McDonald's pressured to stop selling food with antibiotics

Responsible investor charity ShareAction called on McDonald's to stop using products that had been given antibiotics in its 30,000 restaurants globally, by emailing chief executive Steve Easterbrook.

Last week the restaurant franchise banned poultry that had been given antibiotics from its restaurants in the US only.

Medical experts said the use of antibiotics to encourage growth and prevent illness in animals contributed to the rise of infections which were resistant to drugs and were on the brink of a post-antibiotic era. Using antibiotics to encourage growth was banned by the European Union in 2006.

In November 2015 bacteria resistant to the antibiotic colistin, which is used as a last resort, was found in China.

According to ShareAction over 70% of antibiotics are given to livestock in the UK.

McDonald’s rival KFC was also called upon to stop using poultry products that had been given antibiotics. The chain said that it would limit it by next year.

American fast-food chain Wendy’s also said it plans stop serving chicken with antibiotics by 2017 and is working on pork and beef.

Shares in McDonald’s were up 0.49% to 119.38p at 1959 GMT.