NationStates Jolt Archive

No this is not a thread about outing gay chickens(although that may be fun)

But about our Huge Fernley-Whittingstall's program on Brit TV last night.

For those that don't know Huge is a TV chef famous for his stance on knowing where the food you eat comes from, and respecting the welfare of your meat animal.

As the name suggests the program last night was all about teaching exactly how and why cheap chicken is so cheap, and showing how free range chicken is fairer to the chicken.

So your stance on battery vs free range chicken? Does it matter? Why, why not?

I've been watching it and just picked up some free range chicken breasts from Tescos about 10 minutes ago. Tescos are offering HFWs own personal brand but I went for the alternative as it was cheaper

All of the chicken around here is like.... from farms. They have chicken coops and a yard to cluck in and stuff. I buy local chicken because we like it fresh and not frozen and also because it's cheaper than store chicken.

I think a lot of people won't really care - or, at least, don't think of themselves as 'involved' so don't have to care - about welfare of animals we breed to eat. It seems people are happy to buy battery chickens as long as it's cheap and tasty, regardless of the methods that have gone into producing it (and it is, essentially, a production line).

If you're financially short, you will buy the cheapest regardless of methods. If you have to money to choose, I'd hope people would choose 1) free-range, 2) products that have not travelled half-way round the world to get here.

I think a lot of people won't really care - or, at least, don't think of themselves as 'involved' so don't have to care - about welfare of animals we breed to eat. It seems people are happy to buy battery chickens as long as it's cheap and tasty, regardless of the methods that have gone into producing it (and it is, essentially, a production line).

If you're financially short, you will buy the cheapest regardless of methods. If you have to money to choose, I'd hope people would choose 1) free-range, 2) products that have not travelled half-way round the world to get here.

true to me.
but i'm really an animal lover, chicken, duck, beef, pork, turkey etc.
But i don't like lamb it tastes horrible, that and bacon and ham.

I always buy free range and organic. Animal welfare is important, the better we treat them the tastier they are.

So your stance on battery vs free range chicken? Does it matter? Why, why not?

I think free range is better although I don't really know what it means (I know what it's supposed to mean, but I suspect it it an euphemism of something just a little bit better than battery chickens).
It doesn't matter because I don't eat chicken.

If you're financially short, you will buy the cheapest regardless of methods. If you have to money to choose, I'd hope people would choose 1) free-range, 2) products that have not travelled half-way round the world to get here.

I suspect one of the problems is that people are, in some cases and certainly not all, able to convince themselves that they can't afford the difference when they could quite easily

I think free range is better although I don't really know what it means (I know what it's supposed to mean, but I suspect it it an euphemism of something just a little bit better than battery chickens).
It doesn't matter because I don't eat chicken.

What does "free range" on an egg or poultrymeat product mean?

"Free range", on an egg or poultrymeat product, is a Special Marketing Term (SMT) indicating that the product has been produced in compliance with the criteria set-out in the respective marketing regulations. The criteria for both eggs and poultrymeat are shown below.

Poultrymeat production

Stocking rate in the house is as follows:

Chickens = 13 birds but not more than 27.5 kg liveweight per m²;
Ducks, guinea fowl, turkeys = 25 kg liveweight per m²;
Geese = 15 kg liveweight per m²; Age at slaughter = 112 days or later
Age at slaughter must be:

Chickens = 56 days or later
Turkeys = 70 days or later
Muscovy ducks = 70 days or later for females, 84 days or later for males
Peking ducks = 49 days or later
Female mulard ducks = 65 days or later
Geese = 112 days or later
Guinea fowl = 82 days or later
In addition, the birds have had during at least half their lifetime continuous daytime access to open-air runs, comprising an area mainly covered by vegetation, of not less than:

1m² per chicken or guinea fowl (in the case of guinea fowls, open-air runs may be replaced by a perchery having a floor space of at least that of the house and a height of at least 2m, with perches of at least 10 cm length available per bird in total (house and perchery)).
2m² per duck
4m² per turkey or goose
The feed formula used in the fattening stage contains at least 70% of cereals, and the poultry house must also be provided with pop holes of a combined length at least equal to 4 m per 100m² floor space of the house.

More detailed information on poultrymeat market regulations, a copy of the regulations and a guide to these regulations are available.

