Monday, April 12, 2004CPF launches awareness campaign on 'enhanced' chicken
Barbara Olejnik MODESTO, Calif. -- The California Poultry Federation has launched a public awareness campaign to educate consumers on 'enhanced' chicken, a process which adds water, salt and phosphates to chicken products. CPF President Bill Mattos said enhanced chicken products "look just like the fresh, all natural chicken produced by many California processors, but if you look at the fine print, you will see there are additives." In urging consumers to read labels, Mattos noted that "some markets across the western U.S. offer only enhanced chicken in their fresh meat case, which at first glance appears to be fresh but it isn't. This is unfair to consumers. We want to assure consumers that if they are buying fresh California chicken, they are not paying for water and salt." The poultry federation's campaign follows a similar consumer education initiative begun in January by Sanderson Farms of Laurel, Miss. Sanderson stated that by purchasing 'enhanced' or altered chicken, shoppers are paying more for the extra water, salt and phosphates the chicken contains. Processed poultry meat labeled 'enhanced with chicken broth' absorbs the liquid, which can account for up to 15 percent of the product's weight with the consumer paying for this excess water weight. "Consumers are unknowingly paying more than they have to for their chicken," according to Dr. Christine Bruhn, director of consumer research at the University of California-Davis. Sanderson Farms had estimated that enhanced chicken could cost consumers an extra $2.9 billion each year. While all chicken retains some water through processing, enhanced chicken could contain 2.1 ounces for every pound of meat, Sanderson stated. Since individuals eat almost 48 pounds of chicken a year at home, according to the National Chicken Council, shoppers would pay for more than 6 pounds of water annually if they bought only enhanced chicken, Sanderson added. CPF also noted that nutrition experts recommend that consumers be wary of enhanced chicken products because of the excess sodium in the product. Compared to a natural untreated 4-ounce chicken breast containing about 78 milligrams, the addition of the salt solutions to enhanced chicken can add up to 540 milligrams of sodium per 4-ounce serving, CPF stated. That's the equivalent of nearly 1/4 teaspoon salt per serving, or more than 1 cup a year if all a person eats at home is enhanced chicken, the CPF noted. Sanderson also pointed out that the USDA's recommended dietary guidelines for sodium intake in healthy adults is no more than 2,400 mg. per day. "We are not saying there is anything wrong with enhanced chicken, but we do believe that consumers need to be made aware of the issue and should be educated that they have a choice when selecting chicken products from the fresh meat case," Mattos said. Chicken becomes 'enhanced' when a solution of water, salt and phosphates is injected into the poultry meat with a cluster of needles. Another method is called "tumbling" whereby the product and solution are put in a large drum and the air removed to create a vacuum that forces the liquid into the meat.
Originally published Monday, April 12, 2004
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