- Apr
- 27
- 2017
What’s in your chicken?
If we are what we eat, then it matters what’s in our chicken!
The poultry industry has long been giving chickens antibiotics in their feed and drinking water to accelerate their growth and compensate for dirty conditions in factories. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the majority of all antibiotics sold in the United States are given to farm animals.
With the rise of misuse of antibiotics in people, we have seen an increase in the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can cause prolonged sickness and in some cases death because their bodies don’t respond to antibiotic treatment to fight infection. If chickens are full of antibiotics, when we eat chicken, we are eating antibiotics.
In response to this trend, Northwell Health is now serving antibiotic-free chicken in 77 percent of all locations serving food to patients, their visitors and employees, and as part of the 3-year Food and Nutrition Transformation presently underway, all sites will be serving antibiotic-free chicken.
Key reasons for you to consider when choosing antibiotic-free poultry and meats for you and your family:
Antibiotics are for fighting disease. Why expose yourself to them when you are not sick?
Invest in healthy foods for your family. Look for chicken labeled “organic” or “no antibiotics.”
Be engaged. Your spending drives decisions by supermarkets on what products to sell. When you choose antibiotic-free poultry, your retailer is paying attention to your purchasing decisions and they want you to come back, so that next visit, you may find even more products that meet your standards.
“High quality food contributes to higher quality nutritional value, giving us better support for higher quality personal well-being,” says Michelle Milgrim, Registered Dietitian and Manager, Employee Wellness. “Antibiotic-free chicken is part of the Northwell Healthy Choice commitment to serve food that tastes good, is good for you and supports the environment. Upgrading the quality of chicken is one of many changes that supports our commitment.”