Reuters – Tyson Foods is reintroducing certain antibiotics to its chicken supply chain and will drop its “no antibiotics ever” tagline from company-branded chicken products, a spokesperson said July 3.
The change will involve drugs that the company said are not important to human health.
The antibiotics that Tyson plans to add to some of its chickens’ diets are known as ionophores, a Wall Street Journal report said July 3, citing people familiar with the matter.
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The shift will affect all fresh, frozen and ready-made products under its brand.
Ionophores are mainly used to control coccidiosis in poultry, maintain intestinal integrity and help deliver good bird health. According to the report, the World Health Organization does not consider them to be medically important for treating human illnesses.
“Based on current science, Tyson branded products are transitioning to No Antibiotics Important to Human Medicine (NAIHM), which is expected to be complete by the end of the calendar year,” a Tyson Foods spokesperson said.
In 2017, the U.S. meatpacker switched its retail line of company-branded chicken products to birds raised without any antibiotics.
