McDonald's has not committed to stop using antibiotics-treated poultry in China, after making a vow to ban the practice in the United States, raising concerns about double standards.

In a McDonald's statement sent to the Global Times on Sunday, the multinational store admitted that the use of antibiotics to treat animal diseases cannot be avoided. The company stated that it has instructed its Chinese suppliers to comply strictly with the rules and regulations of China when administering antibiotics to livestock.

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McDonald's posted a statement on its official US website on Aug. 1 that it is "completing a major commitment to only serve chicken not treated with antibiotics important to human medicine nearly a year ahead of schedule."

The move was made in response to petitions filed by consumer groups calling for the fast food giant to stop using antibiotics on its chicken. The ban, which was only limited in the United States, has sparked anger among Chinese consumers, who have criticized McDonald's discriminatory policy.

While protesters are making a point, McDonald's, on the other hand, is legally doing nothing wrong as China has not imposed a law on the use of antibiotics in food ingredients, ECNS reported.

Zhu Yi, an associate professor of food safety at the China Agricultural University, said that for now, completely banning the use of antibiotics is impractical for China. He noted that 98 percent of China's current regulations for veterinary drug residues in meat are equal or even better than international standards, according to Global Times. If the safety laws on the use of antibiotics is strictly complied by producers, Zhu claimed that there will be no difference between the chicken served by McDonald's in China and the United States.

TagsMcdonalds, McDonald's China, food safety law, antibiotics, animal antibiotics