‘McDonald’s is the single biggest purchaser of beef in the U.S. and is also a major pork buyer. This fact bestows a serious responsibility upon the company, since misuse of antibiotics in the agricultural sector has led to antibiotic resistance, placing mankind on the brink of what the United Nations calls a “post-antibiotic era.” Over 2 million cases of antibiotic-resistant infections are diagnosed annually in the United States, leading to 23,000 deaths.
Most of the meat commercially available in the U.S. – the same meat being purchased by McDonald’s – is from factory farms, which are the biggest consumers of antibiotics in the country. In fact, 80 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States are given to animals which are later eaten by humans – often simply as a preventative measure to prevent the animals from getting sick, rather than to treat actual illness.
The pressure is, therefore, immense on big meat purchasers like McDonald’s to force change within the industry. After all, where McDonald’s goes, many others will follow. This was illustrated recently when McDonald’s announced its intention to totally stop using cage-free eggs within a decade, and over 100 companies immediately made the decision to do the same.’
Read more: McDonald’s says providing antibiotic-free beef ‘too quickly’ will cause meat shortages

‘McDonald’s is the single biggest purchaser of beef in the U.S. and is also a major pork buyer. This fact bestows a serious responsibility upon the company, since misuse of antibiotics in the agricultural sector has led to antibiotic resistance, placing mankind on the brink of what the United Nations calls a “post-antibiotic era.” Over 2 million cases of antibiotic-resistant infections are diagnosed annually in the United States, leading to 23,000 deaths.
Most of the meat commercially available in the U.S. – the same meat being purchased by McDonald’s – is from factory farms, which are the biggest consumers of antibiotics in the country. In fact, 80 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States are given to animals which are later eaten by humans – often simply as a preventative measure to prevent the animals from getting sick, rather than to treat actual illness.
The pressure is, therefore, immense on big meat purchasers like McDonald’s to force change within the industry. After all, where McDonald’s goes, many others will follow. This was illustrated recently when McDonald’s announced its intention to totally stop using cage-free eggs within a decade, and over 100 companies immediately made the decision to do the same.’
Read more: McDonald’s says providing antibiotic-free beef ‘too quickly’ will cause meat shortages