Link (http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/poultry/faq/marketing.htm)

As the name suggests the program last night was all about teaching exactly how and why cheap chicken is so cheap, and showing how free range chicken is fairer to the chicken.

So your stance on battery vs free range chicken? Does it matter? Why, why not?
I would care, but then I hear things like "it's fairer to the chicken" and I stop giving a shit.

And this is ignoring the fact that all of the qualifications for "organic" and "free range" can easily be played with by companies.

I've been watching it and just picked up some free range chicken breasts from Tescos about 10 minutes ago. Tescos are offering HFWs own personal brand but I went for the alternative as it was cheaper

Yeah, most supermarkets have had a free-range section for ages.

Most people in the US eat too much meat, anyway. This includes chicken. You should really eat no more than 4 oz. per person per day of meat protein. This means you can pay more per pound and buy less, but better quality, meat and still eat well and pay no more than if you had bought more of the less expensive, poorer quality, meat. For example, I can go to King Sooper's and buy a 4 pound battery fryer for $5.75 (on sale) - I can fry it up and we can glom the whole thing down in an evening or I can go to Whole Foods and buy a 4 pound free-range fryer for $7.00 and cut into portions that would make meals for four nights for two people (excluding the soup I make from the back and wings).

Yes, when mom serves up that tasty southern fried chicken, you don't have to eat both drumsticks and a breast. You can get all the protein you need with one drumstick or half a breast. Then fill up on, oh say, vegetables?

Then fill up on, oh say, vegetables?


Ahhh reminds me of my youth! Happy days.:D

Most people in the US eat too much meat, anyway.

When I came to the US, I was surprised when I observed that people eat meat for 3 meals a day. I used to eat 3 or 4 meals with meat a week in India, and I thought that it was too much.

oh look another celebrity chef doing a Jamie Oliver and his ad campaign, what will they think of next!?

I wonder which supermarket has his picture all over food 3x as expensive and flown specially in from the other side of the planet so that at the end of the day you may as well beat an orangutan to death and still have time to burn the rain forest

When I came to the US, I was surprised when I observed that people eat meat for 3 meals a day. I used to eat 3 or 4 meals with meat a week in India, and I thought that it was too much.

the local restaurants around here sell 12oz steaks......too much meat.

I end up getting one and splitting it between me and my two daughters and then supplementing with extra veggies. The world wonders why America is fat, it's because our portion sizes are out of control.

oh look another celebrity chef doing a Jamie Oliver and his ad campaign, what will they think of next!?

I wonder which supermarket has his picture all over food 3x as expensive and flown specially in from the other side of the planet so that at the end of the day you may as well beat an orangutan to death and still have time to burn the rain forest

Flown from the other side of the planet?

The stuff I bought today is British free range chicken. I'm not sure how even Tescos could manipulate the use of the the word 'British' to allow them to use chicken from from the other side of the planet

i haven't seen the programs but i did record them. i always try to get free range chicken and eggs as i don't feel cruelty to the animal is justified, even if they are being bred to be slaughtered. they don't know that.


i also try to buy local foods when i can (largely because a) fresh = better tasting, and b) support local economy), but i'm often too busy to get to my local farmers market and its not on often enough

Flown from the other side of the planet?

The stuff I bought today is British free range chicken. I'm not sure how even Tescos could manipulate the use of the the word 'British' to allow them to use chicken from from the other side of the planet

its called having one part of the process to you involving something British how did you miss that? of course the corn has no such issues with being flown over because it actually flies to the chickens in nature :p

Tescos are offering HFWs own personal brand but I went for the alternative as it was cheaper

is he really selling his chiken at Tesco? :confused:

oh look another celebrity chef doing a Jamie Oliver and his ad campaign, what will they think of next!?

I wonder which supermarket has his picture all over food 3x as expensive and flown specially in from the other side of the planet so that at the end of the day you may as well beat an orangutan to death and still have time to burn the rain forest

I don't know about you and other NS'rs, but I support local agriculture and sustainable agriculture - that means that if it is at all possible, I get my food from local growers, if it's not possible to get locally grown food, I'll buy from a source, like Whole Foods and Wild Oats, that is known for it's support of sustainable agriculture. It costs more, but I'm trying to be one less person putting an unreasonable load on the planet.

