June 23, 2007...5:22 pm
Tyson Foods going Antibiotic-Free
Tyson Foods, one of the United States’ largest poultry producers, has announced that they will no longer be using antibiotics for their fresh chicken sold in stores. The chicken will cost slightly more as a result of this change, but they anticipate that the change will actually increase demand for their chicken.
Personally, I know that I would much rather purchase chicken that I know was raised without antibiotics, especially considering the ramifications of the overuse of antibiotics. Granny’s Poultry is the largest poultry producer in Manitoba, so today I sent them an email asking about their antibiotic use in their products. (I am assuming they do use antibiotics, since I couldn’t find any informations about it on their website at all.)
The response was… well, a little generic.
My question:
I was wondering if you could tell me if Granny’s poultry products are raised with or without the use of antibiotics. If you do use antibiotics, will you be considering changing to antibiotic-free methods of raising your poultry? I am asking in light of the US producers Tyson Foods’ recent announcement that they will no longer be using antibiotics in their fresh chicken products sold in grocery stores.
Thanks in advance!
The response:
The Manitoba Chicken Producers (www.chicken@chicken.mb.ca) and the Manitoba Turkey Producers (www.turkey.mb.ca) may be able to advise you further, but this is the information I have:
·Antibiotics which are used in turkey production have been approved by Health Canada and have detailed labeling describing the use, dosage and withdrawal periods.
·Antibiotics have been used in animal agriculture since the 1950’s to prevent and treat disease and improve feed efficiency and productivity. Antibiotics serve an important role in reducing the incidence of infectious bacterial disease.
·The CTMA On-Farm Food Safety Program developed by producers in conjunction with processors, is aimed at promoting the proper and effective use of medications, including antibiotics. These programs set out recommended management practices and emphasize proper medication use as a way of improving the safety of the end product.
As for the specific drug being mentioned, here are a couple of websites for the consumer to visit -
For information on “Approved Maximum Residue Limits” for antibiotics, consumers can visit the Health Canada website at:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/vetdrugs-medsvet/mrl_comparisonnew_e.html
For more specific inquiries on the regulation of antibiotic use in Canada, consumers can visit the Health Canada website at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/vetdrugs-medsvet/contactus_e.html for contact information.
I’m a bit dissappointed that, despite the fact I specifically asked about antibiotic use in Granny’s chicken products, all I got was a statement about the saftey of antibiotics in general. I’m curious why they can’t say what is or is not in their products, although having worked in the customer service industry I’m well familiar with the standard form letter response to a commonly asked question… Even if the response doesn’t quite answer the question.
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