in anything.

[Normal4me]

Sorry, too funny not to post.

[VeniVidiVici]

Wonder why they are doing this? It didn't help me any.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Don't forget the chickens. They're so pumped full of weird crap that the taste is often degraded. Factory methods are profitable for the farmglomerates and bad for quality (and the environment when it comes to pigs).

[aimhigh]

I was surprised to see the words, "growth antibiotics" rather than "growth harmones". Antibiotics fight germs. Growth harmones in meat have been linked to early puberty in kids, etc.

[org.whodat]

Growth harmones in meat have been linked to early puberty in kids, etc.

Prove it.

Besides growth hormone is used in young calves, that grow up to be the best thing you ever tasted, MCDee's, never buys anything but cutter's and canner's ,as far as I know, then they mix soybean with that. Do you don't know what a cutter or canner is?

[July 4th]

I was surprised to see the words, "growth antibiotics" rather than "growth harmones". Antibiotics fight germs.

Antibiotics fed to cattle help their digestion process, allowing them to more efficiently convert the food that they've eaten. In other words, cattle retain more feed and make less waste when they're on "growth antibiotics."

[South Dakota]

I listened to Rush talk about a shyster lawyer that is going after fast food resturants.

I think that this is McDucks covering their a$$

[aimhigh]

Growth harmones in meat have been linked to early puberty in kids, etc.

Prove it.

The FDA proved this long ago and banned meat from some countries where the girls started menstruating at 7 and 8 years old.

[org.whodat]

The FDA proved this long ago and banned meat from some countries where the girls started menstruating at 7 and 8 years old

Ok, give me a web page at the FDA that has this information.

[Night Hides Not]

The FDA proved this long ago and banned meat from some countries where the girls started menstruating at 7 and 8 years old.

I'm sure these same countries have a high concentration of Madonna & Brittany Spears CDs, too.

FWIW, I'm not going to let my daughter eat at McDonalds anymore. She's going to turn 16 in a couple of weeks, and thinks that she's old enough to DRIVE! I'm sure she heard that silly notion from her friends while eating Chicken McNuggets.

What's this world coming to?