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Health: What's In Your Chicken?

By Stephanie Stahl

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Chicken is more popular than ever, low in fat, high protein.  But even if you carefully read the labels for additives, you won't see one chemical that you might want to avoid.

When it comes to chicken, Michelle Guidi prefers hormone-free, antibiotic-free, organically raised birds. Michelle says, "I'm feeding my children and my husband. This is my family so I want to feed them the healthiest options out there." But she doesn't check for "chlorine free" on chicken.

Most U.S. poultry plants plunge freshly slaughtered birds into chilling baths. They often contain anti-microbial chemicals, which can include chlorine.  "Heavily diluted in water in order to kill pathogens that might be present like salmonella," says Tom Super with the National Chicken Council.

A tiny amount of chlorine gets absorbed into the meat. Michelle says, "Yes, I use bleach to clean my whites, my children swim in chlorine, but ingesting it and eating it? I feel a little apprehensive."

Trace amounts of chlorine are in many things, including tap water, and government regulators say the chlorine used in poultry processing is safe and effective. But it's not allowed in western Europe, where chlorine-treated poultry is banned.  There's a  French political ad that shows American chickens "bathing" in pool water.    The fear: that chlorine causes cancer. So, poultry from the U.S. is also banned. And while there's no evidence: "They operate on what's called the precautionary principle. Since there is controversy about using chlorine and other chemicals in poultry processing, they have decided to keep our poultry out," says Tony Corbo of Food & Water Watch.  Tom Super with the Chicken Council says, "Unfortunately, this is a matter that political science has trumped sound science."

At Bell & Evans in Lancaster County, the chickens are air chilled. They don't use chlorine.   Quickly after slaughter, the birds are hung on a two mile line that cools them to 32 degrees for a few hours.  Scott Sechler the owner says,  " The big thing with air chill is all about not adding water to the chicken and keeping natural juices in the chicken."  Sechler says his is one of the largest facilities providing all natural chickens with no additives. He adds, "I like to eat chicken that there was no chlorine involved at all."

All natural, organic air chilled chicken, sold mainly in Wegmans and WholeFoods, is usually a little more expensive.  Michelle says,  "I'd be willing to pay more money for it."

There's nothing on the label to tell you that the chicken has been bathed in chlorine, but it will say air chilled, which usually means there's no chlorine involved.

 

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