Sophie Bennett
In 2021, several images were shared on Facebook, alleging that red spots on raw chicken thighs sold at Walmart were sores caused by lice. However, these claims are false, according to food industry experts and spokespeople from Maple Leaf Foods and Chicken Farmers of Canada. They explained that the red spots are harmless blood spots or meat particles that can be transferred during chicken processing or slight colour differences. Lice are not a significant issue in commercial poultry, especially in broiler chickens, as they are young and raised in closed, regularly cleaned facilities. While lice can cause redness or scabs on chickens, their bites or infestations would not leave such large marks, and they are more prevalent in warm, humid climates rather than Canadian chicken farms in winter.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Are red spots on raw chicken from lice? | No, they are harmless blood spots or meat particles that can be transferred onto chicken during processing. |
| How to remove red spots? | Soak the meat in ice water or run it under a cold faucet for a few minutes. |
| Are red spots on raw chicken safe to consume? | Yes, they are safe to consume as long as food safety protocols are followed. |
| Are red spots on raw chicken an indication of poor quality? | They are an indication of poor storage and handling practices. |
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What You'll Learn
The red spots are harmless blood spots, not lice sores
It is understandable if the red spots on raw chicken cause concern, but they are harmless blood spots and not lice sores. In 2021, several images of chicken on the shelves of a food store were shared on Facebook, with claims that the red spots were evidence of lice sores. However, these assertions were refuted by food industry experts, who confirmed that the marks were harmless blood spots.
The red spots are typically the result of air chilling, a process used to chill chicken to adhere to food safety guidelines. Air chilling can magnify the appearance of skin imperfections and make blood spots more noticeable. The packaging process can further accentuate these imperfections, as the packaging film presses directly onto the raw chicken, and the products are stacked on top of each other.
It is important to note that lice are not a significant issue in commercial poultry, especially in broiler chickens, as they are raised in closed facilities that are cleaned after each flock. Additionally, lice marks would be much smaller than those shown in the images and are unlikely to occur in a Canadian chicken farm during winter.
While the red spots on raw chicken are harmless, it is still important to practice proper food safety and handling. Raw chicken should be cooked within a couple of days of purchase and stored uncovered in the fridge to help dry out the skin. It is also recommended to wash your hands before and after handling raw chicken and to avoid reusing utensils or cutting boards that have come into contact with raw chicken without washing them first.
In summary, the red spots on raw chicken are harmless blood spots resulting from processing and chilling, and they are not indicative of lice sores or any other safety concerns.
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Lice are not a known issue with broiler chickens
In 2021, several images of chicken on the shelves of a food store were shared on Facebook, alleging to show evidence of lice sores on raw chicken thighs. The photos were shared 460,000 times with a caption expressing disgust at the alleged discovery of lice on the chicken. However, these claims are false. Food industry experts, including Janet Riley, a spokeswoman for Maple Leaf Foods, confirmed that the marks seen in the images are harmless blood spots or meat particles that can be transferred onto chicken during processing. Lisa Bishop-Spencer, a spokeswoman for Chicken Farmers of Canada, an organisation responsible for 2,800 farmers who raise chickens for meat, further explained that lice are not a known issue with broiler chickens because there is no opportunity for an infestation to take over a broiler barn. These facilities are closed and cleaned out after every flock.
Additionally, lice marks would not be the size of those shown in the images and would not typically occur in a Canadian chicken farm in the middle of winter. Broiler chickens are birds raised specifically for meat and are harvested when they are less than two months old, making lice infestations even rarer. Janeal Yancey, a meat scientist at the University of Arkansas, confirmed that the red spots featured in the photo were not caused by poultry lice. She explained that lice are tiny parasites whose bite marks or infestations would not leave such large marks. Furthermore, lice thrive in warm, humid climates, unlike the cold Canadian winter depicted in the images.
The red spots on the chicken thighs are a harmless product of air chilling, a process used to chill the chicken to adhere to food safety guidelines. While air chilling can magnify the appearance of skin imperfections and blood spots, it is important to note that these chicken products are safe, wholesome, and government-inspected. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspects every load of live chickens to ensure they are in good health before processing, and they were present at the plant where the chicken in question was processed.
In summary, lice are not a known issue with broiler chickens due to the controlled environment of broiler barns and the young age at which these chickens are harvested. The red spots observed in the viral images were a result of harmless blood spots and not lice sores.
