The availability of chicken raised without antibiotics has increased dramatically in the past few years. However, some popular restaurant chains recently took a step backward by changing their policies to allow the use of chicken raised with antibiotics.
Also, antibiotics are still routinely given to cows, pigs and turkeys. This excessive antibiotic use in livestock is a major factor in the global antibiotics resistance crisis.
We can help by purchasing meat raised without antibiotics. We can also choose to eat at restaurants that source and serve antibiotic free meat.
This article examines the top fast food restaurants policies toward purchasing chicken, turkey, beef and pork raised without antibiotics.
Which Fast Food Restaurants Serve Meat Raised Without Antibiotics?
We evaluated the antibiotic use policies of popular fast food restaurants, listed below.(1-3)

Types of Antibiotic Use Policies
Fast food restaurants have a wide range of policies regarding antibiotic use. Some restaurants have progressive policies and are implementing them promptly.
Unfortunately, other restaurants have made their polices less stringent to allow for antibiotic use or still have no antibiotic use policy.
Source of Antibiotic Policy Information
Restaurants were placed in four categories depending on their antibiotic use policies.
Information is from company websites, corporate press releases, reputable news outlets, and Consumer Report’s Chain Reaction Report. (4-32)
The four categories of Antibiotic Use policies are below, in order of best to worst.
No Antibiotics Ever

This is the easiest policy to understand. Food producing animals that were never given antibiotics fall into this category.
Restaurants in this category serve meat from animals that never came in contact with antibiotics.
In some cases, the meat is organic, which has multiple requirements, of which one is that the animals are never administered antibiotics.
Therapeutic Antibiotic Use Only

When an animal is sick or is in imminent risk of becoming sick, antibiotics can be used. This type of antibiotic use is considered “therapeutic.”
According to the World Health Organization, this is the only appropriate use of antibiotics in meat producing animals.(33)
Fast food restaurants in this category source meat from animals given antibiotics only if needed to treat an illness.
No Medically Important Antibiotics

More than half of the antibiotics given to animals are also used in human medicine.
These antibiotics are considered medically important and sometimes called “human use” antibiotics.
The WHO recommends a complete restrictuion of antibiotics important to human medicine from animal production.(33)
Fast Food Restaurants in this category source meat that was raised without medically important antibiotics. However, this does not mean that the animals were raised without antibiotics.
Animals raised without medically important antibiotics can still be given other antibiotics to prevent disease, and this usage is known to also contribute to antibiotic resistance.
Also, it is important to note that many restaurants claim to not routinely use medically important antibiotics. This is NOT the same as never giving animals antibiotics that are important in human medicine. Restaurants that make this claim will be considered to have “no antibiotic use policy.”
No Antibiotic Use Policy

A restaurant has no antibiotic use policy if no public statement on antibiotic use is available.
Also included in this category are companies that state only that they follow all applicable FDA guidelines.
FDA guidelines require veterinary oversight for medically important antibiotics and eliminates the use of these antibiotics to promote livestock growth.(34)
Also included in this category are fast food restaurants who serve animal protein that was not raised with routine use medically important antibiotics. As stated above, this is not the same as completely avoiding medically important antibiotics, which is the WHO’s recommendation.
Loosened Antibiotic Use Policies
There is a special category for Fast Food Restaurants who have loosened their antibiotic use policies in the past couple years.
These are businesses that were once at the forefront of responsible stewardship of antibiotics who decided for business or supply chain purposes to revert back to sourcing protein from animals raised with antibiotics.
If reducing antibiotic use in food animals is an important issue for you, consider avoiding these restaurants.
Restaurants with the Best Antibiotic Policies
Only two restaurants have comprehensive antibiotic use policies. If you are looking to grab a quick meal including meat raised without antibiotics, go to Chipotle or BurgerFi.
Chipotle’s Antibiotic Use Policy

100% of the chicken and beef served at Chipotle is raised with “No Antibiotics Aver.”
Additionally, 100% of the pork served meets Chipotle’s “No Sub-Therapeutic Antibiotics” standard, and 78% of the pork met the more stringent “No Antibiotics Ever” requirment.
If you want a fast food taco or burrito from a company with a conscientious antibiotic policy, Chipotle is pretty much the only option for the time being.
Burger Fi’s Antibiotic Use Policy

