Major restaurant chains get an “F” for using antibiotics in their meat deliveries

A handful of the 20 largest restaurant chains in the U.S. received poor marks when it came to implementing policies to limit the excessive use of antibiotics in the meat they serve. This comes from an analysis by a nonprofit organization that studies the problem in food-producing livestock.

The five chains — Olive Garden, Dairy Queen, Arby’s, Little Caesars and Sonic — were cited for lacking public policies to ensure their meat suppliers comply with U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations to combat antibiotic resistance. All 20 chains examined were evaluated based on policies and measures regarding antibiotic use in beef, turkey, pork and chicken.

The analysis found that the vast majority of chains do not have publicly available policies governing the use of antibiotics by their beef, pork or turkey suppliers. In contrast, 15 chains have implemented “meaningful policies” for chicken suppliers, but only two – Chipotle and KFC – received an A+ for implementing policies restricting the use of medically important antibiotics to treat sick animals across all meats served.