One of the most universally respected American fast food franchises is making a drastic shift in its popular products. Chick-fil-A announced the company is abandoning its commitment to serving antibiotic-free chicken starting this spring.
The business cited supply chain issues as the impetus for the operational change.
On its website, Chick-fil-A explained, “To maintain supply of high-quality chicken you expect from us, Chick-fil-A will shift from No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine (NAIHM) starting in the Spring of 2024.”
The company added that NAE indicates no antibiotics of any type were utilized in raising the chickens.
Meanwhile, “NAIHM restricts the use of those antibiotics that are important to human medicine and commonly used to treat people, and allows use of animal antibiotics only if the animal and those around it were to become sick.”
Chick-fil-A in 2014 committed to serving only antibiotic-free chicken to its customers. This achievement was realized by 2019.
Chick-fil-A will shift from No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine (NAIHM) starting in the Spring of 2024. pic.twitter.com/Jnv615MhQB
— @amuse (@amuse) March 25, 2024
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson said that access to “high-quality chicken that meets our rigid standards” was the issue prompting the change.
A push in recent years by certain restaurant chains to go exclusively antibiotic-free has seen a distinct reversal. Reuters reported that Panera Bread changed course from its policy for pork and turkey products, citing limitations to its supply chain.
The restaurants will no longer feature descriptions of its servings such as “No Antibiotics Ever,” “Vegetarian Fed,” “Grass Fed Pasture Raised,” “Animal Welfare” or “Hormones.”
Tyson Foods also switched back to having certain antibiotics in its chicken supply. The giant company converted to antibiotic-free animal products in 2017.
As for Chick-fil-A, there was an immediate backlash on social media. One user posted on X, formerly Twitter, an image of the app being deleted along with a message criticizing the decision.
Others expressed growing concerns that the saturation of antibiotics in the food supply is developing highly resistant strains of bacteria. This could lead, they warned, to bugs that would be devastating for the human population.
