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The history of Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A, one of the largest family-owned restaurant chains in the U.S., rose from humble beginnings as a small diner in a suburb of Atlanta.
Chick-fil-A announced that it would be shifting from antibiotic-free chicken starting this spring, citing supply reasons, in an update shared Thursday.
"To maintain supply of the high-quality chicken you expect from us, Chick-fil-A will shift from No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine (NAIHM) starting in the Spring of 2024," the announcement read.
No specific deadline has yet to be announced for the change to roll out.
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According to the Chick-fil-A website, NAE means no antibiotics of any kind were used in the raising of the animal, while NAIHM "restricts the use of those antibiotics that are important to human medicine and commonly used to treat people, and allows use of animal antibiotics only if the animal and those around it were to become sick."
Chick-fil-A had previously switched to antibiotic-free chicken in 2014, eventually meeting its goal of serving antibiotic-free chicken at all chain restaurants in 2019.
In this photo illustration, a Chick-fil-A meal is displayed at a Chick-fil-A restaurant on June 01, 2023 in Novato, California. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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"As we looked to the future, the availability of high-quality chicken that meets our rigid standards became a concern. This change enables us to not only ensure we can continue to serve high-quality chicken, but also chicken that still meets the expectations our customers count on us to deliver," a Chick-fil-A spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.
The announcement was sent to app users as well, according to Reuters.
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Panera Bread also recently switched from its antibiotic-free policy in its pork and turkey products, writing that the policy limited its supply chain options, according to documents obtained by Reuters.
Tyson Foods announced last summer that it was also reintroducing certain antibiotics to its chicken supply chain, having previously gone antibiotic-free in 2017.
Reuters contributed to this report