£1.99 Chicken from Tesco

[beanie]

Its not just the fact it has suffered but its also the standard of the meat. Extensively reared chicken is fullof water and other crap to makeit look nicer, and also has been geneticallymodified to grow at a stupidly fast rate. A few more pounds buys a better quality meat which is better for you. Everyone has a right to choose but I do feel that the more this kid of thing is discussed themore people will think to themselves about what they are outting in their mouths.

Someone compared it to organic veg, which I see as a different arguement. First of all its not a welfare issue, an organic carrot has't necessarily suffered less then a bog standard one, (do we have any fructarians on the forum ) The research into the benefits into organic fruit and veg are varied, some types of veg yes it is better to eat organic but there are others were research has shown it does'tmakemuch differece. So if I can't afford the organic veg (which I very rarely can) we tend to do use normalstuff.

 

[Lou]

Yeah beanie we don't buy organic veg either. I wash all my veg before I cook it and tbh I don't see what the diference is It's something I know naff all about Isn't it just 'normal' is grown with chemical fertiliser and organic is grown with natural fertiliser? Don't laugh if I'm wrong

 

[jenni32]

I buy organic veg if we eat the skin of something, buy ordinary veg if we peel it. Non organic veg is sprayed with chemical pesticides during growing.

 

[mandspice]

And its that attitude that keeps the £1.99 in the supermarkets. I'm not knocking you mummykay, its your perogative, but all the while there is a part of society without a conscience then nothing will change. Unfortunately [/quote]

It doesn’t have to be about not having a conscience – as I said before, we’re all only human and we adapt our conscience to suit our needs sometimes (unless we’re saints). Someone may buy a free range chicken as they don’t agree with conditions for non free rang birds but that same person may also buy illegal DVDs, download music from the net without paying or something similar.

And, can anyone honestly say they know which chickens / meat / ingredients are used when they eat out?

 

[Jen & Her Men]

Morning everyone!

Just catching up on the debate!! Thanks for the apology kirlykird - dont worry about it I know things can be taken the wrong way on here and things tend to get a bit heated!

Tillytots. My battered sausage comment was mainly tongue in cheek!! I was making a point and using an extreme to make it!!! I dont think that a battered sausage is more healthy than battery chicken, my point was is that people buy battery chicken thinking that its a healthy option (often through naievity as they dont realise what actually happens to a battery chicken and how they are reared) when in fact the nutritional value of one in pretty pants in all honesty.

I wont be teaching James that he should be eating battered sausage
rather than battery chicken!!! It was just an example to get a point across. Clearly it was a bit of a crap one!!!

Gotta run cos my dog is throwing up....lovely.....

 

[Lou]

But if you know that buying a cheap chicken means it has suffered then if you can live with that on your conscience fair enough, but if you do care a little then thats fair enough too, don't buy it! I am pretty open minded you know!

 

[Jen & Her Men]

And, can anyone honestly say they know which chickens / meat / ingredients are used when they eat out?

No it is really difficult but I think from my perspective I do what I can and arm myself with as much info as poss so that I can make the right choices when I do eat out etc and always ask if they are serving free range chicken if im considering that option.

I think its often ignorance that causes these things to happen. I will hold my hands up and admit that I didnt know a lot about how battery chickens were treated until the recent publicity surrounding it and its certainly stopping me from buying and i think thats the key. If people take a bit more responsibility to educate themselves about what they are putting in their mouths then im sure that a lot of the cruelty to animals would naturally slow down as people would pursue alternatives if they had all the facts.

 

[PinkPunch]

yes it is a shame that chickens die inhumanely but for me, the most important part is that my family gets fed?

Of course, family comes first. But buying a decent chicken won't make your family starve

 

[jenna]

we only buy free range/ organic chickens now. Its at least £6 for a medium size one. The texture is different but to me they taste the same. If we cant afford it then we go without or buy a smaller one. It makes me feel ill to see smart price chickens

 

[Lou]

All this talk about chicken and sausages and not being informed about what we eat reminded me of when I found out whats in tinned hotdog sausages....mechanically recovered chicken They basically jet wash the carcasses I think they use this meat for alot of other things too

 

[Jen & Her Men]

All this talk about chicken and sausages and not being informed about what we eat reminded me of when I found out whats in tinned hotdog sausages....mechanically recovered chicken They basically jet wash the carcasses I think they use this meat for alot of other things too

I know!! Its GROSS!! DH and i havent touched a hotdog since we found out what they are made of and how they are made. <Shudder>

 

[Babylicious]

Paris won't be having hot dogs any more

 

[emma28]

Wow, I've just read through this whole thread!!

