Tyson Foods drops "no antibiotics ever" strategy

Why it matters: Overuse of certain antibiotics can contribute to antibiotic resistance in humans, but using animal-only antibiotics while growing flocks helps prevent common diseases.

Details: Ionophores, the class of antibiotics Tyson will use, help prevent coccidiosis, which causes diarrhea and welfare issues in chickens. The World Health Organization doesn't consider ionophores as important to human health.

The bottom line: The company said this spring it would cut its corporate workforce by 10% and its net income was down 60% in the fourth quarter of last year. It reported a 72% decline in profit for its first quarter of 2023.

Flashback: The company announced in 2015 that it would go to "no antibiotics ever" by 2017, which it did.

Disclosure: Reporter Worth Sparkman formerly worked at Tyson Foods.