Tyson Foods has announced that as of June, all chickens raised for the Tyson® retail brand will be grown without using any antibiotics ever.
“This makes us the world’s largest producer of no-antibiotics-ever (NAE) chicken. Consumers may start to see the NAE label on some chicken products at their favorite retailer, but we’re committed to delivering on this promise and all fresh and frozen Tyson® brand chicken we sell to your local retailer will be NAE by this fall. Later this year, Tyson Foodservice will offer chicken raised with no antibiotics ever under the Tyson Red Label™brand, Tyson True® Tenderpressed® brand, and select Tyson® individually frozen bone-in products.” the company said in a statement.
“In 2015, we set a goal to eliminate the use of all human use antibiotics from our broiler chicken production by the end of September this year. This goal includes all of our foodservice and private label products, and we remain committed to it. Our customers and consumers can be confident that any chicken product from Tyson Foods was raised with responsible antibiotic use in mind. It’s important to point out that only a very small percentage of our broiler chickens ever receive antibiotics, which are given only as needed and only as prescribed by a veterinarian,” according to the Tyson statement.
“To meet our goal, we’re working on ways to reduce the need for human antibiotics on the farm by using alternatives, such as probiotics and essential oils, improved housing and selective breeding. We have a responsibility to treat sick animals because we will never compromise animal well-being, so if we do have to use antibiotics for any reason, we will not sell these products under an NAE label and we’ll disclose the use of antibiotics in our annual Sustainability Report. Additionally, we’ve formed working groups with independent farmers and others in our beef, pork and turkey supply chains to discuss ways to reduce the use of human use antibiotics on their farms,” the company said.
