When the chicken she was cooking for supper disintegrated into stringy spaghetti bits, a Texas woman was taken aback.
The mother posted a picture of the raw chicken she was washing on social media, explaining that pasta was not an option that evening. The chicken was falling apart in her hands.
In her now-viral Facebook post, she states, “I think it’s that fake meat” that is encouraging people to adopt a vegan diet.To find out more about the stringy chicken, keep reading!
Alesia Cooper, an Irving, Texas resident, posted a troubling image of a chicken breast objecting to its prospective placement on a dinner plate on March 21.
“I’ve been debating on posting this, but since I had to see it, so do yall,” writes the mother of two. The post reads, “I was cooking my kids dinner a couple of weeks ago and was cleaning my meat like I normally do and when I went back to start cooking it turned into this (SIC).” It also includes a photograph of chicken shredding into spaghetti-like threads.
Cooper continues, “lol I think it’s that fake meat but I’m not sure anyways.” She says she bought the chicken breast from the discount store Aldi.Since then, I haven’t made chicken off the bone.
Online users immediately went into the comments area with their thoughts on the subject; some suggested that the chicken was developed in a petri dish or 3D printed.
“That’s lab grown chicken; it’s a new way they make chicken because they didn’t have produce the last few years due to bird flu and resource shortages. Last year they announced that they found a way to make chicken in a lab, and that’s what’s in stores now,” one person counters.
Someone else writes, “GMO lab meat.”
A third concludes that it’s “fake, and I no longer buy it.”
A more rational explanation for the shredded chicken breast is provided by another user, who says, “It’s not lab-grown meat or 3D printed flesh. It is derived from actual hens. The issue arises when avaricious chicken farmers force-feed their birds growth hormones, causing them to develop more faster than necessary.
larger breasts
According to the Wall Street Journal, breeding to accelerate the growth of big-breasted chickens is said to have produced “spaghetti meat” in addition to the tough, chewy meat known as “woody breast.”
Therefore, more meat may be produced per bird, increasing profit.
Professor of agriculture and food science at the University of Bologna in Italy, Dr. Massimiliano Petracci, tells the WSJ that “there is proof that these abnormalities are associated with fast-growing birds.”
Industry experts say eating “spaghetti meat” and “wooly breast” won’t harm you, despite their disturbing names.
However, it will damage the chickens since their enormous bodies are too heavy for their little legs to support.
chubby hens
According to data made public by the National Chicken Council, broiler chickens—chickens raised for meat—grow considerably more quickly than they did in the past. The typical chicken in 2000 weighed 5.03 pounds when it went to market at 47 days old. In 2023, the average chicken still goes to market at 47 days old, but the plump birds now weigh 6.54 pounds.
When comparing these figures to those from nearly a century before, it took broilers 112 days to reach a market weight of 2.5 pounds in 1925.
These modifications are a reflection of the industry’s desire to provide chickens with “proportionally larger breasts,” which was spurred by the growing demand for white meat during the previous century.
According to the Washington Post, Dr. Michael Lilburn, a professor at Ohio State University’s Poultry Research Center, “chickens will probably have to get even bigger if people keep eating more and more chicken.”Additionally, we will need to increase the amount of breast flesh in each bird.
Regarding people’s love of cheap chicken goods like sandwiches, wings, and nuggets, Lilburn said, “what people don’t realize is that it’s consumer demand that’s forcing the industry to adjust.” There is a vocal and deceptively small minority that is raising many valid questions. As long as it’s inexpensive, the majority of Americans still don’t care where their food comes from.
The New York Times notes that some businesses are requesting meat from slow-growing hens, “contending that giving birds more time to grow before slaughter will give them a healthier, happier life – and produce better-tasting meat.” While fast food chains and some grocery stores have, in part, supported the demand for larger breast meat.
“I’m going vegan.”
Online users, however, are criticizing the noodled chicken and voicing their displeasure.
A cyberfan inquires: “It appears to be worms! What food do they provide us?
“A time back, I got some similar to that. That was how it appeared on the bottom. Not everything has appeared as it did when we were younger. Much fresher,” another person says.
“You’ll get humanely raised and better quality chicken from a local butcher or co-op,” other internet users advised. For your beef, I suggest visiting there instead.
And a few were motivated to switch to vegetarianism.
“I’m going vegan! One says, “There’s too much lab food around,” while another adds, “That’s why we’re considering switching to a pescatarian diet.”
It is truly regrettable that these poor animals are going through so much suffering in their brief lives as a result of factory farming.
Please share this story so that we can hear what other people have to say after you let us know what you think!