BurgerFi serves chicken and beef raised with “no antibiotics ever.” In fact, it is the only location we have found that serves antibiotic free burgers and chicken sandwiches.
So, feel free to enjoy a burger or chicken sandwich at BurgerFi… just skip the bacon since BurgerFi does not source antibiotic free pork.
These Restaurants Only Serve Antibiotic Free Chicken (not Turkey, Beef, or Pork)
Most restaurant antibiotic policies apply ONLY to chicken. If you eat at these restaurants, the turkey, beef, and pork containing foods are still raised with antibiotics.
Dunkin’ Donut’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Dunkin’ Donuts serves chicken raised with “no antibiotics ever”.
However, none of the other meats served by Dunkin’ Donuts are covered by an antibiotics policy. So it is probably best to skip most meat containing menu items from Dunkin’ Donuts.
Jason’s Deli’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Jason’s Deli serves chicken raised with “no antibiotics ever”.
However, none of the other meats served by Jason’s Deli are raised without antibiotics. So it is best to skip most meat containing menu items at Jason’s Deli.
Hardees and Carls Jr’s Antibiotic Use Policy

The Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr family of restaurants serve chicken raised with “no antibiotics ever”.
However, none of the other meats served by Hardee’s or Carl’s Jr are covered by an antibiotics policy. So it is probably best to stick with the chicken sandwiches (without bacon) when eating at these fast food restaurants.
Papa John’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Papa John’s serves chicken raised with “no antibiotics ever”.
However, none of the other meats served by Papa John’s are covered by an antibiotics policy. So it is probably best to stick with cheese pizza or only chicken when ordering from Papa John’s.
Restaurants with Minimal Antibiotics Policies
Several fast food restaurants have taken the first step by implementing an antibiotics policy. However, these restaurants still have a long way to go before they can be recommended.
Consider avoiding these restaurants until they adopt, at minimum, comprehensive policies aligned with the WHO Guidelines on Use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Food-Producing Animals for all of the meat they serve. (33)
Burger King’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Burger King sells chicken raised without medically important antibiotics. However, Burger King does not have an antibiotics policy for beef or pork.
You can assume meat from Burger King is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Burger King.
Domino’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Domino’s sells chicken raised without medically important antibiotics. However, Domino’s does not have an antibiotics policy for beef or pork.
You can assume meat on pizzas from Domino’s is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Domino’s.
Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Antibiotic Use Policy

KFC sells chicken raised without medically important antibiotics.
You can assume chicken from KFC is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at KFC.
Popeyes Antibiotic Use Policy

Popeyes sells chicken raised without medically important antibiotics.
You can assume meat from Popeyes is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Popeyes.
Restaurants with No Antibiotics Policy
Several fast food restaurants have no antibiotics policy in place.
Where we shop and eat is an important economic vote. Avoid purchasing food from these restaurants until they adopt, at minimum, comprehensive policies aligned with the WHO Guidelines on Use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Food-Producing Animals for all the meat they serve. (33)
Arby’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Arby’s does not have a publicly available antibiotic policy.
You can assume meat from Arby’s is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Arby’s.
Dairy Queen’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Dairy Queen does not have a publicly available antibiotic policy.
You can assume meat from Dairy Queen is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Dairy Queen.
Five Guys Antibiotic Use Policy

Five Guys does not have a publicly available antibiotic policy.
You can assume meat from Five Guys is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Five Guys.
Jack in the Box’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Jack in the Box’s antibiotics policy states that it will not use medically important antibiotics unless prescribed. However, as this is an FDA requirement to administer medically important antibiotics. As such, Jack in the Box is considered to have no antibiotic policy.
You can assume meat from Jack in the Box is from animals fed antibiotics, including medically important antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Jack in the Box.
Little Caesar’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Little Caesar’s does not have a publicly available antibiotic policy.
You can assume meat from Little Caesar’s is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Little Caesar’s.
McDonalds’ Antibiotic Use Policy

McDonalds antibiotic policies do not permit the routine use of medically important antibiotics for the purpose of growth promotion or the habitual use of antibiotics for disease prevention.
This does not mean that McDonalds does not source protein from animals raised without medically important antibiotics. As such, we classify McDonalds as not having an antibiotics policy.
You can assume meat from McDonalds’s is from animals fed antibiotics, including medically important antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at McDonalds’s.
Moe’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Moe’s does not have a publicly available antibiotic policy.
You can assume meat from Moe’s is from animals fed antibiotics. Go to Chipotle for a healthier taco and burrito alternative.
Pizza Hut’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Pizza Hut’s only available information on their antibiotic use policy states that it “plans to sell chicken raised without medically important antibiotics by 2022.” However, there has not been an update since 2022 and Pizza Hut does not have an antibiotics policy for beef or pork.
You can assume meat from Pizza Hut is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Pizza Hut.
Qdoba’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Qdoba’s antibiotics policy states that it will not use medically important antibiotics unless prescribed. However, as this is an FDA requirement to administer medically important antibiotics. As such, Qdoba is considered to have no antibiotic policy.
You can assume meat from Qdoba is from animals fed antibiotics, including medically important antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Qdoba. Go to Chipotle for a healthier alternative.
Sonic’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Sonic does not have a publicly available antibiotic policy.
You can assume meat from Sonic is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Sonic.
Starbucks Antibiotic Use Policy

