Sixteen of America’s largest fast food chains have been given a food safety rating of C or lower due to the amount of antibiotics used in their meat.
And five of the 20 most popular restaurant franchises received an ‘F’ rating because they have no publicly available policies regarding the use of antibiotics in their beef, pork or turkey supplies.
The restaurants that failed were: Arby’s, Sonic Drive-In, Dairy Queen, Olive Garden and Little Caesars.
While there is no immediate, direct harm from consuming meat treated with antibiotics, it can help promote resistant bacteria.
The survey by The Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) assessed major restaurants based on the types of meat they will serve from October 2024.
Panda Express received a ‘D-‘ grade for serving ‘a chicken raised without antibiotics’, which was deemed an ‘important first step’.
Panera, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Dunkin’ were slightly upgraded to a ‘D’ rating for their better transparency, as they all published a report in 2023 detailing their antibiotic policies.
Popeyes, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Subway and McDonald’s received ‘C’ grades in their efforts to reduce antibiotic use, while Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A received B’s.
A shocking new report has slapped 16 of America’s largest fast food chains with a C food safety rating or lower due to the amount of antibiotics in their meat
Chipotle and KFC received the only two “A” grades because the study authors said that “both companies have meaningful antibiotic policies for all meats served in their respective restaurants.”
For Chipotle, this includes beef, pork and chicken. For KFC, this includes chicken, the only meat served.
Chipotle was also upgraded to an A+ for having “meaningful policies for all its meats” and was the only restaurant not to allow Carbadox – a carcinogenic feed additive commonly given to piglets – in its meat offerings.
Antibiotics are very effective in treating infections in animals slaughtered for food.
Cattle usually have to wait a few days before being slaughtered to reduce the amount of medicine that seeps into the meat.
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The overuse of antibiotics makes it much harder for medications to eliminate bacterial infections – and could mean a simple case of food poisoning becomes fatal.
A previous FDA analysis of pet foods found that of 30 antibiotics used across species, 18 posed a high risk of exposing people to antibiotic-resistant bacteria through food.
Meanwhile, the CDC estimates that 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur annually in the US.
About 660,000 of these are caused by resistant forms of salmonella and campylobacter, two bacteria commonly spread by animals slaughtered for food.
The global public health community, including organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), identifies antibiotic-resistant bacteria as one of the leading threats to public health worldwide.
Five of the top 20 restaurant chains received an ‘F’ rating because they have no public policy regarding the use of antibiotics in their beef, pork or turkey supplies
According to the CDC, more than 35,000 people in the United States die each year from antibiotic-resistant infections.
However, other estimates indicate that this number could be much higher, with possibly more than 160,000 deaths per year.
For the recent FACT research authors examined company websites, annual reports, corporate sustainability reports, and other publicly available information about company policies and summarized this information.
They explained the process: ‘These summaries were sent to the restaurant chains via email and certified mail and they were asked to confirm that the information was correct, or, if incorrect, to provide us with accurate and up-to-date information.
“We have sent a follow-up email in cases where companies did not respond to our initial contact. When we had specific questions about company policies, for example for Panera, Subway and McDonald’s, we sent additional emails.
“In cases where we did not receive a response from companies, we based our analyzes on our initial summaries of publicly available information and on a recheck of company websites.”
Chipotle and KFC received the only two “A” grades, because the study authors said that “both companies have meaningful antibiotic policies for all types of meat served.”
In light of the findings, the authors conclude: ‘Companies can play an important role in reducing the overuse of antibiotics by their meat suppliers, helping to halt the spread of deadly superbugs that this overuse causes.
‘The impact of corporate actions is clearly illustrated in the chicken sector, where antibiotic use has been significantly reduced.
“Unfortunately, as illustrated in this report, the restaurant industry as a whole is moving in the wrong direction, with some of the largest companies reversing previous policies that stopped overuse.”
Dr. Darin Detwiler, a former USDA nutritionist, told DailyMail.com that the key takeaway from the FACT report is that “consumers should be aware that not all fast food chains are on the same page when it comes to antibiotic use around the world.” meat they use on the food we eat.”
He added: ‘Consumers can help tackle this problem by supporting responsible antibiotic use policies, choosing antibiotic-free meat products and raising awareness of the risks, especially for those most at risk.
‘By choosing institutions that are committed to responsible antibiotic use, individuals can help drive change across the sector and stop the spread of superbugs.
‘However, avoiding certain chains is a personal decision and should be based on individual values and the latest available information.’