Pizza Hut pledges to drop some chicken antibiotics by 2022

Pizza Hut pledges to drop some chicken antibiotics by 2022

The antibiotics to be removed will include all antibiotics considered important to human medicine in all of Pizza Hut's chicken products.

Pizza Hut will fully phase out chickens raised with certain antibiotics in its US restaurants by 2022. (Reuters pic)
NEW YORK:
Pizza Hut will fully phase out chickens raised with certain antibiotics in its US restaurants by 2022, in the latest push by a major restaurant chain to follow healthier food practices.

The restaurant had said in 2016 it planned to remove antibiotics important to human medicine from chicken for its pizzas by the end of March 2017. The move announced on Tuesday will include all antibiotics considered important to human medicine in all its chicken products.

“Pizza Hut’s announcement is another step toward preserving life-saving medicines for what they’re meant for: treating illness,” US PIRG Antibiotics Program Director Matthew Wellington said in a statement.

“We applaud them for taking this step and urge other restaurant leaders to follow,” he added.

Concern has grown among public health experts, consumers, and shareholders that the overuse of such drugs is contributing to rising numbers of life-threatening human infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria dubbed “superbugs.”

An estimated 70% of antibiotics important to human health are sold for use in meat and dairy production.

“Today’s announcement to no longer serve chicken raised with antibiotics by 2022 demonstrates our commitment to serve food that not only tastes great, but that customers can feel good about eating,” Pizza Hut Chief Brand Officer Marianne Radley said in a statement.

Tuesday’s announcement follows similar decisions by the likes of KFC, McDonald’s, and Chick-fil-A.

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