Starbucks sells chicken raised without routine use of medically important antibiotics.
This does not mean that Starbucks does not source protein from animals raised without medically important antibiotics. Also, Starbucks does not have an antibiotics policy for pork or turkey. As such, we classify Starbucks as not having an antibiotics policy.
You can assume meat from Starbuck’s is from animals fed antibiotics, including medically important antibiotics. It is best to avoid meat-containing products when eating at Starbucks.
Taco Bell’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Taco Bell’s antibiotic use policy is to “reduce antibiotics important to human health in beef by 25% by 2025.” As such, we classify Taco Bell as not having an antibiotics policy.
You can assume meat from Taco Bell is from animals fed antibiotics. Go to Chipotle for a healthier alternative.
Tim Hortons Antibiotic Use Policy

Tim Hortons antibiotic use policy prohibits preventative use of medically important antibiotics. As such, we classify Tim Hortons as not having an antibiotics policy
You can assume meat from Tim Hortons is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating animal protein at Tim Hortons.
Wendy’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Wendy’s antibiotic use policy states that “100% of our U.S. and Canadian beef, chicken and pork will be sourced from suppliers that prohibit the routine use of medically important antibiotics.”
This does not mean that Wendy’s does not source protein from animals raised without medically important antibiotics. As such, we classify Wendy’s as not having an antibiotics policy.
You can assume meat from Wendy’s is from animals fed antibiotics. It is best to avoid eating at Wendy’s.
Restaurants That No Longer Serve Antibiotic Free Chicken
Panera, Chick-Fil-A, and Subway no longer commit to serving chicken raised without antibiotics.
Additionally, instead of continuing with their previous goals of reducing protein sources raised with antibiotics, several companies have taken backwards steps and now procure protein from animals raised with antibiotics.
The restaurants listed in this section have loosened their Antibiotics Policies.
Chick-fil-A’s Antibiotic Use Policy

In early 2024, Chick-fil-A changed is antibiotics policy for chicken from “no antibiotics ever” to “no antibiotics important to human medicine.”
This loosening of antibiotics policies is particularly disappointing as Chick-fil-A has the third highest fast food chain sales in the United States.(35)
As such, we can no longer recommend eating at Chick-fil-A.
Panera Bread’s Antibiotic Use Policy

In early 2024, Panera updated its policies which are now a little less transparent and stringent.
Panera has removed language committing to to serve antibiotic free pork, chicken, and turkey from its menus, website, and restaurants.
Instead, Panera’s website says they serve chicken and turkey raised with “no antibiotics ever” in their soups and sandwiches.
Additionally, Panera no longer has a policy related to serving grass fed beef that is only given antibiotics if an animal is sick.
Because of these changes, we no longer recommend eating at Panera.
Subway’s Antibiotic Use Policy

Subway is one of the restaurants who’s antibiotics policy has loosened over the past couple years.
Previously, Subway served chicken raised with “no antibiotics ever” and turkey raised without medically important antibiotics. Subway also had a commitment to serving beef and pork raised without medically important antibiotics by 2025.
Now, Subway has a “Responsible Use of Antibiotics Policy” that aligns with WHO and FDA guidelines, but has no timeline for implementation.
Final Thoughts on Restaurants and Antibiotics
It is encouraging that so many fast food companies are working to source chicken raised without antibiotics, or at least with reduced levels of antibiotics.
However, chicken is just the first step. Most restaurants still source meat from cows, pigs, and turkeys that are routinely fed antibiotics.
Hopefully other fast food chains will follow the lead of Panera and Chipotle and remove antibiotics from all the meat they serve.

