Tell McDonald’s: Reduce the use of antibiotics in your beef supply chain
UN report: Antibiotic-resistant superbugs could kill millions by 2050
Deaths caused by antibiotic-resistant superbugs could rise 68% each year, a new UN study says.
A new study delivers a powerful warning: If we keep overusing antibiotics, antibiotic-resistant infections will kill 2 million people per year by 2050.
Yet even as scientists sound the alarm, we continue to use irresponsible amounts of antibiotics. But here’s the crazy part – the vast majority of these miracle drugs aren’t being used to save people’s lives, they’re being used on livestock.
The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Antibiotics are an incredible scientific achievement, but they are also a finite resource. The more we use them, the faster bacteria will adapt to survive these medicines, breeding antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Superbug infections are especially difficult, or even impossible, to treat.
Already, as many as 160,000 Americans die each year from infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and, globally, the United Nations is forecasting that in the next 25 years, we’ll see the worldwide number of deaths rise to 2 million annually.
It’s a horrible situation made even more tragic by the fact that many of these illnesses are entirely treatable. Some people are dying from common conditions like skin infections caused by staph, or food-borne infections caused by Salmonella. Cases like this are when we most need antibiotics to work, but all too often, our wasteful practices have rendered life-saving antibiotics like penicillin dangerously ineffective.
McDonald’s needs to stop overusing antibiotics
One of the main reasons that superbugs are growing so prevalent is because the livestock industry feeds its animals far, far too many antibiotics. About 80% of antibiotics produced in the U.S. are used on livestock.
That’s why we’ve urged McDonald’s to use antibiotics more responsibly. The fast food giant agreed to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in its beef supply chain back in 2018.
But the company has yet to fulfill that commitment. McDonald’s needs to hear from consumers like us that we aren’t letting it back down from its agreement, and that it’s important to us that our food is raised antibiotic-free.
Tell McDonald’s to use our life-saving antibiotics more responsibly.
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Authors
Andre Delattre
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Program, The Public Interest Network
Andre directs The Public Interest Network's national campaign staff and programs. His previous roles include national organizing director of the Student PIRGs and executive director of PIRG. He lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter, and is an avid cyclist and chess player.
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