Sixteen of the largest fast food chains in the United States have received a food safety rating of C or lower due to the amount of antibiotics used in their meats.
And five of the 20 most popular restaurant franchises received ‘F’ grades because they do not have publicly available policies regulating the use of antibiotics in their beef, pork or turkey supplies.
The restaurants that failed were: Arby’s, Sonic Drive-In, Dairy Queen, Olive Garden and Little Caesars.
While there is no direct and immediate harm from consuming meat treated with antibiotics, doing so could help promote drug-resistant bacteria.
Research by The Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) ranked big-name restaurants based on the types of meat they serve in October 2024.
Panda Express received a ‘D-‘ grade for serving ‘chicken raised without antibiotics,’ which was considered an ‘important first step.’
Panera, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Dunkin’ improved slightly to a ‘D’ grade for greater transparency, as they all released a report in 2023 with information on their antibiotic policies.
Popeyes, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Subway and McDonald’s received ‘C’ grades for their efforts to reduce antibiotic use, while Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A earned Bs.
A shocking new report has given 16 of America’s largest fast food chains a food safety rating of C or lower due to the amount of antibiotics contained in their meats.
Chipotle and KFC received the only two ‘A’ grades as the study’s authors said that ‘both companies have significant antibiotic policies for all types of meat served in their respective restaurants.’
For Chipotle, this includes beef, pork and chicken. For KFC, this covers chicken, the only meat served.
Chipotle also received an A+ grade for having “significant policies on all of its meats” and was the only restaurant that did not allow Carbadox, a carcinogenic feed additive commonly fed to piglets, in its meat supply.
Antibiotics are very effective in treating infections in animals that are going to be slaughtered for consumption.
Cattle typically go through a withdrawal period of a few days before being slaughtered to reduce the amount of drug that leaches into the meat people eat.
Overuse of antibiotics makes it much harder for medications to clear bacterial infections and could mean that a simple case of food poisoning turns fatal.
A previous FDA analysis of animal feed found that of 30 antibiotics used in different types, 18 of them posed a high risk of exposing humans to antibiotic-resistant bacteria through food.
Meanwhile, the CDC estimates that 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the United States each year.
About 660,000 of them are caused by resistant forms of salmonella and campylobacter, two bacteria commonly transmitted by animals slaughtered for human consumption.
The global public health community, including organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), identifies antibiotic-resistant bacteria as one of the most significant threats to public health around the world.
Five of the top 20 restaurant chains received ‘F’ grades because they do not have publicly available policies regulating the use of antibiotics in their beef, pork or turkey supplies.
According to the CDC, more than 35,000 people in the United States die each year from antibiotic-resistant infections.
However, other estimates suggest that this figure could be much higher, potentially exceeding 160,000 deaths per year.
For recent FACT research, The authors examined company websites, annual reports, corporate sustainability reports, and other publicly available information on company policies and summarized this information.
They said, explaining the process: ‘These summaries were sent by email and registered mail to the restaurant chains and they were asked to confirm that the information was correct or, if incorrect, to provide us with accurate and up-to-date information.
‘We send a follow-up email in cases where companies did not respond to our initial contact. When we had specific questions about company policies, such as Panera, Subway, and McDonald’s, we sent additional emails.
“In cases where we do not receive a response from companies, we base our analyzes on our initial summaries containing publicly available information and on a re-verification of company websites.”
Chipotle and KFC received the only two ‘A’ grades as the study’s authors said that ‘both companies have significant antibiotic policies for all types of meat served.’
In light of the findings, the authors conclude: ‘Companies can play an important role in reducing the overuse of antibiotics by their meat suppliers to stop the spread of deadly superbugs that this overuse causes.
‘The impact of the company’s action is clearly illustrated in the poultry sector, which has significantly reduced its use of antibiotics.
“Unfortunately, as illustrated in this report, the restaurant sector as a whole is moving in the wrong direction and some of the largest companies are reversing previous policies that stopped overuse.”
Dr Darin Detwiler, former USDA food expert, told DailyMail.com that the big takeaway from the FACT report is that “consumers need to be aware that not all fast food chains are on the same page when it comes to of antibiotic use in the world. Meat that they use in the food we eat.
He added: ‘Consumers can help address this issue by supporting responsible antibiotic use policies, choosing antibiotic-free meat products and raising awareness of the risks, particularly for higher-risk groups.
‘By choosing establishments committed to responsible antibiotic use, people can help drive industry-wide change and mitigate the spread of superbugs.
“However, avoiding certain chains is a personal decision and should be based on individual values and the latest available information.”