Cargill has stopped using an important human antibiotic to prevent disease in turkeys, Reuters reported. It was the latest step by a major meat processing company to drop an antibiotic because of concerns about the impact on public health.
Cargill stopped using the drug, gentamicin, Aug. 1 in turkeys that supply its two biggest brands, Honeysuckle White and Shady Brook Farms, a company statement said. Cargill said it would continue to use antibiotics to treat sick turkeys and to stop the spread of a disease within flocks that include sick birds.
Cargill “weighed the desires of our customers and consumers to ensure the long-term effectiveness of antibiotics for people and animals, while also maintaining our commitment to the health of turkeys raised for food,” John Niemann, president of the company’s Kansas-based turkey business, said in the statement, according to Reuters.
Reuters reported that Tyson Foods Inc., the biggest U.S. meat processor, has said it stopped using gentamicin in its chicken hatcheries in October 2014. U.S. consumers are increasingly pushing food companies to move away from using antibiotics to produce meat.