http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T67DvoH2H3E
This five minute video discusses the truth behind "mechanically separated poultry" used in many chicken nuggets and some other meats like salami, bologna, and hot dogs. The video is a response to a recent picture that has been circulating throughout the internet of this pink "elephant dump". It turns out that this pink goo goes through some very disturbing processes before it reaches consumers.
The woman in the video goes on to describe how food companies wanted to get more for their money, so they figured out a way to use all of the extra parts of the chicken they would normally throw out, like eyeballs, tendons, and meat attached to the bone. They created this machine to grind up all of these parts into the pink paste shown in the picture. This is not done just to fast food chicken nuggets, but some deli meats as well.
The meat goes through more than just mechanical grinding. The video only describes the processes of ammonia being added to kill bacteria and artificial colors and flavorings. These colors and flavorings remove the horrible taste of ammonia and later get rid of the pink color.
Another article, found here: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mcdonald-confirms-no-longer-using-pink-slime-chemicals-171209662.html , describes some more chemicals that are added. They are propylene glycol to keep the paste from becoming too solid, carmine for color, shellac for a glossy sheen, and silicon dioxide as an anti-caking agent.
This video should make anyone want to be more aware about what exactly they are putting into their body from these sorts of foods. Many harmful ingredients are being added to our food that most people do not even know about. Thankfully, the FDA now requires companies to mention mechanically separated meats on ingredient labels.
Here is some more "Food for Thought":
1) What are your thoughts on the process of mechanically separated meats? Will you ever eat chicken nuggets again?
2) In the YouTube comments, some people say they would prefer companies use as much of the animal as possible instead of being wasteful. Do you agree?
3) Should these chemicals legally be allowed in our foods?
4) Do you think it is fair for us to be ingesting these chemicals just so that companies can make a bigger profit?
I think that the process of mechanically separated meats is very disturbing, however that is not going to stop me from eating chicken nuggets. Even with evidence that is very gross the taste of the food is still good and it has not gotten me sick yet, so I am sticking to it.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it fair at all that we digest these chemicals simply for companies to make a larger profit, however that is exactly how America works now. Companies will do just about anything to increase there profit margin. While its horrible, its the unfortunate truth. As for me eating chicken nuggets again, I'm not a fan of fast food anyway so i will have no problem with that. Also it doesn't really matter that the FDA now requires companies to put the mechanically separated chicken on the labels because no one ever really reads the labels.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's fair for us to be ingesting the chemicals in these meats just so that companies can make an easy profit. These chemicals if taken in small amounts won't really harm a person, but if these foods that have these chemicals are a large part of our diet, it could be very harmful to our bodies. But as Alex mentioned, companies will do anything to increase their profits. They don't really care about the consequences of using these chemicals as long as they make the money, they are fine with it.
ReplyDeleteI think that this mechanically separated meat is very disgusting, however I don't think it will cause me to never eat chicken nuggets again. The people in this video make it clear that McDonald's doesn't use this mechanically separated meat so I am not to concerned about it. I am concerned about what actually goes into making packaged meat such as salami and bologna. Luckily the packaging will say if it contains mechanically separated meat, so when shopping I will definitely take time to read the ingredients before buying any packaged meats. It is understandable that companies want to maximize profit, but there are some things that should not be consumed, especially if it takes chemicals and other additives to even make it edible.
ReplyDeleteI think the process of mechanically separating chicken parts is gross, but it’s not going to stop me from eating chicken products. In some cultures it is frown upon if one doesn't finish the entire chicken. So just because we only eat a few parts of the chicken doesn't mean we can't eat the rest. Although, this is not the ideal way I would like my meat processed, it makes the most sense for a business, and its less waste going into our landfills. Overall I don't think eating different parts of the chicken is terrible, because you don't even taste it.
ReplyDeleteI do not usually eat chicken nuggets but this is definitely going to keep me from eating them any time soon. I do not have a problem with the mechanical separation. I think that its fine for companies to use every part of the chicken, but the chemicals that these companies use are really unappetizing. I suppose that as long as there are no adverse affects to our health, these chemicals should legally be allowed in our food. With that being said, I don't agree with the use of them.
