Taco Bell Beef: Is Fast Food Chain Doing Enough To Reduce Antibiotics?

Antibiotics used in animals have become a major concern for restaurant chains as consumers grow more and more aware of their dangers.

Taco Bell announced Monday that they will be joining the ranks of other major food chains working to reduce the number of antibiotics in their meats. As reported by CNN and other outlets, the Southern California-based Mexican food chain plans to work with its suppliers to reduce the antibiotics harmful to human health in its beef by 25 percent by 2025.

“Essentially, we're sending a supportive signal to the industry," said Missy Schaaphok, Taco Bell's manager of global nutrition and sustainability.

Schaaphok added that 25 percent is an “aspirational” goal but one the company believes it can meet.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said that this plan is a step in the right direction but still lacking due to its long timeline and lack of specificity.

By comparison, the chain was able to completely eliminate harmful antibiotics from its chicken in 2017.

Schaaphok explained that chicken was an easier product to deal with as those animals tend to be handled by only one source during their lifetimes. Cows, meanwhile, live longer and go through multiple handlers, making it more difficult to track their treatment.

Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM), joins the likes of McDonald's, which pledged to similarly reduce antibiotics in its beef in 2018. This followed a report from the NRDC, which graded most burger chains with an F in regards to reducing antibiotics in their foods.

Shake Shack and BurgerFi were the only restaurants to score an A.