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What's happening to the British food industry? Not only do we have to contend with mad cows and infected lambs, but now we learn that most supermarket chickens are infected with a food poisoning bug. If you care about how your meat goes from farm to plate, read on. But finish off your chicken nuggets before you start… A 2002 study by the Food Standards Agency found that 50% of raw chicken on retail sale in the UK contained bacteria that cause food poisoning. And don't think that if you buy organic or free-range birds that you'll be safe - they are just as likely to be infected. The FSA found that about half of the fresh and frozen chicken on sale were infected with the campylobacter bacterium, the single biggest cause of foodbourne illness in this country. This finding follows hard on the hooves of stories about Mechanically Recovered Meat (MRM) containing spinal tissue being served up in school dinners. So what is happening to our food? Why are we at such risk from what we eat? Catherine Bassindale decided to investigate the problem by following her food from farm to fork. What she unearthed was a disturbing and gut-wrenching tale of sex, drugs and sausage rolls…
STAGE 1: Happy days (the start of the journey…) Chickens
The story starts with an egg. Eggs from broilers (chickens specially bred for their meat) are hatched in incubators. In the UK, 85 per cent of birds are then raised under intensive conditions, where they could number between 20,000 and 100,000 under one roof. The lighting is low, as bright light can cause fighting. The birds may also be ‘debeaked’ to prevent injuries. Chickens are fed a high-protein diet, with wheat, soya, fish meal, vitamins and minerals, so they develop rapidly. Sheep
Sheep are an integral part of the British landscape, where they can be seen frolicking around in the fields (and more recently stacked up on funeral pyres… but more of that later). The animals are mated in the autumn to produce lambs in the spring. They graze quite happily on grassy mountains or moorlands, although in winter, they’re usually brought back to the valleys where the farmers can keep an eye on them. Their winter diet includes silage (pickled grass), hay or root vegetables. Pigs
Don’t believe the hype – pigs are one of the cleanest animals in the farmyard (they only roll around in the mud to keep cool and rid themselves of pests). Pigs are reared in groups, mostly inside, to protect them from hostile weather. If they live in fields, they’ll have access to small shelters called ‘arks’. Their diet is designed to keep them lean and healthy, and usually contains barley, maize, soya bean meal, fish meal, vitamins and minerals.
Cows
Cows are the Don Juans of the animal kingdom. Just one sperm sample from a bull can artificially inseminate 1,000 cows… but don’t let that put you off your steak. Cows are mated from December, and the calving season begins in March. Cows spend the summer months grazing on herb- and clover-rich grass. In winter, they’re brought indoors and fed turnips, swedes, hay, straw and silage. Cows are no longer fed ground-up animal carcasses and brains, as is this is now linked with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or ‘mad cow disease’. QUESTION: What happens on organic farms?
Animals must have free access to fields, comfortable bedding, straw and plenty of space inside. To be classed as organic, animals must have been born and raised on an organic holding, where the pastures are not treated with pesticides or herbicides and where between 70-90 per cent of the feed is organic. The farm is monitored by the Soil Association. STAGE 2: drugs… the root of all evil? Or the way forward for modern farming?
Antibiotics, parasite killers and certain growth-promoting drugs have been legally given to animals since 1953 – and their use now is at record levels. The drugs can keep the animals healthy in conditions where disease can spread rapidly. Pigs, for example, are routinely prescribed up to 10 antibiotics in their water or feed, to promote growth and prevent disease. As fewer animals die, or lose weight, costs are kept down for the farmer. But it’s not all good news. Earlier this year, it was revealed that some chickens are being fed veterinary medicines linked with birth defects, cancer and heart attacks in human beings. According to a Soil Association report, some chicken meat and eggs have been found to contain residues of drugs deemed too dangerous for use in human medicine.
What are the problems with drug use?
Antibiotics can enter the human food chain, and human beings can then build up resistance to the drugs. This means ‘superbugs’ can develop which cannot be treated by modern medicine. Also, the widespread use of antibiotics has been linked with salmonella – a disease affecting birds that can be fatal in human beings. Are animals reared on organic farms drug-free?
