Drovers TV: McDonald's Updates Beef Antibiotic Policy for 2020 Goals
McDonald’s has announced plans to partner with its global beef suppliers to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics by the end of 2020.
In a statement this week, McDonald’s said it is partnering with supplying beef producers in its top 10 beef sourcing markets to measure and understand current usage of antibiotics across a diverse, global supply chain. By the end of 2020 it will establish reduction targets for medically important antibiotics for these markets, and starting in 2022, McDonald’s will report progress against antibiotic reduction targets across its top 10 beef sourcing markets.
Under the McDonald’s policy, medically important antibiotics cannot be used to routinely prevent disease in food animals in the supply chain.
McDonald’s becomes the biggest beef buyer to tackle the issue in cattle, potentially creating a new standard for livestock producers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year said sales and distribution of medically important antibiotics for food production fell 14 percent from 2015 to 2016.
