In the world of meat raised without antibiotics, a landscape of “haves” and “have nots” is developing among leading restaurant chains.
But the issue may not be as black and white as once thought.
Long a pioneer in the “have not” camp was Chick-fil-A, a chain that going back to 2014 purchased chicken raised with No Antibiotics Ever, known as NAE. The Atlanta-based chain was hailed by advocacy groups pushing for antibiotic-free meat.
But then in March, Chick-fil-A revealed it was revising its stance on antibiotic use in the chicken, which is the cornerstone of the fast-casual chain’s menu. Rather than serving chicken raised with no antibiotics ever, the chain said it is shifting to chicken raised with No Antibiotics Important to Human Medicine (NAIHM), starting this spring.
For others in the never-ever antibiotics camp, that implied Chick-fil-A is now a “have” because the chain is allowing use of some antibiotics, just not the ones that people use.
To spotlight the difference, Shake Shack, for example, through the month of April gave away free chicken sandwiches on Sundays—a day when Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed—to promote its use of “antibiotic-free” chicken.
“Here at Shake Shack, we pride ourselves on our Chicken Shack, which is available 7 days a week,” the brand said on its website during the promotion. “With crispy, white-meat chicken breast over lettuce, pickles and buttermilk herb mayo on a toasted potato bun, this sandwich outshines its competition. And what makes our Chicken Shack even better, is that it’s made with antibiotic-free chicken, something not everyone can say these days.”
It was a dig, of course, and one that may not have been entirely fair.
Chick-fil-A is simply moving to a standard that is more in line with what federal health officials—and some animal-welfare advocacy groups—see as a practical solution in the battle against antibiotic resistance. Their goal is to stop farmers from using antibiotics that humans rely on to battle infection.
In fact, because of federal and state regulations over the past decade, much of the chicken on the market today meets the NAIHM standard.
So, for Chick-fil-A, the move opens up supply opportunities for the nearly 3,000-unit chain that could help lower costs, but it also means Chick-fil-A is competing with brands like Taco Bell, KFC and Popeyes, which say they source only NAIHM chicken. And reports indicate that Panera Bread is considering a similar move, though company officials have declined to comment.
Still, explaining the somewhat nuanced difference between a No Antibiotics Ever stance and one that allows some antibiotic use is complicated and difficult to convey in marketing.
“The nuance here is ultimately trying to figure out the sweet spot of how antibiotics should be used in animals,” said Maurice Pitesky, an associate professor of veterinary medicine at UC-Davis in California.
The anti-antibiotics movement
The no-antibiotics-in-meat movement stems from growing concerns around the world that antibiotics used to treat infections in humans are becoming increasingly ineffective with the rise of resistant bacteria.
In conventional farming, low doses of antibiotics have for years been used in animal feed to promote growth and speed production, especially in animals like broiler chickens, which are in high demand. The practice was also believed by some farmers to prevent illness that can be rampant in the crowded conditions in which chickens, and other animals, are raised for meat.
But exposing animals to routine use of antibiotics is at least partly to blame for the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and federal health officials have been working to move farmers away from the practice, seeing it as a threat to both animal and human health.
Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria are reportedly among the leading causes of death for all ages, killing 1.2 million people in 2019, for example, according to research published in the Lancet. An estimated 73% of medically important antibiotics sold worldwide are for livestock production rather than for people.
In the U.S., the routine use of antibiotics to promote growth in animals raised for meat is now banned, but farmers can still use antimicrobial drugs with a prescription from a veterinarian.
The FDA tracks, in particular, the use of drugs that are important to humans medically, like amoxicillin, erythromycin and tetracycline. Those are the some of the life-saving drugs we must preserve in the arsenal of human medicine.
In its latest report released in December, the FDA said the sale of medically important antimicrobials for use in chicken decreased 4% between 2021 and 2022, and use is down 43% since 2017— though beef and pork producers bought more medically important antibiotics in 2022 than any year since 2016.
And despite the progress in the chicken industry, even medically important drugs are still in use. The use of penicillin in broiler chickens, for example, dropped 64% between 2013 and 2019, but increased 22% from 2019 to 2022 because of the rise of a bacterial disease called gangrenous dermatitis, according to a recent report by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.
Higher standards
Meanwhile, frightening headlines about “superbugs” and unstoppable infections have many consumers seeking out meat raised without antibiotics.
According to Restaurant Business sister brand Technomic’s 2023 Poultry & Seafood Consumer Trend Report, 33% of consumers who regularly consume chicken say “antibiotic-free” is an important attribute when deciding which chicken dish to order—and often that dish is a chicken sandwich. That’s compared with 37% who look for a “hormone-free” descriptor and 31% who look for “steroid-free.”
Mentions of antibiotic-free chicken on menus overall were flat in 2023 over the prior year, according to Technomic Ignite menu data. But mentions of the term increased 28% on appetizer menus and climbed about 20% on kid’s menus.
Shake Shack isn’t the only chain to adhere to a No Antibiotics Ever standard.
Chipotle has long been a leader in setting standards for responsibly raised meats. In the company’s 2022 Sustainability Report, the more-than 3,000-unit chain said 100% of chicken and beef meet a NAE standard, and 78% of pork served at the fast casual meets the more-stringent standard. For pork purchased that doesn’t meet that standard, Chipotle prohibits the use of “sub-therapeutic,” or low-dose, antibiotics.
Other brands with a NAE stance include the 108-unit BurgerFi, for its beef. The 60-unit Dog Haus chain has a No Antibiotic Ever stance for all of its meat.
Dog Haus co-founder André Vener said that positioning was built into the DNA of the concept. When he and his partners founded the brand, they were also starting families and their then-pregnant spouses were making careful food choices.
“We wanted our food to be clean,” said Vener. “We went for that stamp, that movement, from the beginning.”
Not an easy thing
The fast-casual Starbird chain, which opened its 14th unit last week, also uses NAE chicken, which founder Aaron Noveshen said is typically more costly, noting that supply has improved since 2022 after a few rocky years during and immediately following the pandemic.
NAE chicken can range from 10 cents per pound to 50 cents per pound more than chicken that does not meet that stricter standard, he said.
“We struggle trying to secure product all the time that meets our specifications. It’s not an easy thing, but we’re committed to it,” said Noveshen.
Fundamentally, however, Noveshen contends that NAE chicken is a better-quality product. Starbird also sources its tenders from smaller birds.
“From surveys, we learned it was something that was important to our consumers,” he said. “And we found there is more consistency and quality of product in chicken raised without antibiotics.”
The supply of NAE chicken more broadly, however, has been impacted by a decision last year by Tyson Foods to shift to a no-antibiotics-important-to-human-medicine standard, after saying in 2015 it would eliminate antibiotics from production.
Competitors like Perdue Farms, however, say they remain committed to providing a NAE product. “We believe consumers deserve transparency and assurance in their food choices, knowing that their food comes from companies dedicated to ethical practices, and our No Antibiotics Ever policy underscores our commitment to both animal welfare and consumer trust,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
Pitesky at UC-Davis said the use of antibiotics in animals raised for meat is complicated and an evolving science. In some cases, use of antibiotics during the embryonic stage can help prevent serious illness later, for example.
But the good news, at least when it comes to chickens, is that huge leaps have been made by farmers in figuring out how to grow birds without antibiotics important to humans, as recommended by the FDA.
“It’s a more rational, practical approach toward how antibiotics ultimately should be used to raise billions of birds,” he said.