Subway says no to antibiotics

Many farmers let out a frustrated sigh when restaurant chain Subway announced last week that it, too, would be making the switch to meat from animals raised without antibiotics. The company will begin by serving chicken raised without antibiotics in March 2016, and by 2025, all meat served will come from animals raised that way.

The transition is not immediate, but the message sent to consumers is. When restaurants make an announcement they are going "antibiotic free," it creates this idea that raising animals with antibiotics is bad . . . or worse, that meat actually contains antibiotics.

The reality is, animals can be raised without antibiotics, but a bulk of our food comes from farms that utilize antibiotics to treat animals when they are sick. Whether animals were raised with or without antibiotics, no residues remain in the meat sold in stores or restaurants. But consumers may not understand that, and restaurant decisions like this only add to the confusion.

Subway's announcement was all over the media, including this post on the company's Facebook page:

We're always working to make our products even better. That's why we're transitioning to serve only meats that have never received antibiotics starting in 2016.

Is this change taking place because the decision makers really believe it will make their products "better"? Or is it an anxious attempt to redeem the company's image after the scandal surrounding former spokesperson Jared Fogle and slipping sales to other sandwich competitors?

Comments posted on the Facebook page questioning the announcement were being deleted almost as soon as they were posted. The company seemed uninterested in feedback from the agricultural community, and they never updated their original statement. However, they added some further explanation on their website by saying, "We recognize antibiotics are critical tools for keeping animals healthy and that they should be used responsibly to preserve their effectiveness in veterinary and human medicine. Our policy is that antibiotics can be used to treat, control and prevent disease, but not for growth promotion of farm animals."

By announcing they were going "antibiotic free," Subway made a bold statement. What that exactly means, however, is still murky for both consumers and agriculturalists at this point.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.