Compass Group and partners to curb antibiotics in pork production

The new policy, which Compass describes as the first of its kind, prohibits the purchase of pork in which antibiotics have been used to increase growth. The policy, which applies to Compass Group's operations in the US, also requires suppliers to report and reduce the use of antibiotics over time. It is widely believed that the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture and in human medicine can cause the drugs to become less effective over time and that reducing the overall use of antibiotics will prolong the effectiveness of these types of medicine. Gwen Ruta, director of Corporate Partnerships, Environmental Defense, said, "We recognize that the effectiveness of human antibiotics has been compromised and we applaud Compass and Smithfield for being the first in the conventional pork industry to take steps to address antibiotic use in pork." Commenting on the move, Cheryl Queen, vice president of Corporate Communication at Compass Group, said, "The quality and safety of our food supply and customer satisfaction is of paramount importance. We are pleased to be able to use our market position to introduce these improvements in our supply chain. This policy makes business sense for us, and we urge other companies to make the same commitment." The policy will apply to all animals that are raised by suppliers for the duration of their lives.