The Wendy's Company will start testing a new grilled chicken sandwich next month with chicken raised without antibiotics, making it the latest chain to shift supply toward more naturally raised birds.
The company will start serving antibiotic-free chicken next month in four markets: Orlando, Fla.; Gainesville, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; and Austin, Texas. The company will test the chicken “to determine how our customers respond,” Wendy’s said on its website. It will also enable the chain to determine if it has an ample supply of chicken.
The chicken will be used in grilled chicken items, like salads and sandwiches, in those markets. It will also be used in a new grilled chicken sandwich the chain is testing in a total of seven markets — the above four plus Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Jacksonville, Fla.. The chicken in these three markets will be from the chain’s typical supply.
“Our consumers have diverse preferences, and some of our consumers prefer products from animals that have been raised without antibiotics,” the company said in an announcement. “As part of the ongoing, ever-changing scientific and public discussion regarding the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry, we are exploring the use of grilled chicken raised without antibiotics.”
The company said that when the animals are sick, they should be treated with antibiotics by a veterinarian, but that poultry will be taken out of the company’s supply.
Wendy’s moves make it the latest chain to take a step toward removing chicken raised with human antibiotics. The practice of using antibiotics to promote growth in livestock has come under fire in recent years, with critics arguing that regular administration of antibiotics has led to an increase of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
McDonald’s Corp. earlier this year said it would phase out the use of human antibiotics in chicken, joining chains like Chipotle Mexican Grill, Panera Bread, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s and Chick-fil-A. Producers, such as Tyson and Perdue, have also started eliminating the use of antibiotics for nontherapeutic uses in chicken.
Contact Jonathan Maze at [email protected].
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