Cargill says it will stop using controversial antibiotic in two turkey brands

Cargill, one of the nation's largest turkey producers, has made good on a promise to remove a key antibiotic used to prevent disease for its two largest brands.

Cargill will no longer use gentamicin to treat the turkeys under its Honeysuckle White and Shady Brook Farms brands. It is rolling out a new brand line called Honest ­Turkey for birds that won't be treated with any antibiotics at all.

Gentamicin stands out among medicines used in the poultry business because it is chiefly used to prevent disease. Growers use other antibiotics to treat disease.

As well, gentamicin drew scrutiny and criticism because it has also been approved for use in humans. Cargill and other firms are trying to reduce the use of so-called "shared class" medicines over worries they will be compromised in the future by the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Wayzata-based Cargill, which supplies large foodmakers with ingredients, started eliminating antibiotics in ­turkeys two years ago when it stopped using a growth-promoting antibiotic.

Antibiotics are commonly used in animal feed, but consumers have become increasingly leery of their use as antibiotic-resistant bacteria, called "superbugs," have been on the rise.

Several studies link the use of antibiotics in animals grown for food to these superbugs. Cargill witnessed this in 2011 when an antibiotic-resistant strain of salmonella was linked to its product, leading to a recall of 36 million pounds of ground turkey in the United States.

"As part of our decisionmaking process, we weighed the desires of our customers and consumers to ensure the long-term effectiveness of antibiotics for people and animals, while also maintaining our commitment to the health of turkeys raised for food," John Niemann, president of Cargill's Wichita-based turkey business, said in a statement. "When needed, we believe the judicious use of antibiotics in animal agriculture helps assure a safe food supply."