Protecting human health and the health of our animals is of the utmost importance and we are proud of our ongoing stewardship efforts:
Reducing the need for antibiotics – Reducing the need for antibiotics has been and continues to be important to us. We continue to focus our efforts on keeping our animals healthy so that antibiotics aren’t needed. We also continue to research ways to use products such as probiotics to maintain animal health and welfare for turkeys. In addition, veterinarians monitor and evaluate the health of all of our animals, as well as our antibiotic use, on an ongoing basis.
Responsible use of antibiotics — We comply with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s industry guidance that eliminates the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion. While we continue to make reductions in antibiotic use, we believe the responsible use of antibiotics includes the appropriate treatment of sick animals. When antibiotics are needed to properly care for an animal, only approved medications and dosage levels are used under the direction of a veterinarian. In addition, Hormel Foods has a leading animal welfare auditing program and ensuring the responsible use of antibiotics is a key part of that program.
Raised without antibiotics — Hormel Foods has invested in producing raised-without-antibiotics products. In fact, our purchase of Applegate is a significant commitment in this regard. Our Applegate® product portfolio is produced entirely from animals raised without antibiotics. If antibiotics are given to an animal, that animal does not enter the Applegate supply chain.