Chicken Nuggets autopsy, ummmm.

[Suradit69]

What's Really In A Chicken Nugget?

While it sometimes seems better not knowing what's in the food we eat, ignorance isn't bliss. Once we know the truth, we can make smarter and better informed decisions about our consumption habits.

As it turns out, the University of Mississippi Medical Center did a study on fast food chicken nuggets to find out what's really inside. By essentially performing a chicken nugget autopsy on two different brands, researchers discovered that less than half of a chicken nugget is actually meat. The remainder being a mixture of fat, connective tissue, skin, blood vessels and even bone. In fact, one of the chicken nuggets was 40% skeletal muscle.

While it's all technically edible, it's still pretty gross - and it's not a healthy food choice.

According to one researcher:

Some companies have chosen to use an artificial mixture of chicken parts rather than low-fat chicken white meat, batter it up and fry it, and still call it chicken. It is really a chicken by-product high in calories, salt, sugar and fat that is a very unhealthy choice.

But wait, there's more.

McDonald's, in particular, has stirred up controversy for including Tert-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) as one of their chicken McNugget ingredients. Although TBHQ is found in some other foods like Girl Scout Cookies and Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, it's also petroleum-based and a lot like lighter fluid. The FDA limits its use to 1 gram per 5,000 grams in cooking.

For a full list of ingredients in your favorite brand of chicken nuggets, I recommend a quick Google search. Each company has the full ingredients listed on their website. While you may not recognize many of the ingredients by name, you'll quickly realize that most chicken nuggets have a lot more in them than just chicken.

http://www.umc.edu/News_and_Publications/Press_Release/2013-10-02-01_Chicken_nugget_autopsy_finds_meat_bone_connective_tissue_fat_and_poor_health_implications.aspx

Edited February 4, 2014 by Suradit69

[Torrens54]

Thanks Suradit69,

I've printed this for my teenage daughter to take to school and share with friends who will, I am sure become, "Reformed Nugget Eaters."

On a similar subject, has ANYONE thought to have the Bottled Water Tested? You know, the water that we buy from Roadside Dispensing units around Chiang Mai.

We use a lot of it and we haven't had any problems but I would love to see if anyone has test results.

[wayned]

I remember years ago in the US they tested different brands of bottled water and the water that was dispensed for the coin operated machine hooked to the local water supply outside of a grocery store. The coin operated dispensed water won!

[cornishcarlos]

It just goes to show what level we, as a population have sunk to, when we need a University study to prove what we all should know.

Fast food is <deleted>, full stop...

Anyone who can't work that out for themselves, will probably still eat it after reading the report

[IsaanUSA]

Sorry, I'm not a foodie, but "In fact, one of the chicken nuggets was 40% skeletal muscle." sounds to me like, "In fact, one nugget was 40% meat."

Doesn't muscle tissue = meat?

[IsaanUSA]

also I'm not quite sure what the point of this thread is. OP just pasted an article and a video. OP do you have any comments or something you wanted to discuss?

[meatboy]

also I'm not quite sure what the point of this thread is. OP just pasted an article and a video. OP do you have any comments or something you wanted to discuss?

if you don't understand the point of the thread is,maybe I can enlighten you ITS WHATS IN A CHICKEN NUGGET

if that's whats in them and processed for humans what the hell am I giving my dog? no more treats for him.

[pitchag]

I had a friend in Aussie that used to make these when they first appeared years ago and his recipe was one chicken to ten chicken skins put in a mixer with a few herbs and salt and a binder, they went down a treat at his eatery, needless to say I avoided ordering them

[Suradit69]

also I'm not quite sure what the point of this thread is. OP just pasted an article and a video. OP do you have any comments or something you wanted to discuss?

if you don't understand the point of the thread is,maybe I can enlighten you ITS WHATS IN A CHICKEN NUGGET

if that's whats in them and processed for humans what the hell am I giving my dog? no more treats for him.

Yes, I thought since this was the international food forum and there are international outlets in Thailand that sell this crap, it might be of interest to their customers and especially to parents of children who are drawn to these places. I guess I thought that was so obvious that any comment I would have made would have been superfluous.

I agree with the other poster who said we shouldn't really need a university study to figure this out, but then obviously a lot of people still eat this rubbish and some of them even think that eating what's sold as chicken must be a healthy, virtuous choice.

One of the most disturbing books I read as a high school student was The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (many, many years ago at school in the Chicago suburbs). While it's main issue was the abysmal treatment of workers, the revelation about what went on in the meat packing industry in Chicago was enough to turn readers into vegetarians.

I have never eaten a chicken nugget and I don't remember the last time I was in a McDonald's or similar place ... never in Thailand ... but they don't seem to be without customers and most of them appear to be young westerners who you might think have been taught something about nutrition.

Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906)

Edited February 5, 2014 by Suradit69

[IsaanUSA]

I eat chicken nuggets/tenders. This article does nothing to sway my attitude of eating chicken nuggets. What did you think was in there? A solid piece of breast tissue that has been deep fried?

A friend of mine used to work at a meat packing plant. He would tell us stories all the time. He would also bring us cheap steaks.

If you're afraid of some fat/skin/blood vessels/bone in your chicken tenders, how on earth do you live in SE Asia and not vomit each and every day?

[Showbags]

Google sliced processed cheddar cheese also....apparently companies were forced to change the wording from 'cheese' to 'cheese like'....as there is now no real dairy products in many of those slices.

[JoeInSurin]

Eat chicken nuggets from a reliable source like MacD's and you won't have to worry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua5PaSqKD6k

[Monokuro]

British McDonald's #are# 100% breast meat :-) which is probably why they cost so much there!

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[krisb]

You guys live in Thailand, eat Thai food, especially meat and eat in Thai resteraunts and your worried about chicken nuggets!

I remember seeing meat being prepared in a large outdoor but undercover area in CM and it was totally disgusting, flies over everything.

Btw, Mc Donalds is actually quite healthy these days and as mentioned their chicken nuggets are 100% breast meat.

[iancnx]

Mcdonalds if true, hats off to them for good production.

This is old news. The majority of fast food is absolute cr&p.

Would you feed this to your kids?

[iancnx]

The processes for making Thai pork balls, chicken balls, fish balls, hotdogs and all that other street food processed cr&p is not dissimilar, except of course it is done by hand, using boiling carcass techniques, in unsanitary conditions. Think twice before parting with that 5 baht!

[JLCrab]

[spidermike007]

Years ago, I met a guy who claimed his family owned a large poultry company. He said they sold the "meat" for all McDonalds McNuggets, within the US. He told me it was made from a poultry waste product, composed of about 90% sphincter meat. McDonalds mixes it with soy protein, and other things to make it look like chicken. At the time, it was about three cents a pound. It was basically a waste product, or used for animal feed. Eat it at your own peril, he told me. 

[Denim]

I'd like to read some thoughts about this from the chickens themselves.

From the horses mouth so to speak.

 

Up to now they seem to be ducking the issue as they are afraid they might make a pigs ear out of it.

Cowering over the keyboard because they are not farmiliar with what is to become of them.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 2/15/2014 at 8:18 AM, krisb said:

You guys live in Thailand, eat Thai food, especially meat and eat in Thai resteraunts and your worried about chicken nuggets!

I remember seeing meat being prepared in a large outdoor but undercover area in CM and it was totally disgusting, flies over everything.

Btw, Mc Donalds is actually quite healthy these days and as mentioned their chicken nuggets are 100% breast meat.

 

I'm not up on McD's latest formulation...

 

But in general, you have to be very careful about the way they advertise/describe such things...

 

"made from 100% chicken breast meat" does NOT mean something is 100% chicken breast meat. It only means that all the chicken meat in that item is chicken breast, which might be 25% of the overall ingredients along with other stuff -- fillers, skin, bones, flavorings, etc etc.

 

Now, if it says "Ingredients: 100% chicken breast meat." And nothing else, then that would be a different matter.

 

Quote

 

LISTED INGREDIENTS: Chicken McNuggets: White Boneless Chicken, Water, Food Starch-Modified, Salt, Seasoning (Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Salt, Wheat Starch, Natural Flavoring [Botanical Source], Safflower Oil, Dextrose, Citric Acid), Sodium Phosphates, Natural Flavor (Botanical Source). Battered and Breaded with: Water, Enriched Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Yellow Corn Flour, Bleached Wheat Flour, Food Starch-Modified, Salt, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Lactate), Spices, Wheat Starch, Dextrose, Corn Starch. Contains: Wheat.

 

*Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

 

 

https://www.livestrong.com/article/1006054-whats-really-inside-those-mcdonalds-chicken-mcnuggets/

 

And direct from Mikky D's....at least, the U.S. variety:

 

Quote

Chicken Mcnuggets

Ingredients: White Boneless Chicken, Water, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil), Enriched Flour (Bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Bleached Wheat Flour, Yellow Corn Flour, Vegetable Starch (Modified Corn, Wheat, Rice, Pea, Corn), Salt, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Calcium Lactate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Spices, Yeast Extract, Lemon Juice Solids, Dextrose, Natural Flavors.

Contains: Wheat.

 

 

 

https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/chicken-mcnuggets-4-piece.html

 

Doesn't seem to say chicken breast meat only. Doesn't say only "meat", just "white boneless chicken".

Edited August 12, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK