Chick-fil-A announced it will move away from its previous standard of serving antibiotic-free chicken, beginning this spring.
The chain cited supply concerns as the reason for the shift.
“To maintain supply of the high-quality chicken you expect from us, Chick-fil-A will shift from No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine (NAIHM) starting in the Spring of 2024,” the company announced on its website.
Chick-fil-A clarified that “NAE means no antibiotics of any kind were used in raising the animal. NAIHM restricts the use of those antibiotics that are important to human Medicine and commonly used to treat people, and allows use of animal antibiotics only if the animal and those around it were to become sick.”
This change from NEA to NAIHM marks a shift from the chain restaurant’s 2014 commitment to serve entirely antibiotic-free chicken, a goal it achieved across all its restaurants by 2019.
Under the new NAIHM policy, the use of animal antibiotics is permitted only if necessary for the animal’s Health, excluding antibiotics critical for human Medicine.
A Chick-fil-A spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “As we looked to the future, the availability of high-quality chicken that meets our rigid standards became a concern. This change enables us to not only ensure we can continue to serve high-quality chicken, but also chicken that still meets the expectations our customers count on us to deliver.”
The decision has sparked backlash over social media.
One X user posted, “Chick-fil-A going back on their no antibiotics ever commitment was not on my bingo card. Its been a good run” and took a screenshot showing they were deleting the app from their phone.
Conservative podcast host Alex Clark wrote that people should stop eating Chick-fil-A.
“Just wanted to let you know that Chick-fil-A just walked back their NO ANTIBIOTICS EVER rule for their chicken,” Alex Clark, a conservative podcast host, wrote on the social media site X. “You have got to stop eating there.”
Chick-fil-A’s move is in line with recent actions by other fast food chains.
In July 2023, Tyson Foods announced a transition to NAIHM production by year-end. The company had previously gone antibiotic-free in 2017.
Additionally, in March, Panera Bread announced its U.S. stores would eliminate claims such as “No Antibiotics Ever,” “Vegetarian Fed,” “Grass Fed Pasture Raised,” “Animal Welfare,” and any mention of “Hormones” by March 27, according to Reuters.
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This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.