A mother experienced utter disbelief when the poultry she was preparing for dinner disintegrated into strands resembling spaghetti.
Clarifying that pasta was not part of the evening’s meal, she shared a Facebook post depicting the raw chicken she was rinsing, which was falling apart in her grasp.
“I believe it’s that imitation meat,” she stated in her now widely circulated post, which is motivating internet users to consider a vegan lifestyle.
Keep reading to learn more about the stringy chicken!
Alesia Cooper, a resident of Irving, Texas, recently posted a troubling image of a chicken breast expressing its discontent regarding its impending fate on a dinner plate on March 21.
Cooper stated, “I have been contemplating whether to share this, but since I had to witness it, so must you all.” The post, which features a picture of the chicken disintegrating into strands resembling spaghetti, further elaborates: “A couple of weeks ago, while preparing dinner for my children, I was cleaning the meat as I usually do, and when I returned to continue cooking, it had transformed into this (SIC).”
A mother of two, who reveals that she bought the chicken breast from the budget supermarket Aldi, states: “I believe it might be imitation meat, but I am not entirely certain… I haven’t prepared chicken off the bone in quite some time.”
Internet users quickly took to the comments section to share their thoughts, with some speculating that the chicken was either 3D printed or cultivated in a petri dish.
“One commenter suggested, ‘That’s lab-grown chicken; it’s a new method of producing chicken that emerged in response to the bird flu and resource shortages over the past few years. Last year, it was announced that a way to create chicken in a lab had been developed, and that’s what is currently available in stores.’”
“GMO lab meat,” writes another.
A third decides it’s “fake i don’t buy it anymore.”
A different user provides a more rational clarification regarding the shredded chicken breast: “This is not lab-cultivated or 3D-printed meat. It originates from actual chickens. The issue arises when avaricious poultry producers administer growth hormones to their chickens, causing them to develop at an excessively rapid pace.”
Bigger breasts
According to The Wall Street Journal, along with hard, chewy meat called “woody breast,” “spaghetti meat” is allegedly the result of breeding to make big-breasted chickens grow faster.
There is an increased yield of meat per bird, resulting in greater potential profits.
Dr. Massimiliano Petracci, a professor of agriculture and food science at the University of Bologna in Italy, informs the Wall Street Journal that there is evidence linking these abnormalities to rapidly growing bird breeds.
Terms like “woody breast” and “spaghetti meat” may be disconcerting; however, industry specialists assert that consuming these products poses no health risks to humans.
Conversely, the chickens suffer, as their disproportionately large bodies place excessive strain on their relatively small legs.
Chubby chickens
Judging by numbers released from the National Chicken Council, broiler chickens – chickens grown for meat – grow a lot faster than in the past. In 2000, the average bird went to market at 47 days old, weighing 5.03 pounds, and in 2023, the average chicken still goes to market at day 47, but now the chubby chickens weigh in at 6.54 pounds.
When comparing current statistics to those from nearly a century ago, it is notable that broilers required 112 days to reach a market weight of 2.5 pounds in 1925.
These developments illustrate the growing preference for white meat over the last hundred years, prompting the industry to adapt by producing chickens with “proportionally larger breasts.”
Dr. Michael Lilburn, a professor at the Poultry Research Center at Ohio State University, stated to the Washington Post: “If the consumption of chicken continues to rise, it is likely that chickens will need to grow even larger… We will also need to enhance the proportion of breast meat in each bird.”
Lilburn further remarked, “What many do not understand is that it is consumer demand driving the industry to evolve,” referring to the public’s appetite for chicken nuggets, wings, sandwiches, and other affordable chicken products. “A relatively small but vocal group is raising important questions. However, the majority of the U.S. population remains indifferent to the origins of their food, provided it is inexpensive.”
Fast food establishments and certain grocery retailers have, to some extent, contributed to the increased demand for larger chicken breast meat. However, The New York Times indicates that some companies are advocating for meat sourced from slow-growth chickens, arguing that allowing these birds more time to mature prior to slaughter results in a healthier and more content life for them, ultimately leading to superior-tasting meat.
In the meantime, social media users are voicing their revulsion regarding the appearance of the chicken product.
One online user remarks, “It resembles worms! What are they feeding us?”
Another individual shares their experience: “I encountered some like that previously. It appeared similar at the bottom. Things don’t seem as fresh as they did in our youth.”
Some internet users recommended seeking alternatives for purchasing meat: “You can find humanely raised and higher quality chicken at a local butcher or cooperative. I suggest visiting those places for your meat needs.”
Additionally, some individuals expressed a desire to adopt vegetarianism.
“I’m going vegan!! There is an excess of lab-produced food,” one user commented, while another noted: “This is why we are considering a pescatarian diet.”
It is indeed regrettable that factory farming inflicts significant suffering on these animals during their brief lives.
