UK grocers need robust action to tackle antibiotic use in supply chains, warns new report

No supermarkets in the UK have strong enough policies to ensure that their suppliers fully mitigate irresponsible use of antibiotics on farms, flags an assessment made by the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics (ATSOA). While some retailers welcome the findings, others say they might “challenge” the assessment for incorrect information.

The campaigners say the report points to a lack of initiative among retailers to ensure suppliers’ compliance with national legislation, which prohibits antibiotic use to compensate for low animal welfare practices.

According to the WHO, antimicrobial resistance is a leading global public health and development issue. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants have already led to some infection-causing severe bacteria developing resistance to most or all available treatments.

Cóilín Nunan, policy and science manager at the ATSOA, says: “It is no longer legal to use antibiotics to prop up farming methods that are causing animals to fall sick. So to avoid misusing antibiotics and to keep animals healthy, supermarkets must now take strong and urgent action to improve animal husbandry and welfare.”

“Little to no progress” in branded foods

ATSOA’s report ranks supermarkets against various standards, such as policies targeting antibiotic use, produce covered within those policies and efforts to monitor usage within supply chains. The ten supermarkets assessed are Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, Morrisons, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.

The findings state that although some major supermarkets have contributed to reductions in antibiotic use in the past decade as animal welfare concerns gain steam, most policies cover own-brand foods. Little to no progress has been made by companies to cover branded products, which can comprise meat, fish, dairy or egg imports.

The report highlights bad hygiene, high stress and avoidable diseases among pigs and poultry in major retailer supply chains.Moreover, the report highlights bad hygiene, high stress and avoidable diseases among pigs and poultry in major retailer supply chains, contributing to higher antibiotic use levels.

Devina Sankhla, food policy advisor at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), says: “BRC members work closely with farmers and suppliers and advocate the principles set by the Responsible Use of Medicines Alliance in Agriculture to ensure antibiotics are responsibly used in food production. They are also part of the Food Industry Initiative on Antimicrobials, which is focused on responsible antibiotic use in livestock farming.”

“Suppliers must follow all legal requirements on the acceptable use of antibiotics, balancing animal welfare with the reduction and refinement of antibiotic use in UK agriculture.”

Antibiotics usage and consumer trust

Despite the BRC’s statement, the alliance notes that most supermarkets still sell fast-growing breeds of broiler chickens, which need six to nine times more antibiotics per bird than slower-growing breeds. Only M&S limits broiler sales to slower-growing ones, and Waitrose says it will do so starting in 2026.

A Waitrose spokesperson tells Food Ingredients First: “We work hand-in-hand with our farmers, so welcome the news that we publish the most comprehensive antibiotic-use data and the recognition of our high animal welfare standards.”

“We continue to work with brands to provide even greater transparency and are making solid progress with the Better Chicken Commitment and championing animal welfare. This is made possible by our strong relationships with farmers—including paying a fair price—so we can offer quality food at great value that our customers can trust.”

ATSOA notes that M&S and Morrisons are the only supermarkets that have entirely banned antibiotic colistin, a “last-resort” antibiotic in human medicine. Morrisons says it is “aligned” with the BRC response. Additionally, M&S outperforms other grocery giants regarding having a responsible antibiotic use policy in the report.ATSOA notes that M&S and Morrisons are the only supermarkets that have entirely banned antibiotic colistin.

The coalition calls for Sainsbury to “cease using fast-growing breeds of chickens, move to later weaning of piglets and end all routine tail docking of piglets in its supply chain.” It notes that the grocer has made “good progress” toward antibiotic-reduction targets.

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s tells us that the report’s claims about the retailer using antibiotics to compensate for poor standards are “incorrect.”

“Under no circumstances do we use antibiotics in our supply chains to compensate for poor hygiene, farming practices or inadequate animal husbandry. This is in line with UK legislation. At Sainsbury’s, we understand that improving animal welfare leads to lower antibiotic use and that we have an important role to play in promoting responsible use.”

Food Ingredients First has contacted other supermarkets featured in the report for their response to the findings.