Chick-fil-A meets goal of antibiotic-free chicken at all restaurants
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chick-fil-A announced this week that it has made good on a goal it set in 2014 – to no longer serve meat that has been raised with antibiotics.
The No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) initiative was started in 2014 with the fast-food chain aiming to offer only antibiotic-free chickens in all of its roughly 2,400 restaurants by the end of 2019.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Though the restaurant stated in its blog, The Chicken Wire, the brand has been serving only NAE chicken at Chick-fil-A restaurants since May, the packaging will not reflect the change until the beginning of October.
According to the restaurant, serving NAE chicken means the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ensures no antibiotics are administered to the chicken beginning with the egg.
The fast-food chain announced the goal in 2014, with a completion date of 2019. Chick-fil-A has met the goal early, the restaurant announced. (iStock)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“We know consumers care about how their food is made and where it comes from, including the use of antibiotics. Because it was important to our customers, it was important to us,” said Matt Abercrombie, director of menu and packaging. “Chick-fil-A has always been committed to serving customers delicious food made with high-quality ingredients and offering No Antibiotics Ever chicken was the next step. Our goal was to pursue the highest standard and partner with the USDA to verify it.”
Chick-fil-A claims it is the largest fast-food restaurant franchise to achieve such a feat.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Most recently, Chick-fil-A found itself embroiled in a viral “chicken war” with Popeyes after the Louisiana-style fried chicken chain launched its new chicken sandwich to stellar reviews.
However, despite the mass success of Popeyes' sandwich, Chick-fil-A has still been rated America’s favorite fast-food chain for at least three years in a row. The brand is also on track to become the third-largest fast-food chain in the country.