Would You Like Antibiotics With That?

In a collaborative report from several organizations, including the national Resources Defense Council and Consumer Reports, only two out of 25 fast-food and fast-casual restaurant chains – Shake Shack and BurgerFi – were awarded an A for their policies on antibiotics in beef used in their burgers. All the other top burger joints, including heavy hitters like McDonald’s and Burger king – got a big fat F.

The chain eateries were graded on whether they were crafting policies to end the routine use of antibiotics and how they were implementing these policies. In an effort to be completely fair and unbiased, the authors made every effort to verify whether companies’ claims were true.

Maybe the fact that only two small chains got good grades in the study isn’t a surprise to you, but it is definitely cause for nationwide health concerns. A continuing worry is that overusing antibiotics in livestock production could be contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and ensuing infections, which has implications for the national, if not global population’s health.

There is a glimmer of hope. As a result of these reports, at least one major chain has promised to get on the anti-antibiotic train. In December of 2018, McDonald’s announced that it will begin measuring antibiotic use in its top 10 beef markets, including the U.S., Brazil and New Zealand, and will then set targets for reduction by the end of 2020. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to think twice before ordering that Big Mac or Whopper at the drive-thru window.

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