The parent company of the Burger King and Tim Hortons restaurant chains announced it will no longer purchase chickens raised with antibiotics that are also used for humans. A Meating Place Dot Com report says Restaurant Brands International in Ontario, Canada, currently runs more than 19,000 restaurants in over 100 countries and U.S. territories. RBI intends to make the conversion to antibiotic-free chicken at its U.S.-based operations in 2017. The announcement says the 
conversion will take place in Canada during 2018. It also says the moves at Burger King and Tim Hortons will be moving from antibiotics used in humans but not necessarily animal-specific antibiotics used to keep the animals healthy. The chains will join other establishments like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Papa John’s, and Chick-Fil-A in making the move over the next several years. In 2015, chicken supplier Tyson Foods announced it would also stop using antibiotics that are also used in humans in its operations next year. The restaurant chains and the processor are responding to concerns about consuming animals raised with human-use antibiotics possibly breeding drug-resistant bacteria that would affect human health. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says at least two million consumers are infected every year with the so-called superbugs, which also cause 23,000 deaths.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.
Image credits: Ft. Wayne – Circa September 2016: Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop. This is the US version of the popular Canadian Fast Casual Restaurant I, Image ID:486161008,Copyright: Jonathan Weiss, Editorial Credit: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com
Kokomo – Circa November 2016: Burger King Retail Fast Food Location. Every day, more than 11 million guests visit Burger King II, Image ID:516718168, Copyright: Jonathan Weiss, Editorial Credit: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com