In late 2014, the Urban School Food Alliance, a coalition of six of the nation’s largest districts (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and Orlando), announced that it would seek to buy only antibiotic-free chicken for its respective school meal programs. The organization was able to take this step by combining its considerable purchasing power and negotiating terms directly with poultry suppliers.
That was great news for the two million kids served in those cities, but many smaller districts around the country are also interested in serving antibiotic-free chicken yet can’t find it at a favorable price. To bridge this gap, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has just filed a legal petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), asking the agency to include antibiotic-free chicken among the commodity foods it makes available for school meal programs.
Why is this effort so important?
The routine use of antibiotics on factory farms can promote antibiotic-resistant “superbug” bacteria – a practice which threatens everyone’s health. Moreover, if the USDA grants the NRDC’s request, this development will further pressure the poultry industry to reconsider the routine use of medically important antibiotics.
In conjunction with its legal petition, the NDRC is also circulating a petition for the general public. So if you care about this important issue, please take a moment to sign the petition and share it on your social networks with friends and family.
Thank you!
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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Bettina Elias Siegel
Adam Russo says
Is there even such a thing as antibiotic free chicken?
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Sorry, short-hand for “chicken raised without medically important antibiotics.”
Regina says
Hi Bettina, I am a nutritionist and do weekly grocery store tours with our clients. I have noticed that there are signs in the grocery store under the chicken that states it is free of a number of things including antibiotics which is then followed by an asterisk that reads in the fine print that state that laws don’t allow antibiotics used in poultry. That being said, here is a quote from a website called “Chickopedia,” the National Chicken Council website.
“All chicken is “antibiotic-free” in the sense that no antibiotic residues are present in the meat due to the withdrawal periods and other precautions required by the government and observed by the chicken companies.”
So, I am assuming that residues are present despite what they are telling us. I had a client who was a chicken farmer and she stated that they used the antibiotics when the chickens were chicks to prevent disease but then they were no longer given.
Therefore, “antibiotic-free” is a term used very loosely.
Thanks for all your hard work advocating for our children.
Sincerely,
Regina
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Hi Regina- I think the main issue is the possibility (and some would say likelihood) of creating super-bugs from the overuse of antibiotics in factory farms. Thanks for your comment here.
Margaret Brown says
Hi all,
Antibiotic free is often used as short hand for no antibiotics administered chicken, i.e. antibiotics were not given to the chicken at any point.
This petition is asks for chicken raised without the routine use of medically important antibiotics.
Both help combat the rise of antibiotic resistant superbugs.
Margaret Brown
NRDC