Checking out our chickens

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Posted at 11:51AM, 07 July 2008 by Abbie Dobson - News journalist

So, Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall continues his campaign to free the nation's chickens, or at least, for starters, those reared by Tesco. His words at the supermarket giant's recent AGM may not have elicited quite as enthusiastic a response as had been hoped. Why? Well, because when it comes to matters of our feathered friends, cost comes first.

His desire to get us all thinking and demanding that the chickens we buy have a right to the five freedoms hasn't quite taken off in the same way as say Jamie's School Dinners, but does beg the question: do we ask enough about the way in which the meat we buy was raised?

Many would argue that, conscience aside, a free-range chicken is a tastier choice. But we also know it's a choice our wallets have to bear.

The 'Chicken Out' campaign aims to improve the welfare and de-intensify the farming of chickens. Quite right too, many of you may clamour! It would be more than a wishbone stuck in my throat if I thought the little fella I just pulled out the oven all golden and juicy had not, as Defra say, had the freedom 'to express normal behaviour'. (Though quite what is normal about a chicken's behaviour is lost on me!) However, how many of us will think about the life of a chicken when the spiralling cost of food sees us with some of the highest shopping bills we've seen in years?

Many would argue that, conscience aside, a free-range chicken is a tastier choice. But we also know it's a choice our wallets have to bear. Tesco argue that to rear the chickens in a way advocated by the campaign would cost three times as much. I may and do choose to pay three times as much but not everyone is willing or indeed able. Should the right to eat chicken be only for those that can afford it?

Remember the Bernard Matthews bird flu outbreak early last year? Who can forget the enduring images of machinery clawing through random pieces of bird, whilst men in white coats disposed of the casualties. It was difficult to grasp why we continue to rear these birds in such a soulless way, but I was told this opinion was too middle class. If you're a low-income family meat produced in this way is the only way in which it becomes affordable. So is this new campaign merely creating a two tier system - the can-haves and the can-have-nots? What next? Roast beef?

Comments

James

7 July, 1:00PM
James

But the interesting thing HF-W points out is that it is the area food in our personal budgeting that we have decided we can save asmch money as possible. If we cut out food waste (as pointed out by the PM this morning), if we grew our own veg (which has taken off this year) and used freecycle to furnish our houses, cut down on other luxury items which you acquire through retail therapy (how mny of thos shoes or clothes in the wardrobe do you actualy wear?) there would be more disposable income for better quality food. Maybe we just need to live to eat rather than the other way round.

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James

7 July, 1:46PM
James

And do we need brands? How much do we spend on food brands - you're paying for the brand rather than the product. Especially snack products. And brands kill the business for local suppliers. If you spent more on quality food & cooked it yourself you have less sugars, fats, additives etc leaving you less of a sugar-low gap to fill in between meals with expensive snack products, which you could always fill with the left-overs from your wonderful cooking.

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James

7 July, 1:58PM
James

And when it comes to meat - remember meat used to be a luxury. If we still thought of it as such would care a little more about it. The local organic beef farm had 2 freezers full of briskets because everyone wanted fillet and sirloin and that was in winter, so I got a good price on the brisket as they had so many and it lasted a good 4 meals +. Lamb and pork shoulders slow cooked have 10 times the flavour of the loin chops, are much cheaper and can do several meals. And the organic free range chicken may cost Â£6 - 9, but it can do 8 - 20 portions or more if you're efficient - ballottines, gallottines, terrine, pate etc. and that's without the soup. There's more than just a roast. Maybe it's a reskilling we need.

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Tom secrets!

7 July, 4:17PM
Tom secrets!

The whole issue appears to stem from our demand to eat meat in every meal... Perhaps if we had a more considered approach to what constitues a meal, not always having meat as the centre piece for example, our expenditure and the prices demanded would fall. Saddly it seems we are just too fond of meat, demanding inferior quality instead of controlling our intakes...

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Nunnington

8 July, 5:31AM
Nunnington

It sounds awful, but I feel a bit let down by Hugh and Jamie now. Having been 'exposed' to the worst possible side of intensive chicken farming, I now can't enjoy anything other than organic free-range eggs and chicken of at least the 'welfare-assured' variety. The result? Huge bills on this part of my shopping (Â£2.05 for six free-range organic eggs anyone?) and economies needing to be made in other areas of the food spend. No wonder Marks and Spencer is seeing a downturn, we can't afford the luxury extras any more if we've got a conscience...

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Philippa

8 July, 1:13PM
Philippa

I suppose it depends on whether you see the animals being treated humanely as a luxuary. I've stared re-assessing my attitude to meat. I now eat chicken like I eat other meats, ie, budget about Â£2-3 a portion and eat them like a bit of a treat rather than just every day. I've replaced it with cheap beans and pulses, which have the added bonus of being super healthy! My brother pointed out that buying nicer chicken is all well and good but it makes you less inclined to use it for stuff like currys where you wouldn't be able to taste it as much. I suggested using Korn pieces as they are cheap and soak up the flavour much the same way chicken does.

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igglepiggle

9 July, 10:24PM
igglepiggle

What Hugh was asking tesco to do was to raise the level of their chickens to the RSPCA`s standards which would add approximately 50p to each birds cost. I don`t think that is too much extra to pay. Rising food cost haven`t seemed to have stopped people buying ready meals,takeaways, fags and booze maybe we just need to change our priorities.

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