chicken
A student involved in the UMass Chicken Group holds a chicken in this MassLive file photo.
(Shaina Mishkin / MassLive.com)
AMHERST -- Whether it's fried, grilled or rotisserie, the University of Massachusetts Amherst promises their white meat is free of antibiotics.
The flagship campus said Monday they will serve 100 percent antibiotic-free chicken in all of their dining service operations on campus.
The announcement comes following an April survey of 4,000 students who said responsible food sourcing was important to them.
UMass Dining Services is the largest dining service program in America, serving 6 million meals per year on campus, and is one of the first university dining programs to offer antibiotic free meat on such a large scale. The university estimates they serve 750,000 pounds of chicken and turkey each year.
"Switching to no-antibiotic-ever chicken is the right thing to do," says Ken Toong, executive director of Auxiliary Enterprises at UMass Amherst, told UMass News & Media Relations. "Not only are the students demanding it, but as the largest campus dining operation in the United States, we wanted to take a leadership role in the foodservice industry by making this pledge."