Antibiotics in beef: How do burgers at fast food chains compare?
While many fast food restaurants now pledge to serve antibiotic free chicken, beef is a different story. A recent Consumer Reports study revealed how popular burger chains stack up.
When it comes to meat production, Consumer Reports cites crowded, unsanitary mass production facilities as the reason decades of farmers have used antibiotics in their beef to help prevent disease and promote growth.
"We have a crisis with resistance to antibiotics," said Jean Halloran, a director of food policy initiatives. "Antibiotics are not working for people the way they used to. In fact, the CDC has estimated that 23,000 people a year are dying from infections that should have been cured by antibiotics, but the drugs aren't working."
In a survey, nearly 60 percent of people told Consumer Reports they'd be more likely to eat at a restaurant that served meat without antibiotics.
Fast food chains are among the largest meat buyers in the country. As a result, experts say that means they can demand certain things from their suppliers, like pushing meat producers to use antibiotics responsibly.
"The truth is, a chicken is antibiotic free," said Craig Watts, a former Purdue farmer. "Even if it's sick, it's worth more than a healthy chicken that's been fed antibiotics, because they command a higher price if you're antibiotic free."
Of 25 burger chains surveyed, 22 got an F grade for failing to make meaningful commitments to address antibiotic misuse in their beef supply chains.
Those failing chains include Burger King, Sonic and McDonald's, the largest purchaser of beef in the country. Wendy's received a D- for making only a modest step in its sourcing of beef, but no burger chain got a grade in the B's or C's.
"In the fast food chains, which includes companies like McDonalds, there's been huge improvement in terms of getting the antibiotics out of chicken production," explained Halloran. "But the beef industry has lagged behind."
According to the study, two up and coming chains -- Shake Shack and BurgerFi -- received an A grade for getting medically important antibiotics entirely out of their beef supply.
"What this shows is that this can be done," said Halloran. "So we hope that the other companies in the industry will learn from their example and follow suit."
