[Practice Greenhealth Blog] 2016 was a momentous year for addressing routine antibiotic use and animal welfare in broiler chicken production. While many commitments were made in 2015 and earlier, 2016 was the year when retail, fast food, and food management sectors manifested these promises in a variety of ways. Restaurants have made particularly good progress in sourcing the chicken they serve from farmers who do not use antibiotics. By 2017, all chicken sold at Chipotle, McDonald’s, Panera Bread, and Subway will have been raised without antibiotics, according to Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union.

Health care continues to drive change within its sphere of influence. Leading health systems are coming together, forming a working group* that is advocating for market transformation.  Together, nine U.S. hospitals, supported by a network of thousands of healthcare facilities from across the country, called on food producers and manufacturers to meet their growing demand for sustainable meat and poultry. Up to 60% of each system’s meat and poultry purchases are comprised of products raised without routine antibiotics, and as they indicated to providers, their capacity to meet sustainable food purchasing goals with verified products would remain out of reach without increased production and access.

Responding to demands for improved animal welfare, Compass Group, Aramark and Sodexo, the largest and most prevalent food service management companies, each made an announcement regarding health and animal welfare criteria...(Continue reading)