According to industry estimates from 2011, nine out of ten chickens on the dinner table in the United States had been fed arsenic. There is no evidence that “low levels of arsenic” as documented in these studies poses a health risk, but it does make a number of industry experts uncomfortable.
Other chemicals found in the results of the study include antidepressants to reduce stress in the chickens.
This is actually designed not to relieve any anxiety in the birds, but rather ensure that the meat is tender. There is evidence that stressed chickens have tougher meat.
Caffeine and other stimulants are included to keep the chickens awake for longer to encourage them to eat more and grow larger.
With an estimated nine billion chickens raised in factory farms each year, it is highly likely that the chicken on your dinner table has been fed this type of feed.
In fact, many farmers are unaware of the chemicals contained in their animal feeds, which is produced using feathers which have been rendered and other animal by-products, which recycle these chemicals back into the food chain.
So, if you were considering chicken for dinner, you may want to think about what it was that the chicken ate during its lifetime.