Mark Morgenstein
Director of Media Relations, The Public Interest Network
[email protected]
Taco Bell commits to reducing antibiotic use in its beef supply
Media Contacts
Public health advocate commends parent company Yum! brands
U.S. PIRG
Irvine, Calif. — Taco Bell, which serves more than 2 billion customers each year, has committed to reduce the use of medically-important antibiotics by 25 percent in its beef supply chain in the United States and Canada by 2025. The overuse of antibiotics in meat production threatens public health by contributing to the rise and spread of drug-resistant bacteria, often referred to as “superbugs.”
Matthew Wellington, U.S. PIRG’s Antibiotics Campaign Director, responded with the following statement:
“By committing to a concrete timeline for reducing antibiotic use in its beef supply chain, Taco Bell is taking an important step to help preserve these life-saving medicines. Antibiotics are critical to our health, and overusing them to produce meat can make them less effective for treating human illness.
“Commitments from restaurant chains can help push meat producers to change their practices. Beef producers purchase more medically important antibiotics than any other meat sector. Taco Bell’s announcement should spark more change in the beef industry, and encourage other major buyers such as Wendy’s to set time-bound goals for reducing antibiotic use in their beef supply chains.”
