On Oct. 20, Subway announced a commitment to serve, by the end of 2016, chicken raised without antibiotics, and to do the same for turkey two to three years after that, followed by beef and pork.
The “eat fresh” brand just took a big step toward protecting our lifesaving antibiotics. The more that antibiotics are overused — the drugs are routinely given to livestock and poultry at many large industrial farms, whether or not animals are sick — the more opportunities for bacteria to develop resistance.
Since April, a broad array of public interest groups has called on Subway to make this type of commitment. More important to Subway, I imagine, is that thousands of Subway customers weighed in, too.
Subway’s announcement came just two days before our group and others were set to deliver more than 270,000 signatures to headquarters.
Instead, we’re happy to say “thank you” to Subway. With more restaurants than any other chain in the U.S., Subway’s commitment is a positive step in stopping the overuse of antibiotics.
— Dan DeRosa,
North Carolina Public Interest Research Group
Raleigh
