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Chicken Ick: Fecal Soup
More and more people are reporting that they are experiencing "chicken ick"—suddenly being repulsed by eating chicken. But most are probably unaware of the ickiest aspect of the chicken they are consuming: It could have been soaking in "fecal soup."
In April 2019, the Physicians Committee sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture for ignoring concerns over widespread fecal contamination of chicken products. The lawsuit was filed after the USDA failed to respond to a Physicians Committee petition that included results from tests conducted on 120 chicken products sold by 15 grocery store chains in 10 U.S. cities. Evidence of fecal contamination was found in 48% of samples.
Although the USDA implements a “zero tolerance” policy for fecal contamination, this policy only applies to visible fecal contamination. Chicken products pass inspection as long as feces are not visible to the naked eye.
The lawsuit and petition quoted a federal inspector who said, “We often see birds going down the line with intestines still attached, which are full of fecal contamination. If there is no fecal contamination on the bird’s skin, however, we can do nothing to stop that bird from going down that line. It is more than reasonable to assume that once the bird gets into the chill tank (a large vat of cold water), that contamination will enter the water and contaminate all of the other carcasses in the chiller. That’s why it is sometimes called ‘fecal soup.’”
“Poultry Slaughter Procedures,” a USDA training video obtained by the Physicians Committee through a Freedom of Information Act request, revealed that the chicken slaughtering process ends with carcasses soaking in cold water—“fecal soup”—for up to one hour before being packaged for consumers.
In June 2019, the USDA announced that it would take no action to address these concerns and conceded that bacteria commonly found in feces are routinely present on meat and chicken products. The agency also agreed that the “presence of E. coli and other enteric bacteria on meat or poultry products indicates that the bacteria is likely associated with the intestinal tract.”
From cancer risk to urinary tract infections, learn more about why eating chicken is an unhealthy choice.
Fecal Soup: Poultry Slaughter Procedures
Poultry Slaughter Procedures, a USDA training video, reveals that the chicken slaughtering process ends with carcasses soaking in cold water—"fecal soup"—for up to one hour before being packaged for consumers. The Physicians Committee obtained this video through the Freedom of Information Act.
