Money, Health and the Poor: Two stories about chicken
With the complete immune malfunction, water fasting, restricted dieting, amongst other things, all happening in such a short space of time there hasn’t been enough in the well to sit down for any period of time and hash out a post. Then a recent news story inspired something; not the usual type of post but something I consider to be very important.

Chemicals and super-fast growth…
Over the past couple of years, there have been two poultry based stories that have grabbed my attention and despite the differences in the stories it is the similarity that gripped me most. The first came out of a conversation with an acquaintance who works within the poultry industry and advises the government on food safety. The second, a result of trade talks with the U.S and how the UK will be subject to meat produced using hormones and chemicals.
What have these two unrelated stories about chicken got in common? Price, health and the poor.
Let me begin with the first story. Knowing a number of vets I often find myself in conversations with their friends; also vets. On this occasion, however, the chap I got speaking to had decided against traditional veterinary practice and had instead become involved in food safety for the poultry industry. As I was politely asking him about his role, he mentioned that his current project involved advising the government that ‘super-fast growth’ chicken meat was fit for human consumption and the main benefit of this practice was a reduction in shelf prices of the meat. Fantastic, right? Not entirely. The chickens grow so fast the flesh develops callouses throughout which is not ideal by any stretch of the imagination but, as informed by my new acquaintance, not likely to cause any health issues.
The second story, as mentioned, came out of the British Government’s trade talks with the U.S. Such a deal is likely to include the importation of chicken meat that has been washed with chlorine. A practice that has been present in the States for some time and one that has been justified by officials in that it kills harmful bacteria. Instead of taking steps to prevent infection, the US waits until the final stages of meat production to rid food of any contamination. How do they justify this practice? Chicken can be produced at a lower cost than if they were to take a prophylactic approach; to animal health, food safety and the hygiene status of abbattoirs and processing/cutting plants.

Great, cheap chicken for all! Well, not exactly.
As many would agree, the only people this is likely to affect are the poor. Pressured by a lack of disposable cash and increasing debt in low wage families, it is this population who will be buying the super-fast growth calloused or chlorinated chicken as those with more money, such as the government officials who are happily signing off on these issues, will stick to farm reared, free range, organic chicken. The chlorinated chicken will be frozen, bagged up and sold at an attractive price. Whilst the calloused chicken will be processed and used as an ingredient in all those delicious ready meals targeted at time poor and low-income families.
As long as we don’t eat it who cares!
This may seem like a trivial issue but it reflects a broader feeling within society that if it benefits those at the top or has no negative affect on them, then who cares how it affects those at the bottom. If we take a short trip over the pond to America; Trump has allowed open cast mining to continue across the States, despite the research that highlights a direct link between open cast mining and the health outcomes of the local populations. The coal company bosses get richer because they can continue production while the poor suffer higher levels of illness and premature death compared to those outside mining communities. How can this be justified when the evidence is so clear that the method leads to poor health and early death? Simple, the people in these communities would rather be working and earning money than jobless, penniless and potentially homeless.
The same could be said for the food we buy in the shops; hormone treated beef, chlorinated/calloused chicken or crops that have been genetically modified and/or heavily treated with pesticides. The rich are unaffected and can afford to buy organic, grass-fed beef, free range, organic chicken and organic non-GM fruit and vegetables. The poor however are just happy that they can put meat and vegetables on the table for dinner. Many would even assume that they are doing something positive by providing their families with “healthy” food but the long term effect of these foods are unknown.
I do not want to dig too deep into the possible health implications of eating meat that is full of hormones, covered in chemicals or is effectively one big callous. Instead, I would like to consider those families who, unlike many, have no choice but to buy these cheaper products. As with open cast mining; health comes secondary to money for the poor and health of the poor matters little to those who won’t be affected at all.
