WaterIn Chicken? That’s Something To Squawk About (NAPSA)—If you enjoy a good chicken dinner, you have plenty of company. Every year, each American consumes about 82 pounds of chicken. At home, that numberis about 48 poundsa year. But some- thing has begun to ruffle the feathers of chicken lovers. It’s called “enhanced chicken.” By purchasing this altered Enhanced Chicken and Water Numberof ounces of waterin one pound of enhanced chicken—2.1 07. e Annual amount consumers pay extra per person for water in enhanced chicken— $10.20 Annual amount consumers pay extra for chicken, many shoppers are pay- a family of four for water in enhanced and it’s turning out to be extra water, salt and phosphates. Labeled “enhanced with chicken e Annual amount the population of the United States pays for water in enhanced chicken—$72.9billion @ ing for more than they realize— broth,” this processed poultry absorbs the liquid, which accounts for up to 15 percent of the product’s weight, and could cost consumers, if all chicken were enhancedin this manner, an extra $2.9 billion each year. To make more consumers aware, Sanderson Farms, the nation’s sixth largest chicken producer, today announced a consumer education initiative designed to shed light on what has become a common industry practice. “Some of the largest chicken producers use this enhancing practice to increase the weight of the chicken and ultimately the consumer’s cost,” said Consumer Advocate Tim Duffy. “Families become the victims and could end up unwittingly paying about $40 extra a year for nothing more than additional water, salt and phosphates, if they buy nothing but enhanced chicken.” How “Enhancement” Works Chicken becomes “enhanced” when a solution of water, salt and phosphates is injected into the poultry meat with a cluster of needles. Another method is called “tumbling,” where the product and solution are put in a large drum and the air removed to create a vacuum that forces the liquid into the meat. Either way, the end chicken product is pumped with chicken—S40.80 up to 15 percent solution—paid for by consumers. The Secret Sodium Source Another surprising effect of this process is the increase in sodium in “enhanced” chicken. Nutritional labeling shows that sodium in “enhanced” chicken can be as high as 540 mg. in one 4ounce piece, whereas a natural, raw 4-ounce chicken breast con- tains 73 mg. sodium. The recom- mended USDAdietary guidelines for sodium intake in healthy adults is no more than 2,400 mg. per day. Those on restricted diets should consume even less—no more than 2,000 mg. per day. All Chicken Is Not Created Equal One chicken producer, Sander- son Farms, is dedicated to pro- ducing 100 percent chicken, natu- rally and does not add unnecessary water, salt and phosphates to increase the weight of its Sander- son Farmsbrandof fresh chicken. “We urge shoppers to take an extra second to check the label on the front of the package, read the fine print on the back andlook for words like ‘enhanced,’ ‘chicken broth,’ or ‘solution,’ said Bill Sanderson of Sanderson Farms natural chicken products. For more information, please visit www.truth-in-chicken.com.
