Most top fast food chains in the United States continue to sell beef produced with routine antibiotic use, earning them poor grades in the fifth annual Chain Reaction scorecard released October 31st by six major consumer, public health and environmental organizations. This is a stark contrast to the stunning antibiotic success story that has unfolded across the chicken industry in the past decade, driven in large part by meaningful policies adopted by fast food companies.

Leading public health experts have long warned that curbing overuse of these drugs in livestock is essential to combating the growing epidemic of antibiotic-resistant infections in people and animals. In the absence of federal action, leadership in the marketplace is critical to solving this problem.

It was produced by NRDC, Consumer Reports, Food Animal Concerns Trust, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Center for Food Safety and ARAC. This was ARAC's first year as a co-author. Read the executive summary and the report.