Labels Sought For Injected Chickens - Critics Say Saltwater Injections Cheat Consumers

[Kadie]

Labels Sought For Injected Chickens
Critics Say Saltwater Injections Cheat Consumers

POSTED: 4:02 pm PST February 24, 2010
UPDATED: 4:25 pm PST February 24, 2010

WASHINGTON -- Many poultry consumers are getting an unhealthy dose of sodium with their bird these days, the result of injections of saltwater during processing that many shoppers don't realize have become common practice, according to consumer advocates and California chicken growers.

Two organizations, one for growers and one for consumer advocates, joined with Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., in calling on the Agriculture Department Wednesday to shed more light on the injections, known as plumping or enhancing, by preventing processors from labeling such chicken as "100 percent all natural."

Americans eat more than 20 billion pounds of poultry a year. In just the last few years, the percentage of chicken in grocery stores that has undergone the injections has risen from 16 percent to more than 30 percent, according to the California Poultry Federation.

Critics said the injections cheat consumers on two fronts: their health and their pocketbooks. They take in more sodium than what health experts recommend and they pay for it because the injections add weight to the product -- up to 15 percent more. They're not asking for a ban of the practice, but for more forthright labeling guidelines.

snip...
A serving of chicken typically has 70 milligrams of sodium, but a serving of the injected chicken can contain about 370 milligrams. The Institute of Medicine just last week lowered the daily recommended amount of sodium to 1,500 milligrams per day.

more...
http://www.kcra.com/health/22663433/detail.html

[Richard D]

1. They'll probably . . .

. . . put some flavorings in salt water and market it as "broth injected" or something like that to make it look like a plus.

[Me.]

2. Pre-Brined

[metapunditedgy]

3. Wal-Mart groceries especially sell a ton of this salt-injected meat crap.

Not just chicken, but pork and other stuff. I looked all through the store for lower-sodium stuff and was disgusted by how much of it was unhealthy.