Chick-fil-A is set to allow some antibiotics in its chicken beginning this spring. This will overturn a 2014 commitment to use nothing but antibiotic-free chicken.
“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,” an update on the website of the restaurant chain read.
Why did Chick-fil-A decide to start using antibiotics in its chicken?
The announcement added that chicken antibiotics will only be used “if the animal and those around it were to become sick.” These antibiotics, meant to treat poultry, are not used for treating humans.
“In accordance with FDA requirements, all antibiotics must be cleared from the chicken’s system before it is considered available for the chicken supply. The United States Department of Agriculture audits and verifies that suppliers are meeting the requirements of the Chick-fil-A NAIHM commitment.” the statement said.
Chick-fil-A’s 2014 pledge
The fast-food chain announced in 2014 that it will only sell chicken that is raised without antibiotics across its stores within five years. It was serving 100% antibiotic-free chicken by 2019. “As we looked to the future, the availability of high-quality chicken that meets our rigid standards became a concern. 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 told USA TODAY in a statement.
Chick-fil-A was founded by Truett Cathy. The website says of its restaurants, “Serving communities across the world with more than 3,000 restaurants, today customers can find Chick-fil-A inside airports, malls, college campuses, in the heart of Manhattan, and nestled among the thousands of busy streets connecting neighborhoods in 48 states and Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada. An innovator from the start, Chick-fil-A was the first restaurant to pair shopping and eating by opening its first restaurant in an Atlanta-area mall.”
Several other companies made similar announcements recently. Tyson Foods, the largest chicken producer in the US, said last year that it has planned to move away from its 2015 commitment to use “no antibiotics ever.”
