Study Finds Arsenic Widespread In Chicken

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http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/04/arsenic_chicken.html

 

 

 

Study Finds Arsenic Widespread In Chicken

 

April 6, 2006

 

Brand name chicken products sold in American supermarkets and fast

food restaurants are widely contaminated with arsenic, according to

independent test results released by the Institute for Agriculture and

Trade Policy.

 

Brand name chicken products tested by IATP included Foster Farms,

Trader Joe's, Gold'n Plump, Perdue, Smart Chicken, and Tyson Foods.

Fast food chains that had chicken products tested included McDonald's,

Wendy's, Arby's, Subway, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Church's and Popeyes.

 

The group claims testing of 155 samples from uncooked supermarket

chicken products found 55 percent carried detectable arsenic. It said

arsenic was more than twice as prevalent in conventional brands of

supermarket chicken as in certified organic and other " premium " brands.

 

All 90 fast food chicken products tested by IATP also contained

detectable arsenic.

 

Arsenic in chicken meat appears closely linked to the decades-old

practice of intentionally and routinely putting arsenic into chicken

feed. At least 70 percent of U.S. broiler chickens have been fed

arsenic, according to estimates cited by the group.

 

" Adding arsenic to chicken feed is a needless and ultimately avoidable

practice that only exposes more people to more of this ancient

poison, " said Dr. David Wallinga, a physician, author of " Playing

Chicken: Avoiding Arsenic in Your Meat, " and director of IATP's Food

and Health program.

 

" There is good news. Consumers can limit or eliminate their arsenic

intake in chicken by making smart choices about which chicken to buy, "

said Wallinga. " Our testing found plenty of supermarket chicken

without any detectable arsenic. Birds sold under organic labels can't

legally be given arsenic. For other chicken, your best bet is to

directly ask for some assurance from the producer, supermarket or

restaurant that's selling it. "

 

The group says the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not test for

arsenic in the chicken breasts or thighs that Americans mostly eat,

and does not make public results of its testing of individual brands.

 

The group said chicken products were purchased from supermarkets and

fast food outlets in Minnesota and California and were analyzed for

arsenic by a private, independent commercial laboratory.