Public Comment

Who receives more of the antibiotics consumed in the United States- people or livestock? Many people would be surprised to find out that more than 70% of the antibiotics purchased actually go to the meat industry to used on livestock in factory farming. The main reason for this high level of antibiotic overuse is because of how factory farms operate. Animals in factory farms that are fed antibiotics are rarely for the purpose of treating diseases. Antibiotics are used for promoting animal growth to keep up with rapid consumption rates. They can also be used to prevent diseases--when animals are living on top of each other, disease spreads quickly. If one animal gets sick, they all get sick, and none of them can be sent off and processed for consumption.  

Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy solution to drastically reducing the use of antibiotics in factory farming. But some of the biggest customers of factory farm meat treated with heavy antibiotics are large fast food chains. The top six selling fast food chains in the United States are McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, and Starbucks. While they have committed to serving customers chicken raised without routine antibiotic uses, other meats (beef and pork) do still receive routine antibiotic use. Calpirg’s goal is to convince these corporations to commit to phasing out beef and pork raised with routine antibiotic use and we need your help to show public support against antibiotic overuse in the meat industry. 

If large fast food corporations become more environmentally and ethically conscious about their purchases for the products they provide consumers, suppliers in the meat industry will be forced to adapt to meet what their suppliers want. And we as customers of fast food have the ability to influence their practices and voice our opinion on the quality of the food provided. If people choose to stop consuming fast food from companies that serve food heavily treated with antibiotics, they will be forced to change their practices. 

The easiest way is to call the company’s customer service line and request that your opinion be taken down. Let the company know that as a consumer of the chain, you want them to practice better consumption practices by committing to only supplying beef and pork that is not routinely treated with antibiotics. If you don’t eat at a place, call their customer service line and tell them why--include that you don’t approve of them serving meats heavily treated with antibiotics.