CHICAGO — McDonald’s Corp. updated its antibiotics policy in December after a two-year delay. The revised policy calls for reduced antibiotic usage.

McDonald's is following guidelines set out by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organization for Animal Health and other public and animal health groups.

“Our targets focus on the responsible use of medically important antibiotics and are aligned with WHO Guidelines on AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance),” McDonald’s wrote in its policy. “Our policy does not permit the routine use of medically important antibiotics for the purpose of growth promotion or the habitual use of antibiotics for disease prevention. Reduction, where possible without adverse effects on animal health and welfare, remains an intended outcome of our commitment.”

The company has established market-specific targets for the responsible use of antibiotics for 10 in-scope markets, representing over 80% of its global beef supply chain.

In 2023, McDonald’s plans to share an update on its antibiotic usage.

“As one of the world’s largest food companies, it’s very pleasing to see McDonald’s collaboratively doing its part to advance practices related to the responsible use of antibiotics, as well as leveraging learnings from The Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance in establishing market-appropriate responsible use targets,” said Cat McLaughlin, chair of Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance. “We applaud McDonald’s approach, which demonstrates a solid commitment to protecting and improving the health and welfare of animals and is supportive of industry-wide data collection to continue refining antibiotic use across beef industries.”

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) criticized McDonald’s for failing to detail a rollout plan or a completion date to ensure accountability across the supply chain.

“Despite the urgency of the global antibiotic resistance crisis, McDonald’s chose optics over substance with its new beef policy update,” said Lena Brook, director of food campaigns at NRDC. “This is especially disappointing given that McDonald’s is the largest beef buyer in the world and that the health threat posed by antibiotic resistant bacteria continues unabated.”

In NRDC’s latest rankings of fast-casual restaurants’ policy commitments, McDonald’s earned a C grade for its previous policy. The group called McDonald’s updated policy a “new, weaker approach.”