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Blood spots are common and safe to eat
In 2021, several images of chicken on the shelves of a food store were shared on Facebook, showing what was alleged to be evidence of lice sores on raw chicken thighs. However, food industry experts confirmed that the marks seen in the images were harmless blood spots.
Blood spots on raw chicken are common and safe to eat. They are usually caused by substandard storage and handling practices, but the spots aren't dangerous. They can be removed by soaking the meat in ice water or running it under cold water for a minute or two. Blood spots can also be carved away with a small, sharp knife.
Chicken meat is often chilled with water, which washes away any residue from slaughter. However, the chicken in the viral images was air-chilled, a process that can magnify the appearance of skin imperfections and blood spots. The packaging of the chicken products also presses directly onto the raw chicken, which can further magnify these imperfections.
Despite the unsightly appearance of blood spots, the chicken is still safe to consume, as long as food safety protocols are followed.
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Air chilling can magnify the appearance of blood spots
Several Facebook images of chicken on the shelves of a food store have been alleged to show evidence of lice sores on raw chicken thighs. However, this is false. Food industry experts have confirmed that the marks seen in the images are harmless blood spots that show up as a result of air chilling.
Air chilling is a process that can magnify the appearance of skin imperfections and blood spots. Janet Riley, a spokeswoman for Maple Leaf Foods, the company responsible for the produce in the Facebook photos, said:
> Our food safety team reviewed the photograph and accompanying information carefully. We are confident that the red spots on the chicken thighs in the photo shared on social media are common and harmless blood spots or meat particles that can be transferred onto chicken during the processing of the chicken, or slight colour differences. These chicken products are safe, wholesome and government inspected, and claims that lice are present are simply untrue.
Riley also noted that the packaging presses directly onto the raw chicken while the products are stacked on top of each other, which can “further magnify imperfections like blood spots and skin imperfections”.
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Blood spots can be removed by soaking the meat in ice water
It is a common misconception that red spots on raw chicken are caused by lice. In 2021, several images of chicken products with red spots were shared on Facebook, with the claim that they were caused by lice. However, food industry experts and spokespeople from the companies involved have confirmed that these red spots are harmless blood spots or meat particles that can be transferred during the processing of the chicken, and are not a result of lice. Lice are also not a known issue with broiler chickens, as there is no opportunity for an infestation in the closed facilities where these chickens are kept.
While these red spots are harmless, they can be undesirable from a consumer perspective. One way to remove blood spots from raw chicken is by soaking the meat in ice water. This method can be effective, as the chilled water can help to wash away any residue, including blood spots, left over from the slaughter and processing of the chicken. This technique is similar to water chilling, a process used in commercial chicken production to cool the meat before packaging.
To enhance the effectiveness of soaking the meat in ice water, it is recommended to stir the chicken pieces gently with a spoon or your hands. This helps to ensure that all parts of the chicken are exposed to the cold water, increasing the likelihood of removing the blood spots. It is also beneficial to soak the chicken for an extended period, typically around 30 minutes, as this allows more time for the blood spots to dissolve or detach from the meat.
Additionally, combining the ice water soak with other methods can further improve the removal of blood spots. For example, after soaking, you can pat the chicken dry with paper towels and then use a small, sharp knife to carefully scrape away any remaining spots. This physical approach can help to dislodge the blood spots that may be more firmly attached to the meat.
While soaking raw chicken in ice water can help remove blood spots, it is worth noting that this method may not entirely eliminate all spots, especially those that are deeply embedded in the meat. In such cases, other techniques, such as microwave pre-heating followed by steaming, have been found to be effective in reducing and even eliminating red blood spots in cooked marinated chicken breast meat. This combined heating process involves pre-heating the chicken in a microwave for 6 to 7 minutes and then steaming it to a core temperature of 82°C, which has been shown to completely remove red blood spots.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the red spots on raw chicken are not from lice. They are harmless blood spots or meat particles that can be transferred onto chicken during processing.
You can remove the red spots by soaking the meat in ice water or running it under a cold faucet for a minute or two. You can also set the raw chicken in a large bowl of ice water for 30 minutes, then drain and pat the pieces dry with paper towels.
Yes, red spots on raw chicken are safe to eat. They are usually caused by substandard storage and handling practices, but they are not dangerous. However, it is important to follow food safety protocols when consuming chicken with red spots.
Red spots appear on raw chicken due to the release of blood during processing. Poor handling or processing of the meat can also result in blood spots remaining on the chicken.
