Culinary Tidbits . . . The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says some chicken meat may contain small amounts of arsenic, though the agency is stressing that the amount is too tiny to be dangerous to people who eat it. The FDA said that a new study by the agency shows that an ingredient in chicken feed that contains arsenic, called Roxarsone, may make its way into parts of the bird that are eaten. It will be pulled off the market in the United States, but the company, Pfizer, also sold the ingredient in about another dozen countries. The FDA said it would be banned because it is a carcinogen. Many poultry producers have already stopped feeding their birds the ingredient, which was used to kill parasites and promote growth. The FDA said people do not need to stop eating chicken that may have been treated with the drug. Michael Taylor, FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods, says the study raised “concerns of a very low but completely avoidable exposure to a carcinogen.” Pfizer said in a statement that its subsidiary, Alpharma, is suspending sales next month in response.
The National Chicken Council, which represents companies that produce and process chickens, said in a statement that the ingredient has been used to maintain good health in chickens for many years, and that it had been used in “many but not all” flocks.
“Chicken is safe to eat,” the group said.
Tags: Chicken may contain (small amounts) of arsenic, it is an avoidable exposure to carcinogen, Pfizer, Pulled off the market in USA, sold in about a dozen other countries