John,

In 2019 alone, antibiotic resistant bacteria, dubbed "superbugs," killed an estimated 1.2 million people worldwide.[1]

In general, the rise of "superbugs" has resulted from the overuse of antibiotics, often in the agricultural sector.[2]

That's why we're petitioning Trader Joe's to commit to not sourcing meat raised with antibiotics for its private brand. Add your name today.
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Most people only come in contact with antibiotics at hospitals and pharmacies, but approximately two-thirds of the medically important antibiotics in the U.S. are actually sold to livestock and poultry farms.[3]

These life-saving medications are administered to livestock, often directly into their feed, regardless of whether or not they're sick, to make up for crowded, unsanitary factory farming practices.

We don't have to continue factory farming practices that increase production slightly in exchange for growing antibiotic resistance. Instead, we should move in a direction similar to Denmark, which has decreased its antibiotic usage in pig farming and set a new standard for reducing the increase of antibiotic resistant bacteria.[4]

Without making these changes, we face a future of increasing cases of antibiotic resistant bacteria, a future where infections once considered minor become difficult to treat and sometimes fatal.[5]

Tell Trader Joe's: Lower meat prices aren't worth risking life-saving medicines.
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Trader Joe's has the opportunity to promote a different type of agriculture -- a system that promotes the health of its animals through diversified diets and space to roam, as opposed to a steady stream of antibiotics.

By not sourcing meat and poultry from producers that use antibiotics, Trader Joe's would not just be setting an example among grocery chains, it would be protecting public health by preserving critically important medications.

Antibiotics are among our most important life-saving medical resources and have largely eradicated infectious diseases like typhus and tuberculosis in the U.S.[6]

If we want antibiotics to still work in the future, we need food distributors like Trader Joe's to take a stand against the overuse of antibiotics in factory farming.

Help prevent the next public health emergency: Urge Trader Joe's to commit to not sourcing meat raised with antibiotics.
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Thank you for taking action,

Faye Park
President

1. "Stop the Overuse of Antibiotics," PIRG, last accessed October 2, 2025.
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2. WA Adedeji, "The Treasure Called Antibiotics," National Library of Medicine, December 14, 2016.
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3. Louis Sokolow and Andre Delattre, "One step forward, two steps back on overuse of antibiotics in meat production," PIRG, January 11, 2024.
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4. Andrew Jacobs, "Denmark Raises Antibiotic-Free Pigs. Why Can't the U.S.?," The New York Times, December 6, 2019.
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5. Matt Richtel, "Urinary Tract Infections Affect Millions. The Cures Are Faltering.," The New York Times, July 13, 2019.
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6. WA Adedeji, "The Treasure Called Antibiotics," National Library of Medicine, December 14, 2016.
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