Papa John’s is the latest fast-food chain to announce plans to cut out antibiotics from its chicken production. But while McDonald’s set a two-year timeline, Chick-fil-A set a five-year timeline, and Subway was criticized for
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International Targets Recommended for Reducing Animal Antibiotic Use
If you want to reduce something, a good place to start is with a target. That’s what the U.K.’s Review of Antimicrobial Resistance suggests in its new report on antibacterial use in agriculture. More
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FDA Releases Guidance for Veterinary Feed Directive Format
The Food and Drug Administration has released draft guidance recommending a common format for the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) form. Last June, FDA published the final rule regarding the VFD, which brings the use of
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Study: E. Coli Can Transfer Antibiotic Resistance to Other Bacteria
Scientists have discovered a gene in E. coli that makes it resistant to a class of “last-resort” antibiotics known as polymyxins. The gene can also transfer resistance to other epidemic pathogens such as K. pneumoniae
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USDA: Alternatives to Antibiotics to Keep Food Animals Healthy
(This article was posted Nov. 18, 2015, on the USDA blog site.) Antibiotics are lifesavers. We depend on them to treat bacterial infections and diseases, such as pneumonia, bronchitis and strep throat, as well
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First World Antibiotic Awareness Week Focuses on Education
This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the governments of several countries want people to learn more about antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health today, and, while it
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Managing ‘Black Gold’: Animal Manure and Antibiotic Resistance
Many farmers refer to manure as “black gold” and rightly so because it adds nutrients to the soil, which helps crops grow and be more productive.
In earlier times, before the advent of synthetic fertilizers,
Subway to Phase Out Poultry Products Raised With Antibiotics
Subway Restaurants announced Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, that its 27,000-plus outlets in the United States will start transitioning early next year to serving poultry products made only from turkeys and chickens raised without antibiotics. “Beginning
Action in California and the Marketplace Will Help Stop Superbugs
Noodles & Co. and California Gov. Jerry Brown have this in common: In the absence of a strong federal policy, both have acted to stop the overuse of antibiotics on large-scale industrial farms.
On Oct.
USDA Scientist Wins ‘Sammie’ Award for Food Safety Work
Hyun Lillehoj, Ph.D., has won an “Oscar of government service” for her work in food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In her 30 years with USDA, Lillehoj has studied the immune systems of
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