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McDonald’s to Cut Global Antibiotic Use in Chickens

  • August 30, 2017

In an effort hailed by health officials as a game-changer in the commercial foods marketplace, McDonald’s Corp has announced plans to cut the use of antibiotics in its global chicken supply, Reuters reports. The company also has plans for cutting antibiotic usage with its other meats, including dairy cows and laying hens. Antibiotic phase-outs for its chicken meats will begin in 2018.

It’s been nearly three years since McDonald’s first announced its antibiotic phase-out plans. The only thing is, they’re still buying chicken from farmers using antibiotics; it’s just antibiotics used mostly for humans that they’re shunning. It’s a game-changer, though, and it’s better than nothing, since 80 percent of U.S. antibiotics are used for agricultural purposes. When you consider that 22 percent of antibiotic resistance is linked to food, stopping any agricultural usage of human antibiotics is significant.

And while McDonald’s has made other health-positive moves, such as removing artificial preservatives from some of its menu items and taking high-fructose corn syrup out of its buns, don’t be fooled. Despite the positives, fast foods like those on McDonald’s menu are still highly processed, high in carbohydrates and may contribute to a decline in your health.

What we really should be doing is learning how to balance good carbs with high-quality fats and moderate protein intake. Basically, what you want to do is make the conversion from burning sugar to burning fat. In short, the key is to restrict non-fiber carbohydrates. It's important to make the distinction about which carbs we're talking about, as vegetables are "carbs" too, but fiber carbs will not push your metabolism in the wrong direction — only the non-fiber ones will. Think: sugars and anything that converts to sugar, such as soda, processed grains, pasta, bread and cookies, for example — all things you find in fast foods, no matter which drive-through you patronize.