Myajc.com
It’s a time of change for Chick-fil-A. The Atlanta-based restaurant change has recently seen its founder, Truett Cathy, step down as CEO, has removed high-fructose corn syrup and dyes from some of its food and now is promising that its chicken will be antibiotic-free within five years. Read these stories and more on our premium website at www.MyAJC.com/business.
Bowing to changing consumer tastes, Chick-fil-A said Tuesday it plans to serve chicken raised without antibiotics at all stores nationwide within five years.
Tim Tassopoulos, Chick-fil-A’s executive vice president for operations, said consumers are becoming more educated about what’s in their food and are telling chains what is acceptable in products.
“Customers say this is very important to them,” Tassopoulos said of removing antibiotics, adding that about 70 percent of consumers said the presence of antibiotics can affect their dining choice. “It is clearly their preference.”
The change is not expected to affect pricing or taste, Tassopoulos said. The five-year timeline will help keep costs under control, he said.
Chick-fil-A says it already has cut sodium, eliminated trans fats and removed high fructose corn syrup from breads, dressings and milkshake syrup.
“Food Babe” blogger Vani Hari, who has consulted with Chick-fil-A on its menu, wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday: “This is a SERIOUS announcement and accomplishment from a fast food chain that serves a LOT of chicken - it’s going to take some time to get enough supply, but I’d would like to see them move as fast as possible (faster than their 5 year plan).”
The company will work with poultry suppliers to build the supply of chickens raised without antibiotics to match its sales volume. Rob Dugas, Chick-fil-A’s vice president for supply chain, said the transition will take time because some farmers may have to make substantial changes.
Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports, praised Chick-fil-A’s move. The group supports laws prohibiting the use of antiobiotics in meat production except when animals are sick. According to Consumers Union, more than 80 percent of antiobiotics sold in the U.S. are for livestock rather than humans and are fed to animals to make them grow faster and to prevent disease at industrial farms.
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