As part of the dining programme’s ongoing partnership with NatureRaised Farms, part of the Tyson Foods family of companies, UMass Dining is one of the first universities and the largest college and university foodservice programme in the country to take this groundbreaking pledge.

The decision was made following a 2015 survey (completed in April) of 4,000 UMass Amherst students, that revealed the student body believes in the importance of responsible food sourcing.

Currently, chicken is consumed more than any other protein source at UMass Amherst. In fiscal year 2015, UMass Dining began sourcing local, no-antibiotic-ever chicken and turkey, purchasing more than 30,000 pounds.

This new initiative will add to the local supply bringing total consumption of no-antibiotic-ever chicken and turkey to more than 750,000 pounds annually.

“Switching to no-antibiotic-ever chicken is the right thing to do,” said Ken Toong, executive director of Auxiliary Enterprises at UMass Amherst.

“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.

"We appreciate the support from Tyson Foods and we will continue to source healthier and more socially and environmentally responsible ingredients for our customers.”

Initial reactions from the campus community have been positive.

“The decision to serve no-antibiotic-ever chicken is exciting,” said junior psychology major Allison Whitelaw. “Having access to healthier dining options is important for everyone, and UMass Dining does a great job ensuring our campus eats well.”

UMass Dining is the largest dining programme in the nation and serves 45,000 meals per day, 6 million meals per year and has more than 18,000 people on a meal plan who dine at four residential dining commons and over 30 retail locations around campus.