Join Hugh's 'Chicken Out' Campaign!

['chelle]

I'm annoyed.

I heard on the news that Jamie Oliver had criticised Sainsburys for refusing to take part in a discussion on animal welfare for the programmes that Hugh and Jamie are doing. Then, on the news the next day, they said that Jamie Oliver has made an apology to Sainsbury for what he had said.

So, let me get this right. We are being asked to support the welfare of animals by buying only free range, to the detriment of our budget. This affects some peoples budgets more that others. However, rightly so, animals should not suffer in the name of financial gain.
During the making of the programme, they were trying to find an "insider" to help them with their intensively reared chicken project, but couldnt because those people feared that they would not get a job in the industry again if they appeared on the programme. Hugh criticised these people and said that surely welfare reform was needed, and that people shouldnt be so selfish as to allow the practice to continue just to maintain their jobs (or words to that effect)
Then, Jamie Oliver publically criticises Sainsburys, who, lets face, throw a lot of cash in his direction, so I though "good for him, he's not allowing money to compromise his principles"
The next day, its on the news that he's apologised.
So, we have to compromise our budgets to ensure animal welfare, but Jamies not prepared to put his money where his mouth is and do the same.

I think it stinks. I will still buy free range, but clearly money does speak louder than principles. I've lost respect for Jamie Oliver

 

[Amethyst_Angel]

Tell me about it!!!

2008 has seen me switching to vegetarianism for the second time in my life. I can't bear to think about the horrors that these poor animals have to go through when they're bred to be slaughtered. It's awful.

I have to admit that I've not seen any of these (many!) programs on the telly just because I can't bear to watch! But I do have an idea what goes on and if I actually think about where the meat on my plate has come from I feel quite sick. So yes, vegetables for me!!! :green: At least this time round (I was a veggie all through my teens in the early 90s) there seems to be much more out there for veggies. So I'm quite happy. At least I won't be an "end user" any more.

:hug:

 

[Cathie!]

Jamie Oliver's chicken programme tonight has added to the quest.

 

[fifitrix]

Jamie Oliver's chicken programme tonight has added to the quest.

I am watching this just now, and am horrified at what I have seen. Good on Jamie and Hugh.

 

[Cathie!]

Gordon will be joining the realms next week, although his one sounds rubbish....cook along with Gordon so far as I have heard!

BBC3 now is an eye opener!

 

[ValencianNails]

I watched Jamie's Fowl Dinners tonight... makes you sit up and think huh?

The same as BBC Three's "Kill It, Cook It, Eat It"... shocking stuff

I do think that a lot of the 'chicken market' is due to the amount of money (or lack of) that people have to spend on food. People who are on a tight budget will buy two chickens for £5 as opposed to one for £3.50... it makes financial sense, although it doesn't make sense when you see the lifestyle and conditions that the "two for £5" chickens have to endure before they make it to the dinner table!

 

[gillian w]

My husband has been a huge fan of Hugh fearnley whittingstall for many years and his dad was a butcher.
If anyone does like to know more about where their food actually comes from i definately recommend hughs books on meat and fish. I was surprised when reading about king prawns today and wont be eating them cheap again.
Yes a free range or organic chicken is dearer but it definately has more meat on it and i always chuck the carcass in a pot with an onion and a carrot and you have a lovely stock which you can then add noodles tut of one chicken you have a good meal and a few lunches.
Breasts and legs are expensive but it is very easy to butcher your own.Buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself.

 

[JackieMc]

I watched Jamie's Fowl Dinners last night and whilst I was aware what happened to the male chicks, I still have the picture in my mind of them gasping for breath as they were gassed in front of us - I wish the cameraman hadn't zoomed in on that, it was very upsetting. Not much choice between that or being minced alive, is there? Horrendous.

I do hope that this helps to educate people as to the conditions the battery and barn birds are being kept in - it brought tears to my eyes at the end when it told us that the 150 caged hens that were brought on the programme didn't go back in their cages but were 'liberated' and retired in comfort.

While I was searching the 'net looking for info on Free Range food I came across some really disturbing stuff about the way some pigs are kept, especially those being used for breeding - if anyone is interested look up farrowing crates for pigs on Google. I always thought I was fairly well educated regarding the conditions (good and bad) that farm animals are kept in, but I didn't know about this. It's heart-breaking.

Sean and I have now made the decision to go free range completely and organic as and when we can afford it. But do you think I can find one shop that sells Free Range Pork? I can only find one Butcher in the whole of Dublin who sells it and that's because he's an organic Butcher and of course it costs a fortune. So we're going to cut down on our meat/poultry consumption and each just what we can afford to (free range and organic) and fill up on veggies instead!

