OAK BROOK, Illinois – McDonald’s will start using only chickens raised without antibiotics used by humans, the fast-food chain announced March 4.
“Our customers want food that they feel great about eating – all the way from the farm to the restaurant – and these moves take a step toward better delivering on those expectations,” said McDonald’s U.S President Mike Andres.
McDonald’s U.S. restaurants will also offer customers milk jugs of low-fat white milk and fat-free chocolate milk from cows that are not treated with rbST, an artificial growth hormone. The milk jugs are popular choices in Happy Meals.
“While no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-treated and non-rbST-treated cows, we understand this is something that is important to our customers,” explained Marion Gross, senior vice president of McDonald’s North America Supply Chain.
All of the chicken served at McDonald’s approximately 14,000 U.S. restaurants comes from U.S. farms, which are working closely with McDonald’s to implement the new antibiotics policy to the supply chain within the next two years, the company said.
“McDonald’s believes that any animals that become ill deserve appropriate veterinary care, and our suppliers will continue to treat poultry with prescribed antibiotics, and then they will no longer be included in our food supply,” said Gross.
While McDonald’s will only source chicken raised without antibiotics, the farmers who supply chicken for its menu will continue to responsibly use ionophores, a type of antibiotic not used for humans that helps keep chickens healthy.
“If fewer chickens get sick, then fewer chickens need to be treated with antibiotics that are important in human medicine. We believe this is an essential balance,” Gross added.
All of these actions are the latest steps in McDonald’s USA’s effort to adjust its menu to meet the changing preferences and expectations of customers.
In addition to the menu sourcing changes, McDonald’s USA this week became a founding member of the newly formed U.S. Roundtable on Sustainable Beef.
“We will continue to look at our food and menu to deliver the kind of great tasting and quality choices that our customers trust and enjoy,” Andres added.