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Mayor and supervisors back ordinance asking large grocers to disclose antibiotic use in meat
Summary
Supervisors introduced and the mayor endorsed an ordinance asking large grocery chains to disclose antibiotic‑use practices for meat and poultry sold in San Francisco as a public‑health "right to know" measure aimed at combating antibiotic resistance.
Supervisors introduced an ordinance that would require large grocery chains to disclose antibiotic use and supplier policies for meat and poultry products sold in San Francisco.
A sponsor framed the measure as a public‑health 'right to know' tool aimed at curbing antibiotic‑resistant infections, citing World Health Organization findings about the shrinking effectiveness of antibiotics. The sponsor said federal and state responses were inadequate and that the city is taking a preventive, information‑gathering approach.
Mayor Ed Lee spoke in support, calling the ordinance a modest preventive step that would help the city better understand antibiotic use in the supply chain and inform future action. The sponsor credited data and technical support from the Department of the Environment, the Department of Public Health, and the National Resources Defense Council.
Committee members agreed to proceed; the item proceeded to a signing/ceremony portion of the meeting before the committee moved to closed session on unrelated settlement items.
