.There is something sneaky going on. Something weird is happening to our chickens in America and yes, it affects you. I’m sure at a restaurant you’ve heard the people in the booth behind yours asking whether the chicken is local or “free-range.” The waiter may reply with a “well, of course,” which may be true, but in America, he’s not telling you the entire story.
The globalization process of the chicken we eat goes as follows: the chickens are born and raised in either the United States, Canada, or Chile, sent to China to be processed, cooked, and packaged, and then shipped back to North and South America for our consumption. Most Americans are unaware of this even though it has been occurring for almost an entire year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture ruled in August of 2013 that poultry processed in China can be sold in the United States. This is considered to be an act of globalization, an ongoing process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures become integrated through a globe-spanning network of exchange, or more simply, international trade
Those who were concerned by this ruling attempted to petition against Chinese imports, but unfortunately, the United States must continue our trade with China in order to comply with the regulations set forth by the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Many consumers are concerned because China has historically faced food safety issues. Over the years, there have been multiple documented Bird Flu incidents in China’s poultry ranging from the H5N1 virus all the way across the board to H7N9. Additionally, there were over 500 dog deaths and several cat deaths that were caused by a specific Chinese product in 2013 alone. The animals were killed from eating a jerky treat made of chicken that was processed in China. Our country’s people (as well as Canadians and Chileans) do not want their children nor their pets to be exposed to potential viruses and quite frankly, may want to consider boycotting this chicken.
Food safety experts are naturally concerned that China’s poultry is notorious to food borne illnesses, but are even more concerned about what the future of chicken globalization holds for our country. Experts predict that within a few years, China will start requests to export chickens that were born and raised in China. This will be even larger hazard to people’s health because Chinese chickens carry many more diseases than the chickens that are sent to China to be processed.
"Many consumers are concerned because China has historically faced food safety issues."
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Mystery Meat Magazine: Issue 2
Where in the World is Chicken Sandiego?
By Anika Reinighaus