McDonald’s has announced that it will reduce, though not eliminate, the use of antibiotics in its beef. It plans to reduce the antibiotics that are important to human health in 10 countries from which it sources the majority of its beef, reports CNN.

“McDonald’s recognizes that antibiotic use is under continuous review by scientists, regulatory bodies and non-profit organizations worldwide. As acknowledged by World Health Organization Guidelines on Use of Medically Important Antimicrobials in Food Producing Animals (Policy Brief November 2017), ‘overuse and misuse of antibiotics in animals and humans is contributing to the raising threat of antibiotic resistance.’ Globally, McDonald’s position on antibiotic use is one of responsible use, where effective treatment includes selection of the most narrow spectrum antibiotic based upon identification of causes and associated susceptibility pattern/profile,” the company says in its antibiotics policy document.

The company plans to conduct regional pilot tests to determine a baseline use of antibiotics in each of the 10 countries, which are Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, UK, Canada, USA and Brazil. It will then establish country-specific targets to reduce the use of antibiotics by 2020.

Source: CNN, McDonald’s Corp.