ReplyDeleteI generally find chicken nuggets to be disgusting and they give me a stomach ache. I don't eat hot dogs and bologna is revolting. That being said, I wouldn't eat it, but I don't have a problem with companies using as much of the animals as they can. I think most people know that chicken nuggets and hot dogs and things like that are made of really disgusting stuff and they eat it anyway. As for the chemicals, I like to think that it is bad and of course we shouldn't be ingesting such things, but apparently they don't have negative side effects so there's not much of a case for stopping it.
ReplyDeleteMy initial thought about this clip was, wow. I find that the process of mechanically separated meats to be completely disturbing. I have been aware of some of the disgusting rumors that involve meat, but I was never aware of the chemicals and bacteria in the food. Although some of these substances in the meat seem completely repulsive, I know I will continue to eat it. Even though I find this totally disgusting, as long as the meat doesn’t get me sick, I don’t really think there is anything physically wrong about what companies are doing.
ReplyDeleteThis video and whole idea of eating those ingredients is appalling and a very big turn off for me. I immediately lost my appetite upon seeing that paste. For now, I probably would not eat a chicken nugget but I am sure I probably will in the future. It made me feel better to hear that the USDA makes companies specify who does this process and to hear franchises like McDonalds deny using that method. Whether they do or not, setting a precedent that the method shown is unacceptable is a good message for everyone else to see so hopefully this can eventually be a thing of the past.
ReplyDeleteIf I was given a chicken nugget right now, I would east it with zero hesitation. I would agree that the pictures shown in this video and in the news article don't exactly make me crave chicken nuggets. But its mechanically separated chicken. What do you expect? As for the chemicals they add to make it safe to eat and as yahoo so terrifyingly put it, "fit for humans," I could care less. In the video they complain about how ammonia is used in bleach and to wash the chicken, and its supposedly dangerous. Also in the yahoo article they say that other chemicals used to clean the meat are found in antifreeze and wood staining chemicals. These household chemicals are obviously hazardous when ingested.However I feel like trying to stretch this relationship between FDA approved processing methods and potentially toxic household cleaning agents is ridiculous and only meant to get a reaction out of the reader. When is the last time you heard of someone getting seriously ill from eating a chicken nugget? As far as I am concerned, kuddos to these companies for using as much of the animal as they can and doing everything they can to provide us with safe food.
ReplyDeleteI feel that from a legal standpoint, if what they are putting in the food will not make us sick and is not physically harming then they have the right to put it in the food. If it can be proven that the food is harming its consumers then I believe that lawsuits should be filed against the company that is making these foods. Also if they companies are advertising there foods as all natural or 100% meat then i also believe that they are in subject for a lawsuit or action of some sort. Personally I feel that it is all on the consumer thought, and that if the consumer knows what’s going into his or her chicken nuggets then they have the choice to eat it or not. Hopefully the recent publication of all of these terrible things they do to their foods will change their ways, but for some reason i feel it wont. Companies are trying to maximize their profits, so by them using all of the parts of the chicken and "elephant dump" they are able to kick out more burgers, thus increasing the profit exponentially. Its gross what they do, but you have the choice to eat it or not. So next time your at McDonald's think of all the things they've added extra to make your burger. If that doesn't make you reconsider fast food, I don't know what will.
ReplyDeleteI normally do not eat fast food but after watching this video it will make me think twice before ordering chicken nuggets or any type of meat. If the chemicals are not harming the people eating them and are necessary for the meat then I agree with it but if it is potentially harmful towards people they should not be using chemicals in the meat. They also should not be putting other parts of the chicken into the grinder and serving what they call "chicken". I understand they want to get more for their money but that is simply just going to hurt them in the long run with all of these behind the scenes images appearing in the media.
