Taco Bell the latest chain to reduce antibiotics in its meat supply

You might know Taco Bell for silly ads asking you to "think outside the bun." But the company is getting serious about at least one thing: reducing the overuse of antibiotics.

Food & farming

You might know Taco Bell for silly ads asking you to “think outside the bun.” But the company is getting serious about at least one thing: reducing the overuse of antibiotics.

The company currently sources chicken raised without medically important antibiotics. And on July 30, Taco Bell announced it would cut the use of medically important antibiotics by 25 percent in its beef supply chain in the U.S. and Canada by 2025. It’s a small, but important step forward. The overuse of antibiotics on factory farms, where companies like Taco Bell source their meat, has been linked to the rise of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” that threaten our health.

“By committing to a concrete timeline for reducing antibiotic use, Taco Bell is taking an important step to help preserve these life-saving medicines,” said Matthew Wellington, director of our national Stop the Overuse of Antibiotics campaign.

U.S. PIRG and our national network have helped persuade other restaurants to reduce their use of antibiotics in their meat supply chain, including KFC, which, along with Taco Bell, is owned by Yum! Brands.

Read our national network’s press release.

Photo Caption: Taco Bell just committed to reducing the use of medically important antibiotics in its beef supply. Photo Credit: Michael Rivera via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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