Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich.Photo:Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-Ais changing its policy and will now allow some antibiotics in its chicken, beginning this spring.
On Thursday, the chicken sandwich chain wrote in a statement that it would be switching from its “no antibiotics ever” pledge to a process called “no antibiotics important to human medicine,” or (NAIHM).
“To maintain supply of the high-quality chicken you expect from us, Chick-fil-A will shift from No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine (NAIHM) starting in the Spring of 2024,” Chick-fil-A said in a statement on itswebsite.
“NAE means no antibiotics of any kind were used in raising the animal,” the company added. “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.”
The company added that it would serve “real, white breast meat with no added fillers, artificial preservatives or steroids,” and reaffirmed that it would use chickens raised in accordance with theirAnimal Wellbeing Standards.
The fast food chain was experiencing problems acquiring enough antibiotic-free chicken to meet demands.
“As we looked to the future, the availability of high-quality chicken that meets our rigid standards became a concern,” a spokesperson for Chick-fil-A tells PEOPLE. “This change enables us to not only ensure we can continue to serve high-quality chicken, but also chicken that still meets the expectations our customers count on us to deliver.”
Chick-fil-A’s announcement also comes less than a year after meat producer giant Tysonsaid that it would also be reversing its NAE policy, according to CNN, instead changing course to allow some antibiotics in their chicken. At the time of its announcement, the company noted that about half of all chicken producers in the U.S. use antibiotics when raising their poultry.
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“When microorganisms become increasingly resistant to antimicrobial drugs, the drugs become less effective at slowing or stopping the growth of the microorganisms,” according to theFDA. “This makes it more difficult to treat infections in people and animals. When antimicrobials are used excessively or inappropriately, the rate of this resistance grows.”
source: people.com
