MANASQUAN, N.J. – Jersey Mike’s subs has announced it will switch to no antibiotics ever (NAE) pork at its more than 1,500 locations across the country. Hatfield, Pennsylvania-based Clemens Food Group will supply the fast-casual sub sandwich chain.

All of Jersey Mike’s ham products are Farm Promise brand and come from NAE, vegetarian-fed pork. Producers house the hogs in open group environments without gestation crates and never administer growth promotants, hormones or steroids to the animals.

“We are honored to be the first company of our size to launch NAE pork products nationwide in our restaurants,” Michael Manzo, chief operating officer, Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems Inc. said in a statement. “This falls in line with our commitment to offering top-quality ingredients and is a follow-up to our switch to antibiotic free turkey in 2017.”

Subs made with ham, prosciuttini and cappacuolo will now use antibiotic-free pork, including the sub chain’s top-sellers: #4 The Number Four (provolone, prosciuttini and cappacuolo), and #5 The Super Sub (Provolone, ham, prosciuttini and cappacuolo), as well as the basic kids’ meals.

In 2017, Technomic’s “Center of the Plate Beef and Pork Consumer Trend Report” stated 65 percent of consumers prefer proteins from animals raised humanely and 70 percent of shoppers say they are more likely to buy pork if it is labeled antibiotic free.

“All of Jersey Mike’s pork comes from family farms in the United States where farmers care deeply about the welfare of their animals, raising them in a safe, nurturing environment,” said Kiersten Hafer, vice president of marketing for Clemens Food Group.