References:
- The 20 Most Successful Fast Food Chains Right Now, Business Insider, 2017 (link)
- Top 10 Global Fast Food Brands, Forbes (link)
- America’s Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants, Health (link)
- Chain Reaction V, How Top Restaurants Rate on Reducing Antibiotic Use in their Beef Supplies, October 2019, Consumer Reports Website (link)
- Arby’s Website (link)
- Burgerfi Website (link)
- Burger King, RBI Website (link)
- Carl’s Jr / Hardees Press Release (link)
- Chick-fil-A Website (link)
- Chipotle Website (link)
- Dairy Queen Website (link)
- Domino’s Website (link)
- Dunkin’ Donuts Press Release (link)
- Five Guys Website (link)
- Jack In The Box Website (link)
- Jason’s Deli Website (link)
- Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Press Release (link)
- Little Caesars Website (link)
- McDonalds Website (link)
- Moes, Focus Brands Website (link)
- Exclusive: Panera loosens ingredients standards ahead of IPO, internal documents show. Reuters Website (link)
- Panera Boiler Chicken Welfare Document, updated 2024 (link)
- Papa Johns Press Release (link)
- Pizza Hut Press Release (link)
- Popeyes, RBI Website (link)
- Qdoba, Jack In The Box Website (link)
- Sonic, Meat and Poultry News Website (link)
- Starbucks Press Release (link)
- Subway Press Release (link)
- Taco Bell Press Release (link)
- Tim Hortons, RBI Website (link)
- Wendy’s Website (link)
- Antibiotic Resistance, World Health Organization Website (link)
- FDA Guidance for Industry (GFI #213), FDA Website (link)
- See If You Can Guess the Top 10 Restaurant Chains in America. Food & Wine, (link)
Antibiotic use policies are up to date as of December 2024.
Thursday 11th of April 2024
This needs to be updated because Chick-fil-A just changed their policy on chicken
Meredith
Thursday 19th of December 2024
The post has been updated - thank you for your comment.
Thursday 23rd of May 2024
I was literally coming here to post that exact comment .. 😔
John
Wednesday 13th of September 2023
Maybe Antibiotic free However they use Vegtable oil or cotton seed oil. Its a omega 6 and highly inflamitory. The health care Industry claims its a disease so they can profit from others being posioned. This is known to cause liver damage and plug arteries. Its about money.
Angela
Thursday 20th of July 2023
Hi, Do happen to know which restaurants are serving meat that has been vaccinated with MRNA? I’m not certain this information even has to be released. I’m fact, I kind of don’t think so.
Thanks, Angela
Jane Porterfield
Tuesday 21st of May 2019
Thanks for this informative article. I have 2 questions that are incredibly important to me, because I have a life-threatening allergy to 2 specific classes of antibiotics: fluoroquinolones and quinolones.
1. The "note" at the bottom of the article states:
Note: This post was originally published on August 28, 2017. Current antibiotic use policies have been updated on March 3, 2018. Images have also been reformatted to improve readability.
DOES THAT MEAN that what I'm reading here is all of these restaurants' policies as of Mar, 2018?
2. I know that both fluoroquinolones and quinolones are used routinely in both human medicine, and in farming, in the U.S. Can I safely assume that the restaurants listed in the "no human antibiotics" section of the chart that lists "current antibiotic use policies for chicken" are safe for me (so long as those restaurants are, in fact, following their own published policies?)
I also want the writer of this article to know about Fluoroquinolone Associated Disability, a disease that's on the rise exponentially, and is being predicted to rise at meteoric exponential rates in the near future. I have this disease, and more needs to be written about it!
Finally, the crisis of antibiotic resistance is receiving its due in the public eye, and for helping with that, I sincerely THANK YOU FOR WRITING THIS ARTICLE! Unfortunately, it became a global threat to health that is now holding nearly insurmountable challenges to defeat, because of the propaganda of the antibiotics manufacturers and other special interests.
I am on a quest to see how I can help prevent this same problem happening with Fluoroquinolone Associated Disability. If the author or any interested party reads this, please feel free to contact me for more information on Fluoroquinolone Associated Disability, and for a list of legitimate sources of information about it, at [email protected] or [email protected].
Thanks again.
Meredith
Wednesday 19th of February 2020
Jane -
Thank you for this very thoughtful comment and for bringing Fluoroquinolone Associated Disability to my attention.
To answer your specific questions: 1. I have recently updated this post and the information for the restaurants is accurate as of February 2020. 2. Regarding avoiding protein from animals raised with fluoroquinolones and quinolones, I think the only safe alternative is to eat animal protein certified as "no antibiotics ever". The post has been updated to clearly state which restaurants fall within this category.
Thank you for your questions and insightful comments!
Sherice
Monday 18th of June 2018
Thanks for the article! Really great info - curious if you have any information on whether these restaurants use hormones in their chicken?
Meredith
Monday 18th of June 2018
Hi Sherice - this is a great question. Chickens (like all animals, including humans) have naturally occurring hormones which they produce throughout life. However, the FDA does NOT allow chicken farmers to use synthetic hormones when raising or growing chickens. Specifically, "no steroid hormone implants are approved for growth purposes in dairy cows, veal calves, pigs, or poultry." (Reference: https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ProductSafetyInformation/ucm055436.htm). Thank you for your question! Meredith