“No Antibiotics Ever” label for poultry set to ruffle feathers on food claims

13 Apr 2022 --- Vertically integrated poultry company Cooks Venture and Food In-Depth have created a QR code-backed “No Antibiotics Ever” label for poultry, endorsed by the US Drug Administration. 

Many claims have not been backed by testing, with about 1% of US meat supply tested each year by the US Department of Agriculture. Most labels are supported by affidavits and periodic farm audits.

FoodID’s “No Antibiotics Ever” tested labels will be featured on Cook Venture’s pasture-raised chicken products sold in the US. A testing kit identifies seven drug families representing many common antibiotics and adulterants administered via feed and water.

“No person should have to question a label’s claims on their food packaging. Integrity, quality and transparency are core to the mission,” says Kevin Lo, CEO, FoodID.

Being fully transparent through labeling
The “No Antibiotics Ever” label includes a QR code to provide full transparency on drug families examined, current testing statistics, and additional Cooks Venture-specific testing data. The FoodID Tested label provides customers with the assurance that the “No Antibiotics Ever” claims on the poultry they are buying are backed by scientific testing. 

A literature review carried out by Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality shows that sustainability labels and classifications can positively impact consumer acceptance and raise awareness. Still, they are not yet driving more sustainable consumer behavior.

The research posits that a more significant impact could happen by combining labels and labeling systems, linking them to other drivers of behavior and emphasizing other benefits such as health. For example, traffic-light labels (such as the green-yellow-red health score) make it easier for consumers to choose a sustainable option.

Backing up claims with factsThrough testing the undesirable effects of improper antibiotic use can be identified and reduced.
FoodID has provided regular on-site testing at Cooks Venture since 2020 to ensure the “no antibiotics” labels are verified and transparent. According to the companies, lax verification and enforcement undermine many of these labels.

“In partnering with FoodID, Cooks Venture has independent, scientifically verified data to prove that our claims are what we say they are – we never use antibiotics and our chickens are non-GMO,” says Matthew Wadiak, CEO and founder, Cooks Venture. 

Cooks Venture is committed to regenerative agriculture practices and breeding heritage such as heirloom birds in better health than conventional livestock.

“Animal agriculture accounts for more than 70% of total antibiotic use in the country and leads directly to antibiotic resistance in people. We’ve taken the initiative to validate our work so our customers can be confident in our claims and know they are eating nutritious, high-quality meat from a verified source,” says Wadiak.

Advocating against superbug resistance
Currently, 70% of the antibiotics used in the US are given to animals raised for food, the companies report. 

Excessive and improper use of antibiotics in livestock production is accelerating antimicrobial or “superbug” resistance in humans, which was termed “one of the biggest public health challenges of our time” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Label testing is key to identifying and reducing the unwanted impacts of improper antibiotics use and ensuring the integrity of food claims.

More than half of US consumers are willing to pay a premium for clean label-ready meals and want to learn about technologies that help limit the number of additives and preservatives needed. This is according to a survey and choice experiments study led by researchers from Washington State University.

The researchers found that 56% of survey respondents exhibited positive reactions when asked if they preferred foods with both a clean label and information about the new technology used. However, around 39% of respondents in the survey group who were presented with just the clean label – without any information about latest technology used – were not willing to pay more.

Concerns about food quality are ballooning, not just in the US. The latest results of the EIT Food Trust Report surveying 20,326 consumers across 18 European countries reveal that less than half (48%) trust food manufacturers and authorities.

Edited by Inga de Jong