To not want to eat chicken again - until the laws are tightened.

[Elendon]

www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/29/food-regulator-chicken-supplier-food-safety-dates-2-sisters-food-group

2SFG seems to supply to so many supermarkets. The video is a disgrace.

From the article: A response from 2SFG

It added: “We also successfully operate in one of the most tightly controlled and highly regulated food sectors in the world. We are subject to multiple and frequent unannounced audits from the FSA, BRC, Red Tractor, independent auditors as well as our customers. By example, our facility in the West Midlands under investigation received nine audits (five unannounced) in the months of July and August alone.”

That explains why my m&s chicken smells off before it's even past the date!

Yanbu, I can't be dealing with chicken anymore.

I usually get chicken from the local butcher so hopefully there's is a bit fresher.

That is disgusting! We don't buy much chicken, I am so glad after seeing that!

And this is why I buy chicken from our local butcher too.

I'm buying chicken from the local butcher as well. I felt ill watching it.

All those chickens! We used to eat chicken three times a fortnight when I was young. It was considered a luxury (and yes, my mother did a pie and soup from the remains).

Grim. Puts me in mind of a TV programme from years ago that investigated the industry - it was found that chicken destined for pet food was 'washed' in chlorine and passed into the human food chain.

I can't remember the title now, but it was Panorama, or something like that.

DD stopped eating chicken 2 years ago - won't touch it. Seeing this, I think she's probably got the right idea.

Things like this make me glad I gave up meat 6 months ago

That's us off to the butcher this weekend. So really, that's a sort of silver lining that comes from stories like this - more people buying from small producers/outlets rather than big supermarkets.

YANBU

I don't think the issue will be only with chicken.

Anyplace dealing with animals will be grim, and corners will always be cut.

Egg production, transport of animals, slaughterhouse systems, accountability and tracing.

I doubt that Brexit will drive up standards and accountability either.

I know my local butchers, you have to order the chicken in - they get them from a local farm. But I'm not sure I actually want to eat chicken again.

I stppped buying chicken in M&S o long time ago after noticing it smelled off even befor the BB date. I thought I was imagining things at some stage.

This explains a lot.

YANBU. Urgh, this chicken story keeps cropping up, doesn't it? I properly went off chicken a few years ago after a bout of food poisoning. My body seemed to not want it afterwards.

I still get it very occasionally - two or three times a year maybe - but only a whole bird from a good butcher. And I pay about £20 for a 1.6kg bird, but I see that as the price of a decent product. It tastes out of this world, although I know that's not the point.

I found myself thinking, when a supermarket can sell a whole chicken for £2.99 and still - presumably - make profit on its sale, likewise the companies up the supply chain, how on earth that can happen. Well, this is how, I suppose. Grim.

YOU will however notice that Waitrose is one name that usually stays out of these scandals.

They have their own supply chain and they seem to have integrity and actually care about it.

How can we as customers put any faith whatsoever in food from those supermarkets even the re labeling of Tesco willow stuff for Lidl or from Lidl. its a free for all on every single front, lablelling, dates, provenance, hygiene.

People deride journos but thanks to the journos who go undercover!

why doesnt the body who regulates go undercover too??? THIS company was supposed to be excellent according to them?

I doubt that Brexit will drive up standards and accountability either.

^ you know the EU is hardly exemplary either? Many food scandals over there - state of pig farms, in fact - we have highest welfare standards for pigs and although I expect there are murky areas where its below par we still managed to be a leader on that front without the EU!

The 2 sisters food group is owned by the same people who own Foxes biscuits, Boporan family.

The sun is in and out of prison. He crashed into a car and a little girl became disabled, she died eat this year 😢

I've boycotted their products for a while now. I'm not giving my money to these despicable people.

I usually buy my chicken from only the Coop and Waitrose.

Aldi once did a trail on a chicken that tasted so good (but was expensive). I've not seen it since.

The chickens for sale at my local butcher does cost the same as a turkey for Christmas.

Please do not bring Brexit into this. (I'm a staunch 'remoaner')

A decent chicken that had an ok life and death will cost around £10. As said by pp, £2.99 can not produce a high quality, high welfare chicken, it is equivalent to sweatshop stuff.

Use a butcher, their direct livelihood depends on giving you quality, they like to be accountable. Eat less meat, be fussy, eat good meat. It would be nice to avoid becoming like the Americans.

Elendon Can't help but laugh at the unintentional 'chicken from the Coop' .

A few years ago my in-laws pulled out of the chicken-farming business completely because prices had got so low they couldn't compete with chickens being imported from countries with lower standards. Prior to that they were selling to M&S.

Having seen chicken farming first hand I try not to buy chicken in supermarkets, but if I do I buy the organic highest quality chicken I can in the hopes that there's a little more care and accountability. Similar with other meat.

It's more expensive that way so we eat less of it.

It would be nice to avoid becoming like the Americans

How ironic - I am American...

The USA want to bring Pork Farms to the UK though, most in the South East. This article, also from the Guardian, highlights the horrors.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/20/north-carolina-hog-industry-pig-farms

Sorry BeAlert. I didn't mean to offend in any way and applaud your new eating regime, which I absolutely will be taking up from now on.

Obviously you do have more experience of this.

The problem here was that the employees at the supplier cut corners, it’s nothing to do with the supermarkets as they had rejected the bad chicken & that’s when it was repackaged. I bet they were using below minimum wage Eastern European sweatshops like most UK farms do - they will often be tasked to do work without any training.