Wal-Mart Stores called Friday for meat suppliers to their US operations to curb the use of antibiotics and follow globally recognised guidelines on humane treatment of farm animals. The push was directed at suppliers to Walmart US and Sam's Club, which counted on groceries for more than half of their annual revenues last year of $346 billion.
"Our customers want to know more about how their food is grown and raised, and where it comes from," said Kathleen McLaughlin, senior vice president of Walmart sustainability. "As the nation's largest grocer, Walmart is committed to using our strengths to drive transparency and improvement across the supply chain."
Key steps include asking suppliers to use antibiotics for treating ill livestock but not to promote growth, the world's largest retailer said. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company also wants the suppliers to provide an annual public report on antibiotic use. The announcement comes amid a major global push to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use, blamed for increasing the proliferation of drug-resistant bacteria, or "superbugs", that turn long-treatable diseases into killers. President Barack Obama rolled out measures in March aimed at fighting doctors' overprescription of antibiotics, aiming to slash their use by 50 percent for outpatients and 20 percent for inpatients.
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