The Certified Responsible Antibiotic Use Standard

The Certified Responsible Antibiotic Use (CRAU) standard helps schools, hospitals, and other institutions choose poultry produced in a way that can help slow the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

To meet the CRAU standard, poultry producers must minimize their use of antibiotics that are important in human medicine. This helps reduce overall antibiotic use and ultimately slow the growth of drug-resistant superbugs that threaten human health worldwide.

Additionally, CRAU requires that antibiotics be used only when prescribed by a licensed veterinarian. It is the first and only industry standard addressing responsible antibiotic use for which conformance will be verified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Two of the nation’s leading poultry producers now offer CRAU chicken, which many of the country’s major school districts have committed to purchasing and serving. Chicken is the protein most frequently served in schools.