Marketing Gimmicks

Poultry producer Sanderson Farms is defending its use of antibiotics with a new ad campaign.

While companies like Tyson and Perdue pledge to phase out antibiotics used to treat humans, Sanderson is rejecting public health concerns about antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In a press release, CEO Joe F. Sanderson, Jr. said the company wants to "expose marketing gimmicks."

"As long as scientific research indicates that antibiotics are safe and healthy, we'll continue to make the right decision when it comes to how we raise our chickens for our customers," Sanderson said in the release.

Bucking the Trend

One of the company's new ads, titled "The Truth About Chicken," features two farmers making fun of "raised without antibiotics" labels, claiming they are misleading because the FDA already requires all chickens to be clear of antibiotics before slaughter.

Health officials concerns, however, focus on consumers' exposure to resistant bacteria, not residual antibiotics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in a 2013 report that at least 23,000 Americans die from antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year and two million more become ill.

The report specifically linked two antibiotic-resistant bacteria to the overuse of antibiotics in animals and recommended phasing out non-medical use of the drugs.

Sanderson blames the threat of resistant bacteria on over-prescription of antibiotics in human medicine.

Read More:

• Poultry Producer Sanderson Farms Stands Its Ground: It's Proud to Use Antibiotics (New York Times)
• Sanderson Farms Wants Healthy-Not Antibiotic-Free-Chicken (Food Dive)
• Sanderson Farms CEO Resists Poultry-Industry Move to Curb Antibiotics (Wall Street Journal)