(HorizonPost.com) – Tyson Foods, the largest poultry producer in the US, will be reintroducing some antibiotics to its chickens eight years after announcing that it was ditching antibiotics in some chicken products, CNN reported.
The poultry company, whose packaging featured a “no antibiotics ever” label, said the antibiotics it plans to reintroduce in chicken production are not important in treating humans, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The use of antibiotics in foods came under scrutiny in recent years after some bacteria became resistant due to overexposure to antibiotics.
Around half of US poultry farmers use some antibiotics to keep chickens healthy, according to Tyson. At many chicken farms, the birds are raised in unsanitary and crowded conditions, making them prone to disease.
A spokesperson for Tyson said the decision was based on “sound science and an evolving understanding of best practices” that impact both the consumer and the “animals in our care.”
By the end of the year, Tyson will begin using a new label, “no antibiotics important to human medicine,” which is a standard recognized by the World Health Organization and the US Department of Agriculture that allows for the use of antibiotics not crucial in treating human diseases.
Tyson’s competitor Pilgrim’s Pride uses some antibiotics as well while competitor Perdue still does not use antibiotics.
However, diseases can be difficult to control in chicken farms, as was clear over the past year when the highly infectious avian flu ripped through poultry farms, sending the price of eggs and chicken skyrocketing.
While antibiotics cannot treat avian flu, other diseases that can be fatal to chickens are treated with antibiotics.
Additionally, antibiotics are important in promoting poultry growth, which is vital in producing the larger broiler chickens sold in stores.
Tyson said the decision to reintroduce some antibiotics into its poultry is in the best interest of both the chickens and humans.
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