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The Antibiotic Platform

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time. While Sweden has comparatively low levels of antibiotic use in food-producing animals, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) does not stop at national borders. Curbing this development requires coordinated action across multiple sectors. Therefore, between 2021 and 2025, The Antibiotic Platform brought together stakeholders from research, policy, and the food sector to accelerate progress against and strengthen practical solutions.

The Issue

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food production contribute to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance . Today, one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections worldwide is resistant to standard antibiotic treatment. At the same time, a significant share of global antibiotic use occurs in food-producing animals. However, in Sweden, only 10–15 percent of total sales are used in animal husbandry. Even though Sweden has demonstrated that antimicrobial use can be significantly reduced, while maintaining productivity, this isn’t enough to solve the problem with AMR.

Our Contribution

Through The Antibiotic Platform – From Farm to Fork, Axfoundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (KSLA) created an independent arena for dialogue and collaboration around antibiotic resistance in the food system.
The Platform aimed to:

  • translate global AMR goals and strategies – including those of WHO, FAO, and the United Nations – into practical action in a Swedish and Nordic context;
  • strengthen a One Health perspective, recognizing the links between animal, human, and environmental health;
  • bring together stakeholders who rarely meet – from farmers and food companies to investors, researchers, and policymakers – to identify barriers and workable solutions.

The Platform combined knowledge exchange with structured dialogue and policy engagement. Over time, this helped build a shared understanding of what responsible antibiotic use means in practice.

Four Facts About Antibiotics

  1. Globally, a larger volume of antibiotics is used for animals than for humans. In Sweden, the reverse applies. Thanks to proactive efforts, only about one-tenth of all antibiotics sold are used for animal husbandry.
  2. Overuse of antibiotics is a widespread problem in global food production. There is a clear connection between shortcomings in animal husbandry and extensive antibiotic use. The more antibiotics that are used, the greater the risk of bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics.
  3. Antibiotic resistance is one of the top ten threats to human health, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Approximately 1.2 million deaths annually are directly linked to resistant bacterial infections.
  4. Sweden has demonstrated that it is possible to significantly reduce antibiotic use in animal husbandry while maintaining production. Compared to many countries, Sweden has a very low average consumption. However, in several EU countries and countries outside the EU, the problem is significant. Efforts must be made in multiple areas and through collaboration across sectors and industries.

Results

The Antibiotic Platform contributed to broadening and deepening knowledge of antimicrobial resistance and responsible antimicrobial use among actors in business, academia, public authorities, and civil society. It strengthened understanding of how preventive animal health management, surveillance systems, regulatory frameworks, and business decisions are interlinked. The Platform also contributed to developments beyond its own activities:

  • Antibiotic resistance gained increased attention in investor dialogue. During the period, the Swedish AP Funds’ Council on Ethics identified antibiotic resistance as a focus area in its engagement with companies. Several major banks subsequently joined initiatives addressing the issue within ESG frameworks.
  • Axfoundation and KSLA provided input to Sweden’s National Strategy against Antimicrobial Resistance 2026–2035, adopted in 2025. The strategy clarifies the role of food production and primary producers in reducing resistance risks.
  • The Platform highlighted the need for continued proactive animal health management and improved data on animal health and antimicrobial use. Government proposals in 2024–2025 to strengthen the collection and sharing of animal health data respond directly to challenges raised in the Platform’s discussions.
  • Internationally, Axfoundation contributed – through the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform – to recommendations presented at the UN High-Level Meeting on AMR in 2024.

Knowledge-Building Activities – Selected Examples

Between 2021 and 2025, The Antibiotic Platform organized seminars, roundtables, and dialogues on topics including:

  • drivers for change –efforts to decrease inappropriate use of antibiotics in animal production
  • animal health data and governance,
  • environmental aspects of antibiotic manufacturing,
  • the role of financial markets in addressing AMR,
  • trade, procurement, and supply chain responsibility.

Publications and podcast episodes were also produced in collaboration with KSLA.

Recordings and summaries from several of these events are available in Swedish.

Key Learnings

The Platform’s dialogues and collective experience have generated several key lessons on how to successfully address antimicrobial resistance.

One Health requires a systems approach

AMR cannot be addressed in isolated sectors. Measures related to animal welfare, biosecurity, vaccination, diagnostics, procurement, sourcing, trade, investment decisions, and pharmaceutical manufacturing are interconnected. When incentives are misaligned or transparency is lacking, progress stalls.

Data drives improvement

Reliable data on animal health and antimicrobial use are essential for accountability, benchmarking, and policy development. When data is accessible and linked to feedback, it becomes a tool for improvement rather than an administrative burden.

Simplified claims do not solve complex problems

Labels such as “antibiotic-free” risk being misleading and do not necessarily promote responsible antimicrobial stewardship. A more nuanced approach is needed, focusing on preventive animal health management, with a focus on animal husbandry and the selective treatment of clinically ill animals under veterinary oversight.

Read the full learnings and recommendations from The Antibiotic Platform (in Swedish).

Recommendations

Public Authorities

  • Strengthen animal health and antimicrobial use data.
  • Support industry-wide collaboration for responsible antimicrobial use.
  • Integrate antimicrobial criteria into public food procurement policies.

Food Companies and Producers

  • Prioritize preventive animal health.
  • Set clear requirements and provide support for responsible antimicrobial use throughout the supply chain. Use the Antibiotic Criteria 2.0 or equivalent standards.
  • Collaborate in joint industry forums to share knowledge and strengthen the value chain.

Pharmaceutical Companies

  • Integrate environmental discharge limits into commercial agreements.
  • Align with established international standards for responsible manufacturing and link them to reporting.

Public Sector (Healthcare and Regional Authorities)

  • Use food procurement as a lever to promote responsible antibiotic use and high animal welfare standards.

Investors

  • Recognize AMR as a material financial and systemic risk.
  • Request AMR strategies and reporting from portfolio companies.
  • Use established frameworks and initiatives, such as FAIRR and the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform.

The Work Continues

After five years of collaboration, The Antibiotic Platform has concluded. The work continues through the respective initiatives of Axfoundation and KSLA.
Axfoundation continues through:

  • The Antibiotic Criteria – a tool enabling the food sector to set and follow up requirements on antibiotic use, and animal welfare in meat, dairy and seafood supply chains.
  • The Antibiotic Dialogue – a supplier dialogue group supporting food companies in the practical implementation of responsible antimicrobial use in animal husbandry.
  • Updates on Antibiotics “Antibiotikaspaningen” – a news update in Swedish covering antibiotics, trade, and animal welfare, produced by veterinarian and AMR expert Jenny Lundström.

KSLA continues its role as a meeting place for science and practice. Current activities related to antibiotic resistance are published in KSLA’s calendar.

Partners

The Antibiotic Platform was initiated and jointly led by Axfoundation and KSLA between 2021 and 2025. The Platform convened stakeholders from across the food system: farmers, food companies, retailers, public authorities, academia, investors and policymakers.

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