I think Chezzabells eye rolling was just that everyone got so heated about a chicken....still, I can't speak for her.

I watched ' the great British sausage' a couple of years back, and then wouldn't have them in the house. I only eat 100% fillet of cod fishfingers for the same reason. The idea of reclaimed meat, thanks to Jamie Oliver, makes me sick.

However I have no difficulty eating real meat of any kind. This is because I don't believe for one minute that the battery farmed chicken is sitting in it's pen crying about what a sad life it has.

I also wear leather shoes, belt, have a leather interior in my car and would love leather settees. I doubt very much the animals killed to provide me with all this have lead happy joy-filled lived lives, frolicking around the meadows.

If I were going to bother about free-range, all this would have to bother me too. I'm an all or nothing kinda girl.

For the record, I eat free range eggs as my granda has chickens. They live in a pen though, so maybe they aren't.....

Oh and I haven't had a £1.99 chicken.

 

[Sherlock]

And, can anyone honestly say they know which chickens / meat / ingredients are used when they eat out?

Hopefully, yes Not a lecture aimed at you, but just a general reply to your thoughts here

I actually ask where the meat has come from if its not listed on the menu. We eat out at local pubs and restuarants and they mostly have a policy of it being local produce in season. So the chicken, pork, beef, lamb all comes from nearby and the chicken so far has been free range. If they don't, we don't eat there as a rule.

If things like local sustainable fish are on the menu also, thats good too Same as seeing things like quail, guinea fowl and so on. Tastes great and makes a change from the normal reared meat.

If they can't tell me, I don't order it.

FWIW, places like KFC etc, yes you can pretty much work out the kind of life the chicken sold over the counter has had. It ain't pretty. A quick google will get you to the KFC video footage of their chickens being mistreated (I say mistreated, but I'm being far too kind, its barbaric considering we think ourselves intelligent civilised beings). Since I read and found out about the KFC mistreatment, I have never gone near one of their stores again. That was a fair few years ago now. Even if they say their standards have improved, the life those chickens have is not something I can buy into. I won't pay money for that sort of thing.

I don't really eat fast food take out (McD's etc) as its not only the beef origins that concern me, but the places demolished to grow the feed to feed these animals. I will admit to one Burger King meal recently, and that was the first in over 4 years. I ate some of it and felt sick. It tasted like total crap. Its just a cheap filler food and 30 minutes later you are hungry again. What's the point.

Same with processed ham etc. I don't buy it. have you seen how they reclaim that kind of meat. No wonder its so cheap. Plus it contains a lot of water, to give it more weight.

Sausages I only buy the local butcher ones made from fresh ground meat. I won't buy Wall's or any other brand pre packed in store. Again, the meat reclaiming and the actual meat content (look at the fat that comes off cheap sausages when you cook them ) put me off. Plus all the additives etc. It's insane what people are putting into their bodies

Sausage rolls - see above about reclaiming meat. Its often less than 30% meat in the things. Imagine what else has gone into them.

We are not rolling in money, but we eat well and only buy locally reared meat and where possible veg also. We don't buy supermarket meat anymore.

This year I shall get some more chickens to rear for the table and hopefully another pig if I have time and energy once LO is here. I am also considering rearing a couple of geese or ducks for the table for Christmas.

This summer I shall plant some pot potatoes, so no having to dig up the garden, just in to big plant pots and then harvest a few months later. Taste great and so cheap to do.

So many things that can be done for our own food in a limited space. Herbs on the window sill, pot spuds, lettuce grown in a piece of guttering....

