Tyson Foods has shifted its approach to antibiotics use in chickens, eliminating the “no antibiotics ever” (NAE) label and replacing it with “No Antibiotics Important to Human Medicine” (NAIHM) instead, a Tyson spokesperson told Reuters this weekend.
Earlier in June, Tyson released a “Position Statement on Antibiotic Stewardship” on its sustainability site, saying in part that “arbitrary reduction targets for antibiotic use are not in the best interest of animal, human or ecosystem health,” and this new approach to antibiotics and labeling appears to support that statement.
The Reuters report goes on to say that the modified approach will allow Tyson to reintroduce certain antibiotics that have been deemed as not important to human health in order to keep its flocks healthy.
Specifically, Tyson plans to add ionophores (according to a Wall Street Journal report) to combat coccidiosis in birds. Ionophores are not used in human medicine, and chickens cannot be slaughtered anyway until any antibiotics have cleared their systems — meaning no chicken products contain antibiotics. NAE and NAIHM labeling refers to antibiotics being used during the chickens’ lives.
Tyson Foods first announced its transition to NAE in 2015, and successfully completed the transition in 2017, according to the Reuters report.
