With the use of antibiotics in healthy chickens being called into question in the US, organic and natural food retailer Wild Oats Markets has strengthened its policy on selling only meat which is antibiotic-free.
Wild Oats reiterated its organic stance after the announcement last week that certain mainstream poultry suppliers are to cut back on antibiotic use in response to growing criticism by US health and consumer groups regarding the overuse of antibiotics in healthy animals.
The concern is that the proliferation of antibiotics in food is a main cause for increased incidences of treatment-resistant bacteria in the food supply, therefore causing a resistance in humans to antibiotics that are useful in treating disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 76 million people contract food-borne illnesses in the US each year.
"Wild Oats has always supported the opinion that there is a probable link between the widespread use of antibiotics in food-producing animals and human health risks," said Paul Gingerich, vice president of meat and seafood products at Wild Oats.
"Accordingly, one of the cornerstones of our product standards has been to offer our customers meat and poultry products that are all natural, which means the animals are never given antibiotics to promote growth or to prevent disease."
He continued: "It is encouraging that certain mainstream poultry producers have recognised this issue and will limit their use of antibiotics in healthy chickens. However, since the industry does not require that producers report the amount of antibiotics used in animals, the only way to be sure that poultry has not been fed antibiotics is to consume all natural or organic meat products."
All the beef, pork and poultry products sold at Wild Oats come from animals raised without antibiotics, artificial hormones and growth-promoting drugs. Additionally, meat and poultry suppliers are required to provide proof that absolutely no animal by-products - implicated in the spread of BSE - are used in the feed given to the animals.
A number of scientists, medical doctors and consumer health organisations support the adoption of guidelines for the prudent use of antibiotics in food animals, and for national surveillance for antibiotic-resistance to be extended to retail meats. Wild Oats said it supported this call to action, adding that it is in the process of developing a campaign supporting the industry-wide adoption of restrictions on the use of antibiotics in healthy animals, and more stringent requirements for meat product labelling.