However, recent news reveals a change in their stance. Chick-fil-A is now shifting gears, announcing that they'll adopt a standard dubbed "no antibiotics important to human medicine."
It's disappointing, really. With the growing number of Americans striving to cut down on antibiotics in their diet, seeing such a prominent player like Chick-fil-A backtrack on their commitment is disheartening.
From Headline USA:
“NAIHM restricts the use of those antibiotics that are important to human medicine and commonly used to treat people, and allows use of animal antibiotics only if the animal and those around it were to become sick,” said the statement.
Livestock producers have long used antibiotics to boost rapid weight gain in animals such as chickens, pigs, cows and sheep, improving the profitability of their businesses.
Over the past decade, however, many nations, including the United States, have begun to restrict the practice as evidence mounted that it was contributing to drug resistance and reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics against disease in humans.
Chick-fil-A said it will begin shifting to the new policy in the spring of 2024.
A company spokesman added that the move reflects company concerns about its ability to acquire sufficient supplies of antibiotic-free chicken.
One of the poultry industry’s largest companies, Tyson Foods, said last year that it was reintroducing some antibiotics to its chicken production and removing its “No Antibiotics Ever” package labeling. It began to eliminate antibiotics from some of its poultry production in 2015.
