Why YSK: consuming too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. In my country (USA), the average daily sodium intake is over 3,300mg, exceeding the recommended maximum of 2,300mg. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an even lower maximum of 2,000mg.
Also: with the rising cost of food, being mindful of additives that increase sell weight is important.
Here in Denmark how much water is in the chicken is written on the label of the packaging. It is also required to list what ingredients are used to treat the chicken if anything besides water is used.
Must be nice living in a functioning society.
Sure but you can read European history and find out why. People had to rise up to get this, along with vacations.
You can’t vote away evil since the ones who run things are not elected.
It was also hundreds of years of extremely destructive wars.
That was for other reasons though, like princes egos and the status quo, before that we had the plague too so I don’t think it’s relevant to the discussion…
People rising up has been a theme for some time though, and that’s what it takes.
Eh, usa!
Yes. You dont create change by voting.
End it. End it all now, Japan, get revenge. Fucking A.
I think it’s like that in the whole of Europe.
The practice described by OP exists, but the practice must be disclosed, including any additional retained water by percentage.
It is the same here in the states. And it is in fact the case because I’d be the labels on the chickens that I purchase.
This is a good example of using technically true facts to imply something that isn’t actually representative.
Yes, some chicken is sold with an added salt-water solution. That’s not a secret it’s disclosed right on the label. But presenting the maximum legal numbers as if they apply to all supermarket chicken is misleading.
“Up to 30%” is the ceiling, not the average. Likewise, “up to 500 mg of sodium” describes heavily enhanced products, not ordinary chicken. Plenty of chicken is sold with no added solution at all, and consumers can choose whichever they prefer simply by reading the packaging.
This post also frames the added solution as though it’s some kind of deceptive adulteration. In reality, it’s added to improve moisture retention and consistency during cooking, and it’s regulated and clearly labeled.
So the takeaway isn’t “supermarkets are secretly selling watered-down chicken.” The takeaway is much less dramatic: read the label. If you want unenhanced chicken, buy unenhanced chicken. If you don’t mind the added solution, buy the enhanced product. Manufacturing practices are not evidence of a conspiracy just because someone cherry-picked the largest numbers they could find.
The title already says “up to” for both the 30% and the sodium content. If the reader understands anything else, that’s a reading comprehension issue.
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Don’t be a contrarian for the sake of argument. If your reading comprehension is so good you’d know the title is intentionally sensationalized intentionally using large numbers to make it look and sound like they’re always at the upper limits.
God. I bet you’re insufferable irl aren’t you?
The literal wording of the title is “up to”. You’re criticizing it for cherry picking when it’s… not.
If there’s a contrarian here, it’s certainly not me.
Nice personal attack though!
Ya. Having “up to” in the title isn’t some magical phrase that excuses the sensational title. And simply claiming that it does isn’t sufficient.
YSK: Not all raw chicken is the same some is enhanced with a saltwater solution
This is an example of a neutral title that doesn’t sensationalize and enhance clicks.
And you started the personal attacks with reading comprehension shtick. So don’t get offended all of the sudden.
You clearly understood the title, so no, the “reading comprehension” thing wasn’t a dig at you. It was a way to say that you shouldn’t assume the reader is unable to understand the litteral meaning of the title, because that is honestly condescending.
The title does not misrepresent anything, is not dramatizing the situation either. It doesn’t even say “most” or “a sizeable share” or anything that would imply it’s a massively widespread problem. It uses one of the least dramatic quantifier: “often”. Then it says “up to” because… That is the only way to say it? Are you expecting a title to say “up to, but not necessarily as high as”? It’s a title.
Your title alternative is, however, actually dramatizing, making it a bigger problem than it is. “Not all is the same, watch out what you’re buying!” Is the emotion it creates in the first part. Then de-dramatizing with “some”.
The title of this post is as neutral as it can be. It is, literally, stating a fact. The word “up to” is indeed not magical, it is the proper way of indicating an upper bound without dramatizing.
I am shocked this is even a debate. And english isn’t even my first language.
Edit: admittedly it could use “sometimes” instead of “often”, or back up with numbers. But that is hardly dramatizing.
Okay. I apologize for the personal dig. That was uncalled for, especially since I misread what you were saying. I made assumptions and responded in a way that was unnecessarily hostile.
The title of the article is clearly engineered to provoke fear. Nobody wants to pay for added salt or for chicken to be “plumped” to increase its saleable weight.
That’s exactly what the title is implying. It throws around numbers like “up to 30%,” “500 mg,” and “7–10 times” in a way that makes them sound alarming without providing meaningful context.
In reality, some manufacturers inject a brine solution into chicken to improve juiciness and tenderness while also increasing its weight. That practice is disclosed on the label. Consumers also have plenty of alternatives, especially in the United States, where supermarkets typically carry both enhanced and non-enhanced chicken.
So yes, I think the title is obviously sensationalized. While the individual facts may contain elements of truth, they’re presented in a way that encourages readers to feel as though they’re being deceived or victimized rather than helping them understand what’s actually happening.
I dislike headlines like this because they present technically accurate information in a misleading way. They encourage an emotional reaction instead of informing the reader.
Using qualifiers like “up to” doesn’t make the presentation any less manipulative. It may make the statement legally defensible, but it doesn’t make it an honest or balanced way to communicate the issue.
I don’t think there’s any significant disagreement between us about the underlying facts. My disagreement is that you’re willing to give this headline a pass, and I don’t think you should. Its purpose isn’t to inform; it’s to provoke.