I am incensed at the profit some of these butchers are making here though. Today Sean bought 2 Free Range Chickens (just free Range, not Organic) they were identical, from the same farm and same use by date. from two different butchers. One of them charged €15.00 (about £11.30) and the other charged €10.00 (about £7.50) - for an identical bird!!! What a rip off! I know which butcher I'll be going to in future. Is it any wonder that people go for the cheaper option when Butchers are marking up the prices by so much? Disgraceful.

How much is a Free Range chicken in the UK these days? Just curious.

Jackie

 

[ValencianNails]

How much is a Free Range chicken in the UK these days? Just curious.

I took my daughter food shopping with me earlier on this afternoon... after watching the programme last night we decided to have a look at the labels on both eggs and chicken... I was very surprised to find that Mercadona (the supermarket I use) only sell one kind of non-caged eggs, they're more than twice the price of the caged eggs.
I don't know much about the laws in Spain regarding the labelling of food, there is no information on the chicken meat, whether it be fillets, breast or a whole chicken, as to how it's kept and reared before slaughter!

 

[naturalnails]

I just checked on Tesco website and a 1.3kg FR chicken is £4.80 and the equivalent "standard" chicken at 1.4 kg are 2 for £5. - normal price £3.

 

[*JOANNE*]

my 3 boys have been watching this, and also we watched the jamie oliver one on demand 4 this evening......it i think is good for the next generation to watch as they will be the demand and supply of the future, so it will be the likes of my boys who are young and impressionable and moralistic who are watching these programmes that will really see a big difference and demand free range, where as mine and older generations whilst shocked are not as easy to convert.
but i am glad to say we are a free range family anyway, and i have only found f.r to be more expensive by a few quid......thats a few packets of sweets (as my boys say) and no big deal.

 

[Cathie!]

I was talking about this with clients in work today and we came to the conclusion that it will make a bit of a swing towards barn and free range for the people who watched the programmes.

Some clients started to watch it but changed channel because they didn't like what they were seeing....not sure if it was because they will continue to buy the broilers or because it reslly upset them.

If you didn't watch the programme you will still be unaware of the intensive farming methods used in this country.

The big thing that stuck in my head was that the intensive farmers get 3p, yes three pence for each broiler chicken, that's outrageous and no wonder they have to farm at that intensity just to put their own food on the table.

 

[sas21]

I watched the one last night (Friday) with Jamie Oliver.

I always buy Free Range eggs and don't really eat much chicken, but when I do I will now be buying free range/organic!

Everytimes my other half goes food shopping, he always ends up coming back with "normal" (battery) eggs and wonders why I wont eat them.

I saw a similar programme a few years ago about how the hens are treated and never bought anything other than free range from then.

My partner watched the programme with me and now *finally* gets why I wouldn't eat them! :smack:

I have signed up on the site, thanks for the link and info!

xx

 

[Misswax]

Went to Tesco today all the free range chickens sold out!! Hope the trend continues after the programes are forgotten.

Suzanne

 

[jenny mosley]

Hello Geeks,

I don't eat Lamb, Beef or Pork (all from these horrid documentry's) I just eat just Chicken and Fish.(now what's left for me, you just dont no what your eating these days.:cry:

I always buy free range eggs, I did not see this on TV and have not read any of these post's.

I will from now on buy free range chicken.

It upsetd me tooo much to see this, if thre is a campain you can count me in.

jenx

 

[pazzy]

One of the newspapers said the supermarkets were seeing little or no difference in the sale of cheap chicken and free range - but I think thats a load of crap - its their fight back tactic for sqeezing the farmers into this in the first place.

 

[Marlise]

I went to Sainsbury's lunch time and out of interest had a look to see if they had any organic / free range chicken on the shelves.

They had loads of Standard chicken, no whole organic / free range chicken, only 3 packs of drumstick / thigh packs that were free range.

I asked one of the guys that was busy stocking the fridge if they had any organic / free range chicken and he said they only had what is on the shelf.

When I asked if they sold out, he said "No, were normally keep our free range stock very low because it's not popular".

So, I thought to myself, OK, it might not have been popular, but I'm sure a lot of people having seen the programme would like to change over from Standard to Organic / Free Range chicken.

BUT, if you are not going to stock it, or stock very little of it, how can I as the consumer buy what I want to buy ? It will force people to buy standard chicken again if they don't have the "choice" between the two on the shelves ....


