Concern about the livestock industry's overuse of antibiotics has led a number of health care institutions to start choosing antibiotic-free meat, according to an article on the NPR website.
According to Practice Greenhealth, more than 400 U.S. hospitals are working toward a goal of making 20 percent of their meat purchases "antibiotic-free." Around a dozen hospitals have already switched the majority of their chicken purchases to antibiotic-free.
"Healthcare is really voicing their demand for [antibiotic-free meat] products," says Hillary Bisnett, a food expert for Practice Greenhealth and Health Care Without Harm. "Hospitals understand antibiotic resistance, and they're being asked to steward their own use of antibiotics.
Among the hospitals that have made antibiotic-free meat a priority for their food services is Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. But according to the hospital, it wasn't easy to figure out how to switch 100 percent of their chicken purchases to antibiotic-free.
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