Wendy's Has A Specific Goal For Its Beef, Which It Hopes To Reach By 2030

American burger giant Wendy's has a very specific goal for its beef. And it has nothing to do with upgrading the Dave's Single, which is the absolute best burger on the Wendy's menu. According to their website, the target is to ensure that by 2030, all of their beef in America and Canada "will be sourced from suppliers that prohibit the routine use of medically important antibiotics". This is a part of Wendy's commitment to sourcing beef responsibly — a long-standing mission that dates back to 2001, when they set up the Animal Welfare Council.

Over 4 million burgers are sold in America every day, and Wendy's, along with quick service behemoths like McDonald's and Burger King, are responsible for a sizable chunk of those sales. Unlike many fast food restaurants, Wendy's has always taken pride in serving fresh, never-frozen beef, at least at their American and Canadian outlets. In 2016, they introduced an added long-term goal to eliminate the use of antibiotics in their protein as well. To this end, they put their protein supply chain under the microscope.

"Wendy's has long believed that achieving greater supply chain visibility is key to meaningfully reducing antibiotic use within our supply chain," their website states. "We aim to increase visibility beyond our direct suppliers to their suppliers who are responsible for animal care and handling." The firm has been engaging with beef producers, and since 2020, they've ordered over 30% of their beef from like-minded producers, who committed to cutting antibiotic used in fed cattle by at least 20%.

Their goal of cutting antibiotic use isn't restricted to beef. In 2020, Wendy's set up the Animal Care Standards Program (ACSP), with a mission to document the best practices in their supply chains in the U.S. and Canada across beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and dairy. Wendy's has over 20,000 farms and facilities in their supply chain. "This figure underscores the complexity of our supply chain and the importance of continuing to engage and build relationships with our direct and indirect suppliers who can help us overcome barriers to progress," the company says on its website.

Antibiotics have been a part of the animal husbandry industry since the early 1950s. They're largely used to ensure farm animals, often reared in poor conditions, remain disease-free. The flipside, however, is that residue of these antibiotics routinely make it onto our plates, which comes with consequences. According to research published on the National Institute of Health website, the use of antibiotics is important, not just for breeders, but in terms of food safety as well. According to studies, "the antibiotics remain in milk, meat, and eggs even after heat treatment, and lead to the development of gastrointestinal disorders and allergies in humans". Not just that, humans are also becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotic therapy.

While fast food beef suppliers are being called out over antibiotic use, the fact remains that any solution requires efforts from experts in several fields, from agriculture to veterinary medicine. Wendy's is involved with both the American and Canadian Roundtables for Sustainable Beef, which are multi-stakeholder initiatives seeking continuous improvement across the supply chain.