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John,
Nearly two-thirds of medically important antibiotics sold in the United States are sold for use on livestock -- even on animals that aren't sick.1
Many major grocers allow their private label meat suppliers to overuse antibiotics -- a practice that's giving rise to antibiotic-resistant superbugs.2
Kroger, a supermarket brand with more than 2,700 U.S. locations, received an "F" in a 2022 report grading supermarkets' antibiotics policies for their privately labeled meat. That means it has no policy preventing antibiotics from entering its meat supply, and no plan to implement one.3
You deserve to know that the food you buy is good for you and your loved ones. But antibiotics used in meat production are creating big problems for our health.
When bacteria are repeatedly exposed to antibiotics, they can adapt to survive them, breeding antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. These infections are especially difficult, or even impossible, to treat.4
Every year, as many as 160,000 Americans die from infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Globally, the annual death toll could rise to 10 million by 2050. Some people are dying from common infections like skin infections caused by staph, urinary tract infections caused by E. coli, and foodborne infections caused by Salmonella.5
Meat producers often use these life-saving antibiotics to compensate for stressful, unsanitary and overcrowded conditions, not to treat sick animals.6
Are we really willing to risk more lives so the food industry can produce and sell more meat?
Kroger and its brands -- including Ralphs, King Soopers, Harris Teeter and Metro Market -- can tell consumers that our health comes first -- by committing to only selling meat raised without routine antibiotics.
We're working hard to get antibiotic overuse out of meat production, and our national network has achieved big wins with the help of people like you.
Nearly all of the largest chicken producers in the U.S. no longer use medically important antibiotics for "preventative" purposes in their supply chains.7
And, we've helped convince fast food giants Wendy's, Subway and KFC to commit to no longer serving chicken raised with the routine use of antibiotics. We also won a commitment from chicken producer Tyson to end the overuse of medically important antibiotics in its supply chain.8
Now, PIRG advocates and supporters like you are encouraging supermarkets to step up and implement policies to stop the overuse of our lifesaving medicines.
Tell Kroger: Stop needlessly wasting our most important medicines, and keep them effective for the humans and animals that need them the most.
Thank you,
Faye Park
President
1. Michael J. Martin, Sapna E Thottathil, and Thomas B. Newman, "Antibiotics Overuse in Animal Agriculture: A Call to Action for Health Care Providers," National Library of Medicine, December 2015.
2. "Superbugs in Stock," PIRG, October 13, 2022.
3. "Superbugs in Stock," PIRG, October 13, 2022.
4. "How Antimicrobial Resistance Happens," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October 5, 2022.
5. "Superbugs in Stock," PIRG, October 13, 2022.
6. "Superbugs in Stock," PIRG, October 13, 2022.
7. Matt Wellington, "And then there were none: Sanderson Farms joins other big chicken producers in curbing antibiotic use," PIRG, January 17, 2019.
8. Matt Wellington, "Why consider buying antibiotic-free meat," PIRG, October 31, 2022.
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