The U.S. Food and Drug Administration first attempted to control the use of antibiotics in livestock in 1977, but agricultural and pharma interests protested and the agency backed down. After decades of stalemate, the FDA tried again in 2013, proposing that companies voluntarily refrain from using growth promoters, the micro-doses of antibiotics suspected of playing a role in antibiotic resistance.
In a very different reaction from the 1970s, pharma companies agreed — and soon thereafter, citing consumer pressure, major meat and food service companies began announcing their own antibiotic bans. So far, the most active meat sector has been poultry, with changes announced by Perdue and Tyson, McDonald's and Chick-fil-A. Did consumer pressure play a role? Will pork and beef follow? And how does this affect companies such as Chipotle and Panera that built their brands on being antibiotic-free?