The US department of agriculture has recalled thousands of pounds of chicken nuggets due do them containing a number of plastic pieces. The USDA has exclaimed that Perdue foods have recalled 4,530 pounds of chicken nuggets. The nuggets were produced for Applegate Farms which is a brand distributed primarily to the store Target. The USDA has explained that the issue was put forth by consumers claiming that they were discovering tiny, hard, and clear pieces of plastic enclosed in the Applegate Naturals Chicken Nuggets. Although it is alarming to discover plastic pieces inside the chicken nuggets, there are a number of perplexing ingredients put into chicken nuggets as well as other similar foods. Researchers have discovered that there is a shortage of actual chicken meat found in these kinds of food. Statistics show that the chicken nuggets were made up of only about 40 to 50 percent of meat.
The remainder of the chicken nuggets contained a mixture of fat, blood vessels, tissue, cartilage, bone, and skin. Richard deShazo is a professor of medicine, pediatrics, and immunology at the University Of Mississippi Medical Center. He has conducted studies on the amount of actual meat found in chicken nuggets. He has stated that he was extremely shocked at the amount of byproducts found in chicken nuggets when he viewed them under the microscope.
Professor deShazo has claimed that the amount of byproducts found in these nuggets, mixed with the fat content they are fried in can lead to numerous health issues in children. The problem is that these kinds of processed food make up a large of portion of what people feed to their children, as well as themselves. This could be extremely unhealthy in the long run for individuals who consume it regularly.
Source:
Susanne Posel, “USDA Chicken Nugget Recall: Plastic Is the Least of Your Worries,” Blacklisted, March 7, 2016, http://www.blacklistednews.com/USDA_Chicken_Nugget_Recall%3A_Plastic_is_the_Least_of_Your_Worries/49582/0/38/38/Y/M.html
Student Researcher: Tamisha Jean, Indian River State College
Faculty Evaluator: Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D., Indian River State College