SUPERMARKET .....SECRETS...........ON..........NOW................WATCH ....................IT.........NOW

[RTKangaMummy]

NOW

CHANNEL 4

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I saw a programme couple of years ago saying that organic or free range could just mean different food and the availability for them to go outside

but that there were sooooo many in the shed and the gap to let them outside was not very big that they didn't really go out

Actuially I think that was about EGGS because they didn't want them to be laying them around a field cos it would take too long to walk around collecting the eggs

wasn't that appalling. Please remind us to watch next episode on MOnday.

I try not to buy processed foods if possible and try to make things from scratch. Its such a con really. Our local butcher was put out of business by a large supermarket and I now travel 8 miles to the nearest one. The meat is so worth it though.

Isn't organic similar or the same as free range? Pecking around in fields. happily... Those poor souls in the Battery farms...

Reminds me of when we were in the States, at nights, in certain states, you could see MASSIVE farm buidings lit up - after some investigation turns out they are American style Battery Chicken farming - lights left on all night for maximum growth potential and God knows what conditions for the chickens - made sure all eggs were free range from then on

i cant even watch it or ill end up living on fresh air!!

Used to live near a Grampian Country Chickens farm. Put me off chicken for a long long time. The noise and smell on 'harvest' day......

There used to be a Battery chicken farm near my home when I was a child - the days they 'cleaned out' the pens made you feel physically sick and lingered in the air for days, this was around half a mile to three quarters from our house - luckily closed down now - really really revolting

turned it off at around 9.40 i felt so sick andcan now say i dont want to eat chicken.

DH hates to have a roast chicken dinner said i cooked them that often now i to am glad i cooked them that often as i wont be buying chicken again

sorry I missed it. I can only imagine though as I read Fast Food Nation and the state of chicken farms was discussed in detail. I try to get either organic or corn fed chickens who get some room to run around since then.

FIMAC, did you have a big rat problem after it was closed? when dd was single a chicken farm closed down nearby and they were over-run with rats. they needed the pied piper to come by.

Well its ONLY orgainic chicken / poutlry for me now! (and my charges!)

we always tried to but organic (and prbably 80% of the time we did (but if there was no organic then we would amke do!)

as of that programme NO WAY!

I refuse to inject any more money to fuel that cruel battery farming

DH went to TESCO tonight and looked at the chickens and ALL OF THE TRACTOR STICKER ONES THAT ARE SUPPODSED TO BE TO BRITISH STANDARDS

HAD HOCK BURNS ON ON THEIR LEGS ---- VERY OBVIOUS

ALL OF THE FREE RANGE AND ORGANIC ONE {ONLY ONE LEFT} DID NOT HAVE BURNS

so market research from tesco tonight

DH and I went totally organic (apart from tinned/packet stuff)when we were in Vanouver - mostly as I was pregnant and we wern't sure what the deal was with pesticides etc over there.

We've been back for a month now and I am horrified at the lack of organic produce here. Additionally, the quality in supermarkets is very poor and totally overpriced.

RTKD - we did the hock burn test at our local tescos. The hock burns on regular chicken were huge. Funnily enough, organic had sold out.......

oops, that should be for RTK Mummy!

TwoIfbySea
I used to think we couldn't afford to go organic/free range as well. Then we found out our local farmer's market (Edinburgh) is held every Saturday and is right off Prince's Street - easily accessible by bus.

The first time, we came w/£50 - our weekly food budget. One week later, we STILL had quality food to last us!

In fact, I've still got a fridge/freezerload of stuff from our visit last week.

I haven't encountered a meat farmer yet who sells there who doesn't keep free-range, organically fed animals. Most have their farms open for visitors - we've been to several this summer alone and are going to another tomorrow. Most also butcher and package their own meats and don't send them out to factories.

And the food is on par w/supermarket prices.

You cannot beat the quality! The meat has less fat and salt and tastes more flavourful, so we don't have to use so much.

The veg is delicious.

We now do almost all our shopping - aside from basics like sugar and instant coffee - at the farmer's market. We just bring the shopping trolley and load up.

We make all our own bread using our breadmaker, and I buy all our flours and oats from the local millers at the farmer's market as well.

It's really changed how we eat. My husband is a native Edinburgher and really enjoys showing support for local farmers. He feels like he's doing something to show support for the community he loves so much.

I now enjoy 'what's for tea?' rather than dreading it.

We even pick up unique pressies there - there's one soapmaker who sells a whisky and lime soap wrapped in bits of tartan that's a big hit around Xmas time. And there's plenty of local ales, beers, wines and whiskies that make fantastic gifts, particularly as I'm an expat and my family and friends love getting different, locally produced goods.

There's no need to buy meat that's the result of mistreated animals if you stay in a place that has a farmer's market. It's no dearer than a supermarket, I can tell ya, and I used to shop in ASDA - we are low-income.

I can't get the sight of the poor wee chicken who couldn't walk around out of my mind. Poor soul!

I wonder what TESCO and sainsburys asda will do anything if people stop buying their chickens

We had vegatarian takeaway from INDIAN cos I couldn't order a meat dish

and didn't really like it it had nothing to do with lack of meat it was just the flavours that were there and it was HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is the sight of all the little chicks falling off the lorry that DH and I found hard to see as well as the sick chickens.

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall has a really interesting section on chicken in his meat book - he did a lot of research at different farms and suppliers and with the major supermarkets. It certainly changed the way I buy meat. I think the main point is eat meat less often but make it better quality and organic if poss. When you think about the economics of producing a whole fresh chicken for £3 you realise what kind of conditions are necessary.

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........................TONIGHT............

.......... PART 2.................

....................8.00................

.................. CHANNEL 4..................

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RTKM, a good butcher will have named farm suppliers and someone in the shop should be able to tell you they have visited the farm for themselves.
Organic meat does not have to be expensive. We spend £15 a week on organic meat for a family of four and for that we get:

4 big, delicious chicken thighs
Half a kilo of the butcher's own Toulouse or Cumberland sausages
A half kilo piece of home-cured streaky bacon for cutting up to put in pasta, risotto, omelettes etc
Either half kilo of stewing lamb or half kilo of beef mince

I think that is plenty of meat - the rest of the week we eat salad/vegetarian/pasta etc, with fish when we can afford organic salmon.

We recently switched from getting our organic meat from Ocado to having it delivered free by our brilliant SE London organic/free range butchers. Their meat is the best I have ever tasted.

As Satine says and this programme showed, you get what you pay for with high-cost/labour produce like meat. Cheap meat = miserable animals.

Thanks Marina, will do a bit of research

we buy organic chickens from tesco but would go with a butcher if could find good one

if anyone is interested in FOREST ROW SUSSEX there is organic food farmer/shop there

on A22 just outside viollage have not been there but when we go down to sussex we drove past it.

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Y-U-K

i looked in tesco the other day and saw loads of chicken with those marks on the legs and felt sick when i saw it. if i was still eating meat i would definitely only buy organic or buy from a good butcher.