Where do the frozen chicken legs in supermarkets come from? Why are they never out of stock?

When shopping in the supermarket, you’ll notice that there’s always an endless supply of chicken wings and chicken legs in the frozen meat section . Have you ever wondered where they come from?

There are various explanations circulating on the Internet, the most frightening of which is that there is a cloned chicken in the United States that can grow six or seven chicken legs and six or seven pairs of chicken wings...

The picture comes from the Internet

Anyone with a little common sense knows it is fake.

So where do all these chicken legs and wings come from? Are they injected with hormones?

Some people say that the tips of chicken wings are most likely to have toxins remaining. Is this true?

1

Where do the frozen chicken legs and wings in supermarkets come from?

The frozen chicken legs and wings in supermarkets mainly come from farms in various places where every part of the broiler is disassembled and quickly frozen before being put on the market for sale.

First of all, many large meat processing plants in China purchase large quantities of whole chickens from the market, and then process them according to parts into quick-frozen chicken legs, chicken wings, chicken necks, chicken heads and other products , which are then distributed to different sales channels such as supermarkets and fast food restaurants according to different needs.

Secondly, some supermarkets will establish direct sales channels with large domestic farms . When the broiler chickens raised in the farms are ready for sale, the farms will directly cut off the legs, wings and breasts of the broilers, freeze them, and then sell them directly to large supermarkets across the country.

Finally, due to China's large population base and high demand for all kinds of food, some frozen chicken will also be imported from abroad.

The quick freezing method provides better safety and convenience in the transportation and sales of meat, so the chicken legs and chicken wings in large supermarkets are mostly frozen products.

2

Can you eat chicken wings and chicken legs often?

Compared with fresh meat, frozen meat has some loss of nutrients such as protein, but it can still meet nutritional needs and can be eaten frequently.

Moreover, freshly slaughtered raw meat often contains various bacteria, and if it is uninspected, it may even contain certain viruses.

Swine jaundice virus exists in pig bones, blood and muscles, while the bacteria in frozen chicken are inactivated by low temperatures during frozen storage.

In addition, frozen meat will be treated to remove acid before being stored, making the meat taste more delicious.

The picture comes from the Internet

However, the refrigerator at home cannot keep frozen meat fresh for a long time. Long-term storage will affect the taste, so it is recommended that the frozen meat you buy home should be eaten within a week.

Frozen chicken can be thawed before eating. It can be thawed naturally in the refrigerator for one day, or wrapped in plastic wrap and thawed in cold water. Improper thawing methods are likely to cause loss of nutrients.

3

Are chicken wings most likely to deposit toxins?

First of all, the frozen chicken legs and chicken wings currently on the market do not contain any hormones. my country's veterinary drug management regulations clearly stipulate that "it is prohibited to add hormone drugs to animal feed and drinking water."

There is a misunderstanding that consumers generally believe that poultry and livestock grow quickly due to the use of hormones to ripen them.

The actual situation is not so. Many frozen chicken wings and chicken legs currently on the market are mainly white-feathered chickens. The time it takes for broiler chickens to be marketed has been greatly shortened at home and abroad, mainly due to:

Optimization of breeding varieties

Scientific ratio of feed

Effective epidemic prevention measures

Reasonable breeding management

Standardized feeding place

Therefore, broiler chickens sold on the market do not contain hormones, and people can buy them with confidence as long as they pay attention to hygiene.

From the perspective of breeding economy, the price of hormones is quite expensive , and injecting hormones into broiler chickens one by one during the breeding process greatly increases the cost of breeding.

Moreover, adding hormones during the broiler breeding process does not necessarily have a ripening effect. On the contrary, it will affect the broiler's own body functions and even cause the broiler's death.

However, broiler chickens with fast growth rate and high market rate are relatively prone to disease. The farms will add appropriate amount of antibiotics to feed and drinking water for disease prevention in accordance with national regulations. Therefore, there is no problem of hormone residues in chicken wings.

4

How to store it after purchase?

If you cannot finish eating the chicken after it has been thawed, wipe off the moisture on the surface, wrap it in plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator for a short time.

If you don't eat it for a long time, you can dry the chicken and divide it into several parts. Put it in a fresh-keeping bag, expel the air, seal it, and freeze it. It can be kept for about half a year to a year, but it should still be eaten as soon as possible.

The picture comes from the Internet

If the product deteriorates due to improper storage, it can be simply judged from the following aspects:

Look at the color

Judging from the color, fresh chicken should be meat pink with a bright luster , while spoiled chicken has lost its color and becomes grayish.

Smell

Fresh chicken has only a lighter meaty smell , while spoiled chicken has a peculiar smell of rotten meat. If it is severely spoiled, it will smell pungent and sour.

The picture comes from the Internet

Touch the texture

You can wipe off the moisture on the surface of the chicken. The surface of fresh chicken is drier , and the chicken is elastic and firm when pressed.

There is a layer of mucus on the surface of spoiled chicken. The chicken will not rebound after being pressed. The elasticity of the chicken fibers has decreased, the meat is loose and has lost its elasticity, so it can be discarded.

Author: Zhang Chi, Lecturer of Food Science and Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University

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