June 21, 2007

Tyson to remove antibiotics from poultry feed

Tyson Foods will remove antibiotics in its poultry feed diet in response to consumer demands, a decision lauded by animal health experts.

David Wallinga, M.D., director of the Food and Health Program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy said Tyson's decision, being the US' biggest chicken producer, to remove antibiotics in its bid to gain a healthy and competitive advantage.

Medical and public health experts have long condemned the use of antibiotics in animal feed as growth promotants as it initiates development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that spread to humans through food, air and water.

The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the US or nearly 25 million pounds annually, are used as feed additives for chicken, pigs, and beef cattle. A study released by Johns Hopkins University in January showed that the use of growth-promoting antibiotics in chicken feed slightly accelerated chicken growth, but that the benefit was offset by the cost of purchasing antibiotics, with the total cost rising by about one penny per chicken.