Subway to rid meat supplies of antibiotics

On Oct. 22, Subway announced that it will start serving antibiotic free chicken in 2016 and eliminate all antibiotics in the meat it serves by 2025.

This is a huge public health victory and marks a critical step forward for large restaurant chains curbing the overuse of antibiotics in their meat supply.

Overusing antibiotics on livestock and poultry contributes to a major public health problem, antibiotic-resistant infections. People are increasingly aware of this, and customers have been hungry for meat raised without antibiotics.

Subway joins the ranks of other major fast food chains like Chipotle, Panera, McDonald’s, and, most recently, Noodles and Company, which all made commitments to serving meat raised without the routine use of antibiotics.

With 23,000 Americans dying each year from antibiotic resistant superbugs, we need even more restaurants to take action. By increasing the demand for meat raised without the routine use of antibiotics, we will undoubtedly reform the meat industry for the better.

However, we ultimately need strong FDA regulations on antibiotic use for livestock and poultry to adequately address this growing public health crisis.

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Subway to rid meat supplies of antibiotics."