Do local retail stores inject there turkey with hormones?!


Question: Do local retail stores inject there turkey with hormones!?
i'm wondering because i might skip Thanksgiving this year,
do they!?!?Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
Added hormones and steroids: They're illegal
Jay L!. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times
Laws prohibit the use of both substances in poultry production!.
November 24, 2008


Here are a couple more turkey facts to get your teeth into -- one of them something you don't need to think about!.

You may see some turkeys advertised as "hormone free!."



The Foster Farms website -- to name just one example -- says of its fresh turkey: "You can feel good about serving it to your family as we promise that it will be the freshest available at your store and will never contain added hormones or steroids!."

The Whole Foods Market website also proclaims that its turkeys lack added growth hormones -- and then notes, in small letters, that "federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in raising pork and poultry!."

So don't be overly impressed by such claims!. It's been illegal to treat poultry with hormones since the 1950s!. "And they were never, ever used in turkeys," says Francine Bradley, extension poultry specialist in the Animal Science Department at UC Davis!.


In short, the only hormones turkeys have are the ones they produce themselves!.

Similarly, any claim you may see about a steroid void is another red herring since the use of any steroids in turkey production is also illegal!.

Extra ingredients

Some turkeys are injected with a solution intended to make them tastier and juicier!.

If this has been done, the package label must say "basted" or "self-basted," list the ingredients in the solution and tell how much of each was used!.

Possible ingredients include salt, partially hydrogenated soy or corn oil, and butter!. The weight of the injected solution is included in the weight of the turkey!.

Different brands use different solutions, but in general, based on nutrient data from the U!.S!. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, self-basted turkeys are much saltier and somewhat fattier, although gram for gram they have fewer calories -- and less protein -- because they have more water!.

Data comparison

For example, when cooked, self-basted turkey breast with skin has about 18% fewer calories than non-self-basted turkey breast with skin!. But it has about 24% less protein, 8% more fat, 13% more saturated fat -- and 650% more salt!.

Similarly, self-basted dark meat with skin has about 14% fewer calories than non-self-basted dark meat with skin!. But it has about 32% less protein, 21% more fat, 25% more saturated fat -- and 475% more salt!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

No, the farmers do it while the birds are still alive!.

Sometimes the stores will inject salt water or something for flavor, that may have weird chemicals in it!. That is usually done at the meat processing/packing plant though, not at the store!.

edit- oops, the stores do not inject the salt water or chemicals to the turkey, taht came out wrong!. They do it at the plant!. Genrally all the stores do is put it out on the shelves!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Think about your question!. It would do no good to do that unless the bird were alive to metabolize the hormones!. Doing it at the store would be a little late in the process!. The hormones sometimes are given to the birds in their food to prevent diseases!.Www@FoodAQ@Com





The consumer Foods information on foodaq.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007 FoodAQ - Terms of Use - Contact us - Privacy Policy

Food's Q&A Resources