THE CHICKEN DILEMMA

For many years I have enjoyed Costco’s rotisserie chickens until I tasted chlorine. After researching, I learned all chickens are given chlorine baths to protect against diseases.  Perhaps the one I tasted had too much.

Reluctantly, I returned to the supermarkets only this time I purchased organic, paying a little more for better quality. However being aware of organic foods does not guarantee a better taste.  Sometimes the organic chickens tasted great yet other times it was tough and tasteless.

The final straw that disgusted me was learning about our USDA government approving our raised and harvested chickens to be shipped to china for processing and packaging.  China then returns those chickens back to us for human consumption-- without labeling. 

Consumers have the right to know where their food is coming from and where they were processed. In my research, I found many consumers questioned whether the chickens we shipped to China would be the same chickens we get back.  How would we know if they were our chickens?

Meanwhile advocates are fighting over this as I write.  From what I understand China is cooking our chickens now making chicken dinners and soups. I wonder if Chinese restaurants among other favorite restaurants are getting them from China.  Wasn’t it a while ago that they banned purchasing pet food processed in China?

A little panic came over me as I had to think of ways to protect myself against all this madness regarding where our food supply is coming from and where they were processed and packaged. Presently, no labeling is required for GMO foods, drugs, etc.  We have a right to know about everything we consume.

At first the thought of farming my own chicken and eggs seemed like a good idea after reading these deals with china; that concept was not appropriate in my community, I looked for private farmers to sell to me. They told me the chickens and eggs would cost between double to triple what we pay in supermarkets free of chemicals, hormones and antibiotics. The chickens would be fed with grass healthy grains and protein and be free range.

One chicken farmer interested me as he raises chickens on his farm and sells to restaurants.  After a long conversation, the farmer offered to come to my home to personally deliver a free organic chicken and a dozen eggs.  The chicken was a special breed from France which is different than the ones we purchase in the super market.  He warned me that there will be little white meat similar to Duck.  After cooking the French chicken with my regular spices, my husband and I were disappointed.  Perhaps we were not used to this type of chicken.

Russia and most countries in Europe do not trust our meats and chickens. There really are not enough USDA inspectors going around checking our food.  The only thing we can do is raise hell with our politicians demanding better quality and enforcing labeling.  That gives us the choice whether or not to buy the food..

There is a website www.forcechange.com  Please add your name and email if you wish to be part of a petition to institute labeling indicating where our foods are coming from, ingredients, whether or not it is not GMO (Genetically Modified) and to restrict shipping our food to China for processing.