Ehh, a restaurant would salt it past there anyway. Culinarily, you’d be well within reason to brine fresh chicken.
Price per pound is pretty bullshit thought, making it cost at the price if meat is BS
Americentrism! You strike again!
That shit is illegal in EU
Here they fill meat with regular water. As long as it’s on the label it’s allowed. It’s still a scam.
Chicken sold in supermarkets in America
I fixed the headline for you
As someone with POTS, I for one am okay with sodiummaxxing 😎
This guy gets it
Having an older phone system doesn’t protect you against heart disease.
You joke but honestly I would rather feel normal and live with an increased risk of heart disease than feel awful 24/7 for my whole like like I do on a low-sodium diet. At least I can exercise and reduce unhealthy fat intake to help my risk.
And the “lower sodium is more heart healthy” thing was, if I’m remembering a podcast I once listened to right, only consistently true for people that already had high blood pressure. Normal blood pressure people saw more mixed results with a low sodium diet.
source: a recent episode of the podcast Maintenance Phase.
I love this comment.
Look for “air-chilled chicken” to find chicken that doesn’t have this.
Also some organic brands don’t do this because of the laws around chemical use making chlorine not possible. Brands vary, though.
Farmers markets are another route.
Eat less meat and buy Quality.If still undecided, a temporary job in a meatpack factory will be helpful.
This is done to avoid botulin toxin from being formed. It’s a much, much bigger issue than the sodium intake
Thats nitrate salts used in sausages, salami and such. The NaCl used in fresh meats is mostly to add weight and supposedly make it more “juicy”.
NaCl does inhibit botulin bacteria too. Nitrate salts have the neat property of changing the color more into deep red territory, which some people tend to prefer.
Yes, the consumption of rotting flesh is a huge problem. Literally destroying your health and the planet at the same time. Not to mention the torture and murder of animals.
Yes, the consumption of rotting flesh is a huge problem
The problem is that botulin toxin is stronger than lead to the power of mercury. The amount big enough to kill you is counted in nanograms. That amount is small enough to appear in meat way before it gives off any symptoms of spoiling
Turn that frown upside down, oh wait, you can’t move your face.
I’ve seen people getting upset about this. I’m only upset because I have kidney issues and have to watch my sodium and meat really fucks me when it comes to sodium content.
It’s basically just pre-brining them. And the label discloses the added salt water.
I don’t want to pay extra for your fucking salt water, I have my own at far less than $3 a pound
Here in the UK it’s just plain water that’s added.
Buy halal meats. Or from an actual butcher.
Butchers are so rare around me and far more expensive. I would love to be able to afford it as it’s a much more delightful experience and the meat is always so much better.
I justify it as “not paying for extra water” after cooking. Lol
Depends on how much more you pay
There’s a butcher shop near my work that also has a fantastic café attached. The meat is all absolutely exquisite looking, but you’re god damned right that its insanely expensive like at least double or triple the price of meat at your typical store. We pretty much only ever buy their in-house pepperoni sticks and even those are around $16 a pound.
Huh, what does halal have to do with this? Halal-slaughtered chickens are allowed to be plumped as well.
I was told they’re not allowed to do that, and based on my experience, it’s been true so far. Maybe it’s just my specific grocer is good?
Plumping is just injecting saltwater into the meat after it has already been killed. And that’s fine, as neither salt nor water are forbidden in Islam. The only thing that could matter is that it’s clearly labeled on the packaging how much percentage the meat is vs how much saltwater was added, as you’re not supposed to be deceptive.
But considering some countries generally lax product labeling laws, I assume you could still get a greyzone, where it could be labeled as “halal-slaughtered chickens” - but the actual product wouldn’t pass a stricter control due to undisclosed brine.
So it’s also likely you have a good grocer, but just know that you can’t automatically trust some halal-stamp if you want to avoid plumping.
Oh, thanks for that explanation. I’ve only been going to same halal grocer since shrinkflation started so that would make sense.
So just the same as adding water to milk
Why is this even legal?
Because the people who write the laws own milk companies, and chicken slaughterhouses?
Lol it’s called a brine
Jesus christ.
I prefer to brine my own meat. I prefer to salt my own butter even. I buy unsalted butter. Fuck salted butter.
Hero
Well butter my biscuit.
Why do you like making extra work for yourself? Are you bored?
Oh you need someone to salt your butter for you? You need somebody to brine your meat for you?
You need me to fuck your wife for you too? Happy to help.
You need someone to make your butter for you?
You need someone to raise an animal and slaughter it for you?
You need someone to build a vehicle to transport yourself?
You needed a factory to build silicon wafers and assemble them into chips so another factory could produce a computer and install software on it that you didn’t write, so you could connect to the internet that someone else made?
Pathetic. Bet you don’t even live in the woods and grow your crops while trying to make solar cells out of sand to provide your own power. Absolutely pitiful that you participate in a society where goods and services are exchanged for money.
You missed the point completely. Enjoy the cuck!
How do you salt your own butter?
Salt+butter+mixer. Some cinnamon and honey if you’re feeling decadent.
Put salt on top. Same as those biscuits with the sugar.
Layers.
carefully
Also ham and almost all boiled and reconstituted meats.
I’d also add that if you cook those plumped up chicken breasts, they will immediately release all that extra brine into your dish and ruin it. Buy normal-size chicken breasts and resist the urge to go for the “best” weight to price ratio.
