Getting Extra Antibiotics Off the Menu

This World Consumer Rights Day (March 15, 2016) we are calling on McDonald’s, KFC and Subway to make global time bound commitments to stop serving meat from animals routinely given antibiotics used in human medicine.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health facing us today. Around half of the antibiotics produced globally are used in agriculture, with much of this being used to make animals grow faster and to prevent rather than treat disease. Along with addressing overconsumption of antibiotics in human medicine and promoting the development of new drugs, changes in farming practices are urgently needed.

Multinational restaurant chains with global supply networks are in a strong position to drive changes faster than legislation alone. McDonald’s and Subway have already made commitments in North America; unfortunately, this isn’t enough. The scale and reach of the problem demand worldwide action, which is why a global, timebound commitment is needed. Join us in calling on McDonalds, Subway and KFC to act globally to get #AntibioticsOfftheMenu.

Robyn O'Brien

Robyn O’Brien is the co-founder of rePlant Capital, an impact investment firm, deploying integrated capital from soil to shelf in order to build soil health and financial resiliency for farmers. She is also the founder of Do Good, a strategic advisory firm, and the AllergyKids Foundation. Random House published Robyn’s book, The Unhealthy Truth, in 2009, and her TEDx talks have been translated into dozens of languages and viewed by millions around the world.