I get my food from local growers

I have a farm shop near my house...they sell oranges...I live in England :D

What sometimes qualifies as 'free range' often isnt much better than factory farmed birds. Having lived in an area known for producing massive amounts of chickens, I've seen the whole range. The best possible source of chicken is illegal in many areas - getting chicken from a small farm with a few fed on bugs and the occasional handful of grain. Of course, in the name of protecting the consumer, those chickens are deemed a health risk unless produced in an industrial facility.

Chickens who scratched in the dirt for bugs taste so much better than those crammed together by the thousands and fed on ground up cow bits.

I'm certainly no vegetarian, nor am I squeamish (I butcher my own animals), but mass producing animals is not a good thing.

Speaking of butchering my own, I found it funny when a friend of mine commented that having a pair of pet turkeys was unusual, then inquired about their names. The only answer I could come up with was Thanksgiving and Christmas .

is he really selling his chiken at Tesco? :confused:

Yup the Willow Farm (or whatever it's called) brand stuff is there alongside the Tescos brand

Don't have the money for free range/organic goods.

Don't have the money for free range/organic goods.

me neither, i just have to buy the cheapy stuff, and hope i don't become ill, or my bank balance becomes ill either.
sucks doesn't it?

Don't have the money for free range/organic goods.

I do free range chicken more than other animals, and organic only on some veggies/fruits because they have done studies where some fruits/veggies are more prone to issues than others.

It's a balancing act.

Poultry is food. As long as they survive long enough to be slaughtered at prime maturity, I don't give two shits how they're treated. I don't care if you cut their heads off and shove a funnel down their throats.

I do free range chicken more than other animals

Why chicken?

Why chicken?

chickens are treated worse than other animals.....well, I mean not actually, but I see where the beef and pork around here comes from (tis family) so I know it's being treated properly even if it's not "free range" in the most strictest sense of the word. I also know how chickens are treated by the big business farms in the area, and I don't want to buy those chickens.

chickens are treated worse than other animals.....well, I mean not actually, but I see where the beef and pork around here comes from (tis family) so I know it's being treated properly even if it's not "free range" in the most strictest sense of the word. I also know how chickens are treated by the big business farms in the area, and I don't want to buy those chickens.

Ok, I just find it a little bit weird because I think pigs and cows suffer more from being held in such small spaces than chickens because they are less intelligent (or at least appear to be). But it's of course better than buying all your meat from industrial farms. And at least you sort of know where your food comes from.

Ok, I just find it a little bit weird because I think pigs and cows suffer more from being held in such small spaces than chickens because they are less intelligent (or at least appear to be). But it's of course better than buying all your meat from industrial farms. And at least you sort of know where your food comes from.

the cows and pigs are able to run around as much as they want, within the fenced area......which means they aren't "free range" because they are fenced in......to about 300 acres of land.....I doubt any of the cows have ever seen the fence.

The pigs tend to congregate in a small area anyway, even when given room to roam.

the cows and pigs are able to run around as much as they want, within the fenced area......which means they aren't "free range" because they are fenced in......to about 300 acres of land.....I doubt any of the cows have ever seen the fence.

The pigs tend to congregate in a small area anyway, even when given room to roam.

Ok, here the pigs are all held in really small cages in which they can't turn, and I don't really know about the cows, the agriculture is extremely intensive where I live because we're to crowded.

I can picture the new marketing, "get it while it's free! That's right free range beef sold only here!"

Ok, here the pigs are all held in really small cages in which they can't turn, and I don't really know about the cows, the agriculture is extremely intensive where I live because we're to crowded.

we have acres and acres of land covered with livestock.

me neither, i just have to buy the cheapy stuff, and hope i don't become ill, or my bank balance becomes ill either.
sucks doesn't it?
Quite...especially because I'm very concerned with what I actually eat. Bothers me that I can't do the free range/organic stuff
I do free range chicken more than other animals, and organic only on some veggies/fruits because they have done studies where some fruits/veggies are more prone to issues than others.

It's a balancing act.
It isn't so much that I can't afford it (my parents subsidize my food still), but more that I shop for myself and 3 other people who are on various budgets...I have to shop for the "poorest" of us, limiting my choices. Therefore, we do chicken most often, maybe a beef thing each week, and, if we had a cheap week or two, maybe pork or seafood.

Haven't seen much research on organic/free range vs. others...I'm wary of organic veggies and fruit mostly because many are grown just a field away from the sprayed crops, reducing the benefit, but maximizing the cost.