Set Your Operation Apart with Claims That Matter

When it comes to dining out, your guest’s next meal is more than a mere transaction. It’s a connection to the palate and your operation’s standards. While craveability matters, so does adherence to health and sustainability. Operations that commit to menuing poultry with “No Antibiotics Ever” and “100% Vegetarian Fed with No Animal By-products” claims can distinguish themselves from the competition.

No Antibiotics Ever

The “No Antibiotics Ever” claim refers to the commitment in poultry farming to raise the birds without the use of any antibiotics from the moment the egg is laid, through the hatchery phase and until the bird is processed. The practice helps to tackle growing concerns about antibiotic resistance when germs develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them.

“A large number of people believe they get enough antibiotics in their life and don’t want to consume a protein that contributes more,” says Mike Buononato, chef and Senior Vice President for Creative Food Solutions.¹

Antibiotic resistance is a top threat to public health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It causes more than 2 million infections and 23,000 deaths per year in the U.S.²

Consumers get it. Some 76% indicate that they are more likely to purchase No Antibiotics Ever poultry at restaurants, and 73% are willing to pay more for it, according to an online survey of 1,000 consumers representing the general population.³

And operators are listening to their customers. Some 69% of surveyed operators indicate that they are more likely to purchase NAE poultry, while 57% believe the claim would improve customer perceptions, and 58% of operators are willing to charge more for it.⁴

Shake Shack incorporates its ethos on premium ingredients under its Stand For Something Good initiative. As stated on its website, Shake Shack is committed to the “quality sourcing of ingredients in strict accordance with our industry-leading animal welfare practices.”⁵ 

100% Vegetarian Fed

The common adage “you are what you eat” applies to poultry too. The health of the chicken can be impacted by its diet. A 100% vegetarian diet with no animal by-products means no feather meal, bone meal or animal lard, among other potential mystery ingredients, are included.

“[O]ften the feed includes low-cost animal by-products, such as rendered bits leftover from processing—essentially everything else [that] can’t sell,” Buononato says. The feed could also “include bakery products, antibiotics and even fats skimmed off processing plant wastewater or recycled from used restaurant grease.”⁶

Conversely, a vegetarian diet appeals to consumers. According to the same 1000-person online consumer survey, 56% are likely to purchase poultry with an all-vegetarian fed claim with the top reason (37%) being that it is healthier to eat.³ All-vegetarian fed poultry is especially important to those who frequent the healthcare, college and university and casual dining restaurant segments.³

Among operators, 51% are more likely to purchase all-vegetarian fed poultry, and 52% indicate a willingness to charge more for it.⁴

Operators who embrace these healthy, sustainable values and make them part of their brand DNA can improve their visibility. Fast-casual chain Dog Haus includes an all-natural tab on its website where it states “The Dog Haus Difference: High quality ingredients with 100% all natural, vegetarian-fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free, never-ever meat.”⁷

Sourcing and promoting products featuring the No Antibiotics Ever and 100% Vegetarian Fed with No Animal By-products claims signals a promise to health and sustainability. This resonates with a growing demographic of discriminating diners who know what they want and are willing to pay for it. 

Sources

1. “Does ‘No Antibiotics’ Mean What You Think It Does? What Restaurants Should Know,” Perdue Foodservice, Dec. 1, 2021
2. “Antibiotic Resistance: A Global Threat,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, September 2018
3. Perdue Proprietary Consumer Research May 2022
4. Perdue Proprietary Operator Research July 2022
5. Stand For Something Good, Shake Shack
6. “The Truth About What ‘Veggie Fed’ Really Means — And Why It Matters,” Perdue Foodservice, Jan. 25, 2022
7. All Natural, Doghaus