Marlise

 

[JackieMc]

Absolutely Marlise - how on earth can people buy it if they don't stock it!!?!!

I buy my free range chicken and meat from the butcher now, I used to buy it from the supermarket but found it much more expensive doing it that way (at least in Dublin). But every time I go into a Supermarket now I ask if the hot chicken they are selling is free range (even though I know it isn't and have no intention of buying from them anyway) and when they tell me "no" I say that I would only buy it if it was free range. I also question them about the meat they are selling, do they sell free range, if they say no I ask if they plan to as that is the only type I will buy. Since finding out about the pork farming I have been especially asking about free range pork as it's virtually impossible to buy in Dublin. You never know, your questions/comments might be taken note of.

I think if the shelves are empty of free range chicken then if people asked for it and refused to buy a standard in it's place, then the supermarkets will have to stock more. I kmow it's a real nuisance for some people, but if you can make the effort to get to a proper butcher then you'd probably have more chance of getting a free range chicken. I'll only buy my free range meat/chicken from a butcher now, it's a little more inconvenient ahving to make an extra stop, but if you go to a decent butcher at least you know you're getting decent food from him - does anyone remember the recent tv programmes about what the supermarket did to the meat/poultry/fish they were selling?? Urgh - I wouldn't want to take the risk!!!

Anyway, back to Hugh's campaign - for anyone who missed it on the first page, the link is:

Home


Keep up the good work!!

Jackie
x

 

[Marlise]

Absolutely Marlise - how on earth can people buy it if they don't stock it!!?!!

I buy my free range chicken and meat from the butcher now, I used to buy it from the supermarket but found it much more expensive doing it that way (at least in Dublin). But every time I go into a Supermarket now I ask if the hot chicken they are selling is free range (even though I know it isn't and have no intention of buying from them anyway) and when they tell me "no" I say that I would only buy it if it was free range. I also question them about the meat they are selling, do they sell free range, if they say no I ask if they plan to as that is the only type I will buy. Since finding out about the pork farming I have been especially asking about free range pork as it's virtually impossible to buy in Dublin. You never know, your questions/comments might be taken note of.

I think if the shelves are empty of free range chicken then if people asked for it and refused to buy a standard in it's place, then the supermarkets will have to stock more. I kmow it's a real nuisance for some people, but if you can make the effort to get to a proper butcher then you'd probably have more chance of getting a free range chicken. I'll only buy my free range meat/chicken from a butcher now, it's a little more inconvenient ahving to make an extra stop, but if you go to a decent butcher at least you know you're getting decent food from him - does anyone remember the recent tv programmes about what the supermarket did to the meat/poultry/fish they were selling?? Urgh - I wouldn't want to take the risk!!!

Anyway, back to Hugh's campaign - for anyone who missed it on the first page, the link is:

Home


Keep up the good work!!

Jackie
x

I think it's great that there is such support and TV exposure for the welfare of chickens, but it's not only chicken, all other meat (lamb, beef, pork etc) is farmed in equally bad ways, not to mention, the export of these poor animals.

As mentioned before, if you go to the PETA site, there are quite a few info packs / articles about the welfare of farm animals, including a video called "Meet your meat" which is heart wrenching and sickening to watch.

I think people should start thinking about buying all their meat products organic or free range and not just chicken.

You can also sign a petition on the RSPCA web site at:

Support welfare-friendly chickens: Petition


Marlise

 

[JackieMc]

I think people should start thinking about buying all their meat products organic or free range and not just chicken.

You can also sign a petition on the RSPCA web site at:

Support welfare-friendly chickens: Petition
Marlise

I couldn't get that link to work Marlise but if people want to sign it I just went to Support welfare-friendly chickens: Petition then clicked on Take Action Now and the petition came up.

I totally agree with you, people should be made aware exactly how all our 'food' animals are treated when intensively farmed, only with education, however upsetting it might be, can we make informed decisions about the meat we buy.

I was in M&S yesterday on my never ending search for Free Range pork in Ireland. I noticed they had some pork chops which said it came from pigs that were 'outdoor bred' - this sounded promising so I asked was it the same as free range and was told no, it wasn't. I thought saying 'outdoor bred' was quite misleading as some people might think it was the same as free range. I won't go into the details here, but it's slightly better than the intensively reared pigs, but not much, so I told them I wouldn't be buying it.

And as one of the girls here mentioned before, we need to start educating the children as they will have more of a say on this type of thing in the future.

Jackie