News

Wendy's commits to beef program furthering 'responsible' antibiotic use

December 12, 2018

Wendy's has become the first restaurant chain to partner with the animal care  and sustainability program, Progressive Beef, beginning in 2019, with at least half of the program launched in-chain by 2021, a news release said. 

The program focuses on enhanced cattle-raising environments through staff  training, "responsible" antibiotic and natural resource usage. The chain's efforts in these areas are verified by USDA-approved auditors, with each audit and its corresponding metrics used to find and make improvements, the chain said. 

In 2018, Wendy's fulfilled its commitment to source 100 percent of its beef from Beef Quality Assurance certified sources, while the chain has sourced nearly 20 percent of its beef from producers who track and reduce their use of medically important antibiotics. 

The chain also announced its greenhouse-grown tomato supply initiative to source vine-ripened tomatoes for North American restaurants exclusively from greenhouse farms by early 2019, the first-of-its-kind sourcing strategy for a U.S.-based QSR of Wendy's size, the chain said.

Tuessday, the National Resources Defense Council said that McDonald's also agreed to "address" antibiotics use in its beef supply chain by 2021.