The Ricky’s group of restaurants is stopping the use of antibiotics in its pork supply, but the company adds that it is considering a similar move with its supply of chicken and beef.
The restaurant group, which operates Ricky’s All-Day Grill, Ricky’s Country Restaurant and Ricky’s Café, has more than 100 locations in Canada. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In the company’s Raised Without Antibiotics (RWA) policy, the company said it currently only applies to its menu items that include bacon, ham, sausages and chorizo. It has been working with its suppliers for more than a year to prepare for this change.
While Ricky’s only intends to serve pork products from pigs raised without antibiotics, it does not oppose antibiotic use for veterinary purposes.
“If an animal is sick and requires antibiotics, it will be treated and then moved to the general population and not considered ‘raised without antibiotics.’ We choose pork products from animals raised without antibiotics,” the company stated on its website.
According to the press release from Ricky's, the change makes Ricky’s the first breakfast restaurant chain in Canada to offer breakfast meats raised without antibiotics. The company also stated that all of its pork products are from Canadian pigs.
Due to increasing concerns about a possible link between antibiotics in animal agriculture and antimicrobial resistance, a move to antibiotic-free poultry and pig production is a growing trend. To better inform readers of the trend, WATTAgNet is offering a collection of stories and blogs related to antibiotic-free poultry production.