Not necessarily. Antibiotics, wormers and vaccines cannot be used routinely, but conventional medicines can be given to ease suffering. Homeopathy and herbal medicines are, however, popular alternatives. STAGE 3: the end of the road… or welcome to the cutting plant
After being fattened up, the animals are transported in huge ventilated lorries to meet their fate. They may be sold at market first, but this is usually just a delaying tactic. Let’s face it, most animals don’t end up as pets. Small local butchers might slaughter the animals themselves, and cut them up for sale in their shops. Alternatively, animals will end up in larger ‘cutting plants’, where they are killed and cut up, before being sold on to restaurants or other outlets. Supermarkets have links with ‘meat plants’, where the animals walk in one end – and come out neatly packaged at the other. Chickens
Broilers are ready to go to the great chicken coop in the sky in 40-56 days. Free-range chickens may take longer. Chickens that are reared for egg production are killed once they stop laying, at about 72 weeks. The chickens are first stunned electronically and then their necks cut on a production line. The dead birds are then left to bleed for a minimum of 15 minutes before being plunged in a scalding tank (which makes plucking easier). The process is overseen by a vet.
Lambs
Lambs are weaned (separated from mothers) at 12-16 weeks. Some may be kept for breeding, but the majority end up on sale at a market, and then at the cutting plant. The slaughtering process is similar for sheep, pigs and cows: they are stunned (usually electronically) and their necks are cut. The hide is then removed and the animal is cut in two; the insides are taken out and the carcass is chilled (for hygiene reasons and because it makes them easier to cut up). Finally, the animal is butchered and microbiological testing takes place for bugs including E.coli and salmonella. Pigs
Pigs are usually sold at 20-26 weeks for pork or bacon. Sows reared for breeding might survive until the age of 4 (by which point they may have given birth to 88 piglets). Cows
Cows are slaughtered before the age of 30 months (when their risk of having BSE is low). What can go wrong?- In the past 10 years, more than 1,000 abattoirs in the UK have closed because of a combination of EU red tape and lack of funding. Now, only 340 remain. Farmers have been forced to transport their animals all over the country - and this is thought to have aided the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. As a result, many animals have ended up in mass burial grounds, or on funeral pyres.
- Unlicensed abattoirs – with lax safety procedures – may continue to pass diseases such as BSE into the food chain.
- The hides of cattle are usually pulled off by a machine. If they aren’t scrupulously clean, chunks of dirt and manure can drop off and spread parasites and diseases such as salmonella. However, at licensed plants inspectors are on site to help prevent such accidents.
STAGE 4: How the meat gets to your plate
Processing is likely to occur at the meat plant. The law permits the use of over 400 food additives or processing aids. Organic meat can also contain certain preservatives or colourings. For example, E250 Sodium nitrite may be used for curing bacon and ham – it also kills the deadly botulinum bacteria and gives meat a red colour. Chickens
Chickens are plucked with mechanised rubber fingers, and the innards removed. The birds may be cut up (eg: for chicken wings or breasts), left whole for roasting, or made into products such as soup, pâté and stock cubes. Sheep
Young animals have more tender meat and end up as lamb, while the older creatures are sold as mutton. The meat may also end up in sausages or mince. Pigs
The carcasses are cut up and sold as fresh pork, or made into cured products (such as bacon and hams) by injecting the meat with salt solution under pressure. Sow meat usually ends up in sausage rolls, pork pies or ready meals. Cows
The way the meat is cut determines the price. Rump steak is the high-quality cut from the rear of the animal. Brisket is the lower-quality cut from the animal’s neck. The muscle tissue, fat, skin, rind and gristle may also be sold to make economy products such as beef burgers.
What can go wrong?
As the law stands, red meat unfit for human consumption is stained with an identifying dye; inedible poultry is not, so it’s particularly vulnerable to being sold on illegally –, with incalculable costs to human health. Recently a multi-million pound fraud was uncovered in which chickens meant for pet food were sold to supermarkets, butchers and restaurants. Tesco has had to recal thousands of chicken steaks in a similar incident. Chicken meat that wasn’t even fit for pet food,has allegedly ended up in school dinners in Scotland. There is also a belief that the foot-and-mouth outbreak may have come from pig swill made from leftover school meals infected with tainted meat. The discovery of the campylobacter bacterium in chickens sold in British supermarkets is more bad news: this is the bug that was responsible for almost 55,000 cases of food poisoning in the UK in 1999. In August 2001, over 90% of chickens found with the infection carried the most dangerous strain. No one knows how the birds become infected, but contaminated water supplies, a lack of hygiene in the production process, and rodents are all suspects. The Food Standards Agency continues to stress the need for caution when storing, handling and cooking raw chicken to prevent the spread of the bacteria. However, despite taking such precautions, people are still suffering from stomach cramps and diarrhoea associated with the bug. STAGE 5: For Sale!
The meat ends up swathed in plastic – and on a supermarket shelf near you. We’re certainly a nation of animal lovers when it comes to what we like on our plate. The meat market is worth nearly £14 billion a year, and it’s the biggest single food market in Britain. Chicken is our most popular dish, representing 37 per cent of the market.
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