OAKLAND, Calif. – Chili’s and Maggiano’s, which are subsidiaries of Brinker International, will operate under recently updated animal welfare standards that eliminate the use of medically important antibiotics in restaurants’ chicken supply chains, with exceptions for treatment and non-routine control of diagnosed illness.

The company credits nonprofit As You Sow as a driving force behind the changes it made to its chicken product line. As You Sow filed a shareholder resolution with Brinker in May 2018 and asked the company to adopt a policy to phase out use of medically important antibiotics.

Brinker said it would continue to work with the group to fully phase-out drugs in its chicken supply chain and extend the policy to all meat sources.

“We are encouraged by the company’s commitment to reducing routine use of medically important antibiotics in its chicken supply chains,” said Christy Spees, environmental health manager of As You Sow. “While the commitment is not yet a guarantee (given its lack of strict requirements or deadlines), the company’s willingness to work with its suppliers to eliminate overuse of antibiotics in its chicken supply is ultimately a positive step forward for public health.”