A majority of hamburger chains do not have policies restricting the use of antibiotics in their beef supply, according to a scorecard released today by six consumer and environmental organizations.
The Natural Resources Defense Council, Friends of the Earth, Food Animal Concerns Trust, Consumer Reports, Center for Food Safety and the U.S. PIRG Education Fund created the fourth annual Chain Reaction scorecard. The scorecard ranked the 25 largest hamburger chain restaurants in the U.S. based on their antibiotics policies and practices.
The report shows that 22 of the 25 chains received an "F" grade. Only BurgerFi and Shake Shack received "A" grades for serving beef without any antibiotics — they use suppliers who have a third party verify their antibiotic use.
McDonald's, the country's largest beef purchaser, is planning a more comprehensive antibiotic stewardship strategy for its meat supply but doesn't have an implementation timeline for meats other than chicken. In-N-Out Burger also hasn't committed to a timeline for antibiotic-free meat.
"There's nothing more American than a hamburger. But for the sake of our health, we need influential restaurants such as McDonald's to take a bite out of antibiotic overuse in the beef industry," said Matt Wellington, U.S. PIRG Education Fund's antibiotics program director. "Restaurants need to demand antibiotic restrictions from their beef suppliers. We simply cannot afford to lose life-saving medicines to produce a slightly cheaper burger."
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