Subway says antibiotic-free chicken goal will be met

While the clock is ticking regarding whether sandwich restaurant chain Subway will meet its goal of having its entire U.S. chicken supply raised without antibiotics before the end of 2016, the company says it expects the goal to be met.

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Photo by Roy Graber
Photo by Roy Graber

While the clock is ticking regarding whether sandwich restaurant chain Subway will meet its goal of having its entire U.S. chicken supply raised without antibiotics before the end of 2016, the company says it expects the goal to be met.

Subway, in October 2015, announced an ambitious plan to phase out the use of antibiotics in its entire chicken, turkey, pork and beef supply.

Chicken was expected to be the first type of meat affected by the antibiotics policy change. While Subway has not yet announced that the transition has been completed, the company stated that it is very close.

“We are in the process of transitioning to chicken products made from chicken raised without antibiotics and expect this transition to be completed by the end of 2016,” the company said in a statement.

The company has already introduced some antibiotic-free chicken products, including the Rotisserie-Style Chicken Sandwich, which became available at U.S. restaurants on March 1.

Subway’s transition to antibiotic-free turkey

When Subway announced its plans to phase out antibiotic use in its entire meat supply, it stated it planned to eliminate all turkey raised with antibiotics within 2-3 years.

The company stated it has already started the transition, and further said it is staying with its 2-3 year goal.

Antibiotic use in pork and beef supply

In its most recent statement, Subway said it still intends to switch to using only pork and beef from animals raised without antibiotics by 2025. However, it added that this will be challenging.

“Supply of pork and beef products from animals raised without antibiotics in the U.S. is extremely limited,” the company stated.

There are more than 27,000 Subway restaurants in the United States.

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