Consumer Reports, in an investigation released today, leaves the false impression that feed additives containing arsenic are fed to chickens in the United States. The National Chicken Council (NCC) released the following statement strongly condemning these insinuations:
“Chickens in the United States produced for meat, known as broilers, are not given arsenic as an additive in chicken feed,” said Tom Super, NCC vice president of communications. “Some broiler flocks used to be given feed that contained a product called Roxarsone, which included safe levels of organic arsenic. Even though the science shows that such low levels of arsenic do not harm chickens or the people eating them, this product was removed from the market last year, it is no longer manufactured and it is no longer used in raising broilers in the United States. No other products containing arsenic are used in broiler meat production.”
For questions and answers about arsenic’s presence in food and chicken feed, click here.