McDonald’s Canada response to the Global and U.S. antimicrobials announcement

TORONTO, ON (March 4, 2015) – Earlier today, McDonald’s Corporation released its Global Vision for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Food Animals which applies to all food animals in our supply chain and outlines goals for the judicious use of antibiotics around the world.  In Canada, we will continue to be engaged with our suppliers, subject matter experts, regulators and industry on plans for addressing these.
 
McDonald’s USA also unveiled its plans to work with its poultry suppliers to stop using antibiotics important to human medicine in chicken production for McDonald’s over the next two years.  McDonald’s Canada recognizes the leadership of our U.S. colleagues but has made no decision at this time to change our current approach with chicken. 
 
We remain committed to the safety and quality of the food we serve in our restaurants. Given Canada’s sourcing practices and supply chain are different to those in the U.S., we will be evaluating the implications of only sourcing chicken raised without antibiotics that are important to human medicine.   As a leader in the Canadian foodservice industry, we will actively work with our key stakeholders to identify the best path forward, while continuing to follow Health Canada regulations and working within the Canadian supply management system.