Customers will be ‘Eating Mor Chikin’ with antibiotics as Chick-fil-A drops ‘no antibiotics’ pledge, cites sourcing issues

Chick-fil-A has recently made a significant adjustment to its chicken sourcing policy, opting to drop its previous commitment to serving chicken with “no antibiotics ever.” This decision diverges from the fast-food chain’s previous stance, which implemented a complete ban on antibiotics in chicken production back in 2019. The initial aim of this ban was to address concerns regarding human antibiotic resistance, a pressing public health issue linked in part to the widespread use of antibiotics in livestock.

The revised standard adopted by Chick-fil-A now permits the limited use of antibiotics in chicken farming, with the exclusion of drugs deemed essential for human medicine and commonly used in medical treatments. This change is framed as a necessary step to ensure a consistent supply of high-quality chicken for customers, reflecting the challenges faced in sourcing chickens that have not been exposed to antibiotics.

This shift by Chick-fil-A reflects broader trends in the industry, with other food companies also adjusting their antibiotic usage policies to balance considerations of animal welfare, sustainability, and profitability. Notably, industry leader McDonald’s made a similar transition to a less restrictive standard for chicken sourcing in 2015.

However, this decision has sparked concerns among health experts and consumer advocacy groups due to the ongoing threat of antibiotic resistance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified antibiotic resistance as a significant global public health issue, contributing to millions of infections and thousands of deaths annually in the United States alone.

As Chick-fil-A adapts its chicken sourcing practices, the implications of this policy change for public health, animal welfare, and industry standards continue to be subject to scrutiny and debate. Moreover, sourcing chickens that have never been exposed to antibiotics has become increasingly challenging, with industry players like Tyson shifting away from “no antibiotics ever” labels in favor of a less restrictive approach focused on using antibiotics only to treat actual illnesses in animals rather than for growth promotion.