The list goes on for me I did lots of research as I wanted to try to be as ethical as possible in my shopping. I am not perfect, nor do I claim to be, but I am trying. As I've said elsewhere, what we do today has an impact not just tomorrow, next week or next year, but in 30, 40, 50 years time. I want to try making those changes now, not leaving it to the next generation and figuring they can sort out the mess. I want to bring my children up to understand how to care about the planet, our food, our priviliges in the Western world and to do their utmost to help preserve things.

OK, I'll go hide under the sofa now

 

[sparky]

thats how i feel about it tbh emma, they're chickens ffs.

when the world has stopped torturing humans and every child is bought out of poverty then it might become an issue that needs to be resolved.

This thread has become very preachy i'm afraid and i feel this every time i turn on the telly these days.



Its up to people to decide if they actually care about chickens?!? I think that everyone knows the facts regarding intensive farming but if they have made their decision that should be respected.

I hate the fact that anyone on a low budget would go without something else or me made to feel guilty for their actions.

 

[Sherlock]

All this talk about chicken and sausages and not being informed about what we eat reminded me of when I found out whats in tinned hotdog sausages....mechanically recovered chicken They basically jet wash the carcasses I think they use this meat for alot of other things too

They sure do. The misleading thing is people associate hot dogs with sausages (usually pork based here in the UK) but infact, there is little to no pork in them. Let alone anything that most people would consider proper 'meat'. Its from reclaimed meat processing. It's gross. And then they chuck in all the flavourings, additives etc to give it that hot dog taste.

Yummy

 

[Lou]

Paris won't be having hot dogs any more

I was only talking about the tinned ones hun, check the lable of the ones you usually get, they might not all be made the same way

 

[chezzabell]

I rolled my eyes because this whole thread is pathetic!!

 

[Lou]

I don't think anyone is preaching atall, infact I think everyone is being really understanding and considerate to eachother. I agree with everyone on some things and totally disagree on other things but whats it my cupboards and fridge and freezer is what I've chosen to buy and I'm happy with what I feed my family at the moment. If I see a programme on tv or have a conversation with someone who informs me of something food related I didn't know about, then if I want to make changes to our diet I will.

I'm sure nobody can disagree with that can they? Isn't it how we all feel?

 

[Sherlock]

thats how i feel about it tbh emma, they're chickens ffs.

when the world has stopped torturing humans and every child is bought out of poverty then it might become an issue that needs to be resolved.

This thread has become very preachy i'm afraid and i feel this every time i turn on the telly these days.

Its up to people to decide if they actually care about chickens?!? I think that everyone knows the facts regarding intensive farming but if they have made their decision that should be respected.

I hate the fact that anyone on a low budget would go without something else or me made to feel guilty for their actions.

Your opinion I don't see it as preachy however, just people giving their POV and expressing opinions. There have been plenty in this thread who feel like you do and have said so. I don't consider either side preaching. Its an interesting discussion and one done so without throwing too much recrimination and unpleasantness around. Not easily done in the world of forums when a subject catches people's attention.

I just posted above here, and explained why I do what I do food and clothing wise as far as possible. My reasons go far deeper than the welfare of a chicken. I stepped back and looked at the bigger picture and it scared me, so I wanted to start making changes in my life.

I really worry about the future our kids will have to look forward to. There may well be more price increases for our basic food stuffs, oil, water and goodness knows what else shortages if crops fail due to drought or rain washes them out once again. Same with grazing and feed for livestock. I don't see how intensive farming to meet an often wasteful consumer demand because of our increasingly busy, socially driven lifestyles is sustainable. So many people throw away so much food its not funny. Out of date, left in the fridge so it rotted.... if we became more bothered by the consequences and actually used what we bought properly, cooking with it all rather than fancying it and then letting it rot, is that such a bad thing? Not in my house

But that is one persons POV. All I can do is write clearly and hope I make some intelligent valid points that some people might find of interest and want to learn more about. Those that don't will see me as possibly preaching or on my high horse, that's their perogative. I never tell people they should be doing it one way or the other. I think making a good case for why I do what I do is acceptable. No one has to take any notice if they don't wish to. Same as I can read the opposing view and choose to disgard what has been said there when I've done my reading and have researched to see if the arguments hold water for me personally.