2023-07-03 09:14:53 ET
Tyson Foods ( NYSE: TSN ) is reintroducing certain antibiotics to its chicken supply chain, and will drop the 'no antibiotics ever' tagline from certain products, the Wall Street Journal reported.
This will apply to all fresh, frozen, and ready-made products under the Tyson brand and will involve drugs unimportant to human health. The measure will be effective by year-end.
The antibiotics that Tyson ( TSN ) plans to add to its chickens' diet are called ionophores, the report said citing sources, which are used to control coccidiosis in poultry. The WHO does not consider ionophores medically important for treating human illnesses.
Industry experts have said no-antibiotics-ever programs are costly for companies such as Tyson ( TSN ), which produce larger birds. Reintroducing certain antibiotics could help Tyson ( TSN ) save money and improve the health of its poultry.
Tyson ( TSN ) pledged to stop using antibiotics for its poultry in 2017, betting on consumers paying a higher price for meat produced without the drugs.
Ionophores are considered antibiotics in the U.S., but not in other parts of the world, like Europe, where they are classified as anticoccidials. An analysis by Mississippi State University found that this would disadvantage U.S. poultry businesses as no-antibiotics-ever programs abroad use ionophores.
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Tyson Foods to knock off no-antibiotics-ever label for some chicken products - report