Is That Chicken In Your Nugget?

If the American population hasn't already discovered that the tasty treat of chicken nuggets are quite questionable, the topic has been thrust into the forefront of our minds with the latest national food recall.  Today, (April 6, 2014) Tyson Food Inc. has recalled over 75,000 pounds of chicken nuggets that were sold at wholesale food distributors Sam's Club.  The recall is due to the nuggets being contaminated with small chunks of plastic.  This recall not only involves chicken nuggets but 20 lb. bags of white-meat chicken breast patties as well.

Chicken nuggets became glorified by fast food chains like McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King.  The age old joke goes like this:  "What part of the chicken is the nugget?"  When asked, many responses will be said.  This may include beaks, toes, lips, and other parts of the chicken anatomy that should never be thought of as consumable to humans.

This leads us to what is being dubbed "The Green Revolution".  Many Americans are opting to go meatless and take up green juicing for health reasons.  If you ask someone to name a food that is synonymous with America, two will come up, hamburgers and fried chicken.  However, there has been a rise in vegetarian and vegan options in many grocery stores for what used to be household staples, including chicken and beef.  The surge in health education and awareness of our mortality as a nation has made programs like "The Doctors" and "Dr. Oz" very popular.  Both of these shows promote natural alternatives and upping your fruit and vegetable intake.

The rather suspect practices within the meat industry leave citizens with a bad taste in their mouths. Tyson's recall will affect thousands of households nationwide.  Will it be a catalyst to make people put down the dipping sauce and pick up the carrot sticks?  Ethical reasons are typically the reason for people to "convert" to vegetarianism. Having foreign bodies in mass produced food could also fall under this category.

We are what we ingest.  Whether its leafy greens and lentils or chicken chunks and PET, we have to be aware of how our bodies are affected by every morsel that touches our lips.  Holding corporations accountable for sanitary and low quality conditions that result in accidents like these will ensure that later generations will have higher standards of quality control.  After all, Tyson is feeding us... like family!