Arcos Dorados Prohibits the Use of Antibiotics for Growth Promotion in Animals

Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO), which franchises McDonald’s restaurants in 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries, announced its continued commitment to the responsible use of antibiotics in food animals including measures to limit their use.

“Good food comes from healthy animals living on a sustainable planet. We want to make sure we protect the health of animals in our supply chain, while helping to safeguard the future effectiveness of antibiotics,” said Leonardo Lima, Sustainability Director for Arcos Dorados.

Arcos Dorados will only source food from suppliers who guarantee their animals are raised with the following principals:

• Prohibit the use of antibiotics to promote animal growth.
• Prohibit the use of antibiotics in food animals that are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “critically important” to human medicine and not approved for veterinary use.
• All antibiotic treatments of animals to cure or prevent disease must be prescribed and overseen by a veterinarian.
• Encourage healthy animal welfare and husbandry conditions, to help reduce the need for antibiotic use.

Arcos Dorados will work with its suppliers of beef, chicken, pork and dairy to ensure these principles are followed. “As the operator of more than 2,000 McDonald’s in 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, we will continue working closely with our partners on this important issue,” said Horacio Sbrolla, Vice-President for Supply Chain, Arcos Dorados.

This policy, fully in line with McDonald’s global vision, includes following the WHO categorization of antibiotics, defined as critical, highly important, and important to human medicine. The policy aims to contribute to the preservation of the effectiveness of antimicrobial treatments in the future through ethical practices today.

About Arcos Dorados

Arcos Dorados is the world’s largest McDonald’s franchisee in terms of systemwide sales and number of restaurants, operating the largest quick service restaurant (“QSR”) chain in Latin America and the Caribbean. It has the exclusive right to own, operate and grant franchises of McDonald’s restaurants in 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries and territories, including Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. The Company operated or franchised 2,086 McDonald’s-branded restaurants with over 95,000 employees serving approximately 4.3 million customers a day, as of September 2014. Recognized as one of the best companies to work for in Latin America, Arcos Dorados is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ARCO). To learn more about the Company, please visit the Investors section of our website: www.arcosdorados.com/ir.