Though Ugandans and chicken consumers worldwide have known this for many years, local poultry farmers have caught the bug and are treating chicken with human antibiotics which has trickle down benefits for consumers in poorly regulated Uganda.
Studies done in Uganda where the health-conscious middle class who prefer Kentucky Fried Chicken’s lean white meat to the cholesterol-rich red meat recently found that poultry farmers prefer human antibiotics because they can easily buy them over the counter, and that they are normally cheaper than veterinary formulations.
KFC the world’s largest quick service chicken restaurant franchise in Uganda is open in 6 locations;Drive Thru Bukoto, Oasis Mall Kampala, Acacia Mall Kisementi, Village Mall Bugolobi, Victoria Mall Entebbe and Shell Kabalagala.
Of course it doesn’t necessarily mean these mainly medium-and large-scale chicken rearing farms like Biyinzika Poultry, unregistered ones in Mukono, Wobulenzi or Mbarara supply the company that owns KFC because it definitely import.
Retail chicken in Kampala, Wakiso among other major towns is not only highly contaminated, but that it also contained potentially pathogenic multidrug-resistant strains of E coli.
Scientists say farmers are arbitrarily giving the birds antibiotics to stimulate growth in order to get them to reach “the slaughter weight within 35 days of hatching,” and prevent illness in confined flocks.
A common practice among broiler chicken producers in urban areas is to add antibiotics to the commercial feeds or drinking water of the birds, thereby unnecessarily exposing them to human medicines.
Many scientists believe that the results from the study are just the tip of the iceberg, and that the problem is bigger and not confined to Kampala, but affects other parts of East Africa also.
However KFC is facing new calls to stop using poultry that has been treated with antibiotics.
US consumer groups will deliver a petition signed by more than 350,000 people to Yum Brands on Wednesday.
KFC has already promised to limit the use of human antibiotics in its chicken by next year.
However, critics claim the policy effectively allows for routine use of antibiotics by its chicken suppliers.
A KFC spokesperson said it was reviewing whether it could force suppliers to go beyond Food and Drug Administration rules on antibiotics usage.
“KFC is lagging woefully behind – diners around the country want KFC to step up,” said Lena Brook of the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is one of the groups delivering petitions to KFC headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky.
The action comes a day after Yum investors submitted a proposal asking that the company to speed up plans to stop using antibiotics in its meat.
Other Yum brand chains – Taco Bell and Pizza Hut – plan to cut the use of chicken treated with antibiotics by early next year.
Medical experts warn that the routine use of antibiotics to promote growth and prevent illness in farm animals contributes to the rise of drug-resistant “superbug” infections that kill at least 23,000 Americans each year and represent a significant threat to global health.
Fast food restaurants have become a focal point for change in the food industry by forcing suppliers to change their practices.
Last week McDonald’s said it had switched to antibiotic-free chickens in the US and Canada.
Chick-fil-A, another big US fast food chicken chain, has promised to use only antibiotic-free chickens by 2019.