ReplyDeleteAt first look of the picture of this "elephant dump", I do feel disgusted. But a second thinking tells me that this may not be so harmful as it looks. Here is my reason. First, If this meat manufacturing process is really dangerous to people's health, how could FDA say yes to it? Second, after this disgusting picture reaches the public, FDA only forces producers to mention it on ingredient label, not to ban this method. Third, adding chemicals into meat processing doesn't necessarily do harm to people's health. What we care is whether they use right chemicals in the right way. Last but not least, In my life so far, I never get a stomachache because of eating chicken nuggets. So I want to say that people don't need to worry about the safety of chicken nuggets.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video about mechanically separated poultry, I thought it looked really gross but it's pretty much what I expected. Whenever mass quantities of food is being produced daily, it's much easier for fast food chains to utilize machinery than it is to hire extra workers to perform this process by hand. As long as the consumers have access to information about the chemicals being used and the chemicals aren't harmful, I think it's fair game for them to be used in the Fast Food industry. Afterall, we do have a choice of what we eat so if we don't like what we find then we can always go for a more natural route.
ReplyDeletethat picture disgusted me. I dont eat chicken nuggets and after seeing that i dont think i ever will, but if the chemicals arent harming humans then whats wrong with using them? i also dont have a problem with the way they seperate the meat.
ReplyDeleteI’m very put off by watching this video, as with many others about the meat industry. I don’t eat fast food, so I can’t say much for chicken nuggets. However, I feel that when I ever do eat fast food, it’s when I have no other option. If I have to choose between eating chicken nuggets and being hungry for the day, I will eat the chicken nuggets. Although I make a conscious effort to stay away from places that likely use mechanically separated meat(Wendy’s, Burger King…), there become lots of gray areas when trying to navigate if what I’m eating contains chemicals. Most likely, I unknowingly consume products that are made of strange things, whether fast food or not. When I read the yahoo article, it mentioned that cranberry juice and M & M’s contain chemicals. My guess is that the list goes on and on, and there are too many foods containing chemicals to remove them completely from my diet. This would be idealistic, but I won’t run myself into the ground reading labels and planning my diet to a tee.
ReplyDeleteI think the whole process of obtains a chicken nugget is very distasteful. If they were throwing away valuable parts of the animal then i would agree but in my understanding, they are wasting parts that are considered fowl to me, like the unusable parts. In regards to the chemicals, I do not believe that they should be in our foods, but that is the only way we can success receive food in this day. I think that if we were to localize the distribution of meet, like we have mentioned before in the form of local markets, it could reduce the amount of chemicals used. it certainly is unfair for us to intake such chemicals. I think our culture needs to seriously consider the effects these chemicals can have on our health and our wallets. I have never been a fan of eating chicken nuggets often, and after reading this i think i will keep it that way.
ReplyDeleteWhile the image is certainly shocking, this would not discourage me from eating chicken nuggets again. Truthfully, I've never been a big fan of chicken nuggets, but even in the few times that I have eaten them, its simply a fact of life that they are not the most healthy thing. I do agree that companies should use as much of the animal as possible. As disgusting as eating an eyeball sounds, the other things mentioned are not nearly as unpalatable. I think it would be very wasteful to throw out pieces of an animal that could be eaten. To me, as long as there are people willing to buy it, it should be sold. That being said, I think that there should be a law requiring a prominent mention of all the chemicals used in converting the mixed up parts into chicken nuggets. Beyond that, as long as they give us full disclosure, I have no problem with food companies profiting off of this chemical use. While it may not be healthy, if people continue to eat it, they have no one to blame but themselves.
ReplyDeleteIt was really gross to see how chicken nuggets are processed, but I hate to say I might be eating at least Wendy's chicken nuggets in the future. Food companies could probably manage to not use the leftover meat and buy real poultry. Yet this video could give people an incentive to stop or eat less fast food. As for the chemicals, it doesn't make sense that there isn't any other way for chicken nuggets to be made but of course this must be the cheapest. Some of these chemicals shouldn't be in the food.
ReplyDelete