As with every All-Access trip, our published polls readers for questions and has promised to find the answers. Here they are!
Q: What about vaccines, antibiotics and hormones used in chicken products?
A: Vaccines are administered once throughout the chickens’ life to prevent the birds from dying of diseases and improve the health of the whole flock. In order to feed millions of people and remove undue suffering of the animals, McDonald’s and Cargill’s policy is to vaccinate. Antibiotics are only given if a bird tests positive for illness, which would put the entire flock at risk. Antibiotics require a vet prescription and a strict withdrawal period is adhered to before the chicken is turned into food to ensure that no residual medications are present in the product.
McDonald’s has a global antibiotic policy. It is a policy that has been developed with the assistance of scientists and industry experts. Given that McDonald’s is required to process 90,000 birds per day in Canada alone to feed its customers, the company has a keen interest in making sure the industry is sustainable. The pre-emptive use of antibiotics is not allowed, nor does it allow sub-therapeutic use. Even the feedmills that produce the grains fed to chickens have to be accredited and constantly audited.
Hormones are illegal in Canada for use in chicken and in dairy. This is due to the withdrawal period that is required. There is not enough time for hormone elimination in milk and chickens. That’s why there are no hormones allowed. Beef has more time in withdrawal period and is therefore acceptable to use hormones before it is processed for meat production.
Q: People have asked me why there are so many ingredients in McNuggets and why the ingredients are so chemical-sounding?
A: McDonald’s is very careful about listing ingredients for allergy reasons and ingredients that could be bundled together are separated out to help people who may have an allergy. Chemical names are used which might sound more complicated than they are (they say sodium bicarbonate instead baking soda, for instance).
For the full post on chicken please chick here.
[…] yummy! For the other All-Access blogs please click here, or to see the UrbanMommies Q and A, click here. Pin […]
As I read this glowing account of the chicken “barn”, I am reminded of the documentary Food Incorporated. I would challenge you Moms to try and do an unannounced stop at another Cargill chicken facility. I can guarantee you will not be allowed in.
As to the remark about having to keep the chickens indoors, well, that’s just nonsense and should be put in the same category as Gallin aweston’s comment regarding farm markets. The truth is the infection and illness rate of institutional chicken is because of the deplorable conditions that are the reality of these industrial chicken coops.
I would like you to include in your blogs the amount of prophylactic antibiotic that is fed to these chickens in their daily feed. The unwarranted and indiscriminate use of antibiotics in chicken and other animal feed has been shown to promote the growth of superbugs and to decrease the effectiveness of antibiotics in the general population.
I understand that this is a website and marketing tool set out by McDonalds to try and give McDonalds a healthier and green image but trying to make people believe Cargill’s industrial chickens are organic is wrong on many levels. All of you Access Moms have children and I wonder how many times you really feed your children at McDonalds and if you actually believe what you are being shown and fed to you by McDonalds.
Please let me know when you plan on doing your unannounced drop in to a Cargill facility. I’d like to be there.
I just saw the commercial in London Ontario “proving” to moms that the chicken at McDonalds is “actual meat” to quote one of the women. Just because you saw the chickens in the factory and watched them become chicken nuggets doesn’t mean you know how that chicken was treated for its life. Living in a cage that is the same size of these chickens is very unhealthy, and ask those farmers who put them in these tiny cages what they are feeding their chickens. Most of the time they are eating baby chicks or scraps of whatever they can find.
We need people to open their eyes when it comes to food. Just because its “real meat” does not mean it is going to give your body the nutrients your thinking it does because when your “real meat” was alive it was extremely unhealthy.
Think about it
Do your research
[…] In all, I will still eat chicken. I will still eat McNuggets. I’m satisfied with the animal treatment and food safety. I think I’ll stick with the grilled chicken in snack wraps and sandwiches, as there are fewer ingredients, but the nuggets sure are yummy! For the other All-Access blogs please click here, or to see the UrbanMommies Q and A, click here. […]