Chicken shit and other delicacies
The recent furore over the level of campylobacter in chicken meat in New Zealand has been interesting (and gross!) to watch. Sue Kedgley has been active on this issue for some time, and it’s great that it’s now getting the national exposure that it deserves.
Campbell Live last night featured an interview with one of the scientists involved in the Otago University research and a representative from the poultry industry, during which some tricky questions were asked, including why so much bacteria ends up in the meat, when it only naturally occurs in the intestine and faeces.
Meanwhile Sue K is calling for the Food Standards Authority to take its responsibility to prevent the sale of food that is contaminated or unfit for human consumption seriously, and stop putting the onus on consumers to protect themselves when the industry clearly needs to be cleaned up.
July 12th, 2006 at 8:16 am
(as a vegan) i was quite keen on the imagry sure to be evoked by chook-munchers at the sight of the piece in the nz herald titled “..chickens dripping with disease..”..
(as i noted elsewhere..an image to wrestle with..eh..?..)
there were two threads to my approval…one being that this news will be the tipping-point for many considering the animal-free option for their dining/diet…
the other ..of course..was a dollop of schadenfreude….
(just for seasoning..eh..?..)
so..(paying due consideration/respect to the (recently) late syd barrett)..
“don’t shine on…you crazy chicken-munchers”…
(and ’scuse me while i continue to push my barrow..)
but..of course you all know that most of the ‘environmental problems’ on the planet will be cured/fixed when we all stop chowing-down on those sentient beings with whom we share(?) this planet….?..eh..?
repeat….and hold that thought…!
then look around in your own lives…and see how much of a difference you could make…and how much unnecessary suffering you could ‘end’..
by just taking the easy steps of going vegetarian..and then vegan…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
July 12th, 2006 at 8:54 am
And tell us, Mr Campbell, just how do you pronounce “campylobacter”?
July 17th, 2006 at 10:24 am
As a result of all that publicity, free-range corn-fed chickens at the supermarket, normally costing about $12, were on special for $4.95 because no one was buying chicken. Thanks Sunday Star-Times!
July 17th, 2006 at 10:45 am
Free range, corn fed chickens are kept in better conditions while they are alive than non-free range chickens (see http://www.tegelchicken.co.nz), but I dispute whether they are any better from a human health point of view. They are probably slaughtered at the same high line speed as conventional chickens and in the same slaughterhouses. So they will be just as likely to contain Campylobacter, and will suffer just as much from the slaughter process.
July 17th, 2006 at 11:20 am
I can’t believe that people are suggesting that the solution to food being contaminated as a result of industrial production is to ban all chickens that haven’t been through another stage of industrial production (freezing).
The healthiest, nicest, food is usually the kind that’s been through as simple and short as possible a process from crop or animal to plate.
It strikes me that general food standards in NZ are far too low and need improving - I think this might result from an old tradition that the good stuff goes for export and we get the rejects. Why is it that veggies here are often starting to rot and sprout on the shelves?
Any everyone blames Tescos and Sainsburys in the UK for all evils - but at least they stamp on their suppliers and *demand* quality food..
July 23rd, 2006 at 2:34 am
1. We have a world high rate of campylobacter and related infections
2. We have wall to wall advertising of products such as Ajax
3. the pretty lady uses the SAME SPONGE in the Kitchen, Laundry and Bathroom
If the Advertising Standards people could just be pro-active instead of reactive
we could achieve great things…