Sanderson Farms targets ‘marketing gimmicks’ about antibiotics
A new ad campaign released by Sanderson Farms Inc. seeks to debunk myths surrounding the use of antibiotics in US poultry production while exposing what it calls “marketing gimmicks designed to mislead consumers and sell products at a higher price.”
Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., CEO and chairman of the board for Sanderson Farms, said it wanted “to empower consumers to make informed decisions” in the face of what he called “misleading” labels and ads.
“Some in the industry, by way of their labels and advertising efforts, have misled consumers to believe that only their chicken is raised cage free and is free of antibiotics and added hormones,” he said.
“The fact is that FDA regulations require all chicken made available for purchase be free of antibiotic residues and the use of added hormones has been illegal since the 1950’s.”
The company’s website points out that “none of the chicken you buy in a store is raised in a cage.”
While Sanderson Farms recognizes that antibiotic resistance is an issue that must be taken seriously, it said many industry experts believe the issue is related to the overuse and over-prescription of antibiotics in humans, and more closely linked to medical institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes, rather than agricultural processes that have been in place for decades.
Click here to view the ad.
Posted on August 4, 2017
