These major restaurant chains got Fs for their antibiotic policies
About a fourth of the largest restaurant chains in the U.S. have failed to adopt meaningful policies to curb antibiotic overuse in their meat supply, according to a new report.
The report was published in late November by the Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT), which promotes the safe and humane production of meat products. In it, the group said that food companies play a crucial role in combating the spread of deadly antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
“The spread of superbugs makes common medical procedures like dialysis, surgery, cesarean sections, chemotherapy and organ transplants much more dangerous,” the nonprofit said in the report. “The biggest driver of the spread of these deadly germs is the overuse of antibiotics both in human medicine and in the production of food animals.”
The analysis evaluated policies and practices across beef, pork, turkey, and chicken supply chains. While 15 chains have implemented antibiotic policies for chicken, only two, Chipotle (CMG) and KFC (YUM), earned top marks for applying restrictions to all types of meat they serve.
Olive Garden (DRI), Dairy Queen (BRK.A), Arby’s, Little Caesars, and Sonic all received failing grades for lacking public policies to ensure their suppliers comply with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines on antibiotic resistance.
FACT’s superbug scorecard for 20 major U.S. restaurant chains
- A+: Chipotle
- A: KFC
- B: Wendy’s (WEN), Chic Fil A
- C: Taco Bell, Popeye’s (QSR), Subway, McDonald’s (MCD), Starbucks (SBUX)
- D: Panera, Domino’s (DPZ), Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, Pizza Hut
- D-: Panda Express
- F: Olive Garden, Dairy Queen, Arby’s, Little Caesars, Sonic
The report arrives amidst growing alarm over antibiotic resistance, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls “one of the world’s most urgent public health problems.” In 2019, antibiotic resistance was linked to 1.27 million deaths worldwide, including over 35,000 in the U.S., where 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur annually. Antibiotic resistance arises when bacteria evolve to withstand existing drugs, making infections harder to treat and often fatal.
