A recent report has demonstrated that there is little oversight regarding antibiotics in meat and poultry sold at U.S. grocery stores. Examining the 12 largest U.S. grocery chains and their subsidiaries, Superbugs in Stock considers the companies’ policies on antibiotic use in chicken, beef, poultry, and pork produced for their private-label offerings, as well as the level of implementation of such policies.
Excessive use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals is a large contributor to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently highlighted the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria as a food safety area of concern, calling it the “leading cause of death around the world.”