Deena Shanker writes for Bloomberg that McDonald’s is fighting the overuse of antibiotics by implementing new guidelines for its beef suppliers. McDonald’s is such a large buyer of beef, its new policies could affect the entire beef industry. Shanker writes:
- As consumers have grown increasingly concerned with how their food is made, they have demanded a number of changes, including antibiotic-free meat and poultry. Scientists say the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture is behind the growing global problem of antimicrobial resistance.
- The chain has been on a mission to clean up its menu since Steve Easterbrook took the helm in 2015. In September, it said it would get rid of some preservatives and fake colors from its burgers. It switched to fresh, instead of frozen, beef for its Quarter Pounders this year, and removed artificial preservatives from Chicken McNuggets in 2016.
- Because of its scale, with about 37,000 restaurants worldwide, McDonald’s purchasing changes — even small ones — can have major ramifications for the industry. When it nixed margarine from its Egg McMuffins, it sent suppliers into overdrive to make and ship millions of pounds of butter across the country.
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