Yesterday afternoon I had the chance to watch episode 2 of Hugh’s Chicken Run, which is a BBC show that features Britain’s own Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall (of River Cottage fame) exposing the realities of commercial chicken production.
I intended to write about this yesterday, when I could still feel the fire of indignation in my belly, but the more retarded of our 3 cats chewed through the power cord on my laptop charger, thus leaving me without access to the interwebs. My ranting has likely grown a little more subdued than it would have been immediately following the show, but it still raised questions nonetheless.
In the second episode, Hugh takes a group of people he’s convinced to raise chickens on a tour of a poultry-rearing facility that he’s constructed as a small-scale model of the difference between conventional and free range birds. He fills half of the giant shed with 1,600 chicks destined to have a relatively charmed existence, while the remaining 2,400 or so( of the 4,000 birds he starts with) are crammed into the same size shelter on the other side of the barn.
The free range birds obviously have a little more space because there are less of them on their side of the shed, but they also get perks like bales of hay to roost on, balls to play with, CDs to peck at and access to the great outdoors. What might seem like small concessions make a world of difference to these birds, as is evidenced by the flock of perky, upwardly mobile chickens pecking and scratching around.
By contrast, the conventional birds were much more cramped in their space, and had no “toys” to play with at all. After several weeks they could barely walk, having eaten so much (during the 23 hours a day they’re encouraged to eat) that the poor birds had grown faster than their legs could support. The carpet of bird shit was so heavy that apparently the barn stank of ammonia and many chickens were getting “hot spots” on their legs and feet (which is a pleasant way of saying they were being burned by the chemical reactions of so much shit coming into contact with their extremities). Having so many birds confined to such a tiny area also increases the chance of illness infesting a flock, so any time a sick or slow bird was found, it had to be removed.
On top of that, Fearnley Whittingstall discusses how he has to cull many chicks because they are smaller than the rest and won’t make “market weight” at the same time. Because this unfortunately represents no profit, they must be dispatched. Throughout the show you can see him becoming increasingly shaken with each cull, but on the conventional side, birds are only given 5 to 6 weeks to live and one cannot risk the safety of the flock with ideals.
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Tags: Food Inc., Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Hugh's Chicken Run, Jamie Oliver, Jamie's Fowl Dinners, rantings, River Cottage
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I think it goes without saying that Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser and Mrs. Obama are some of my heroes.
I also can’t forget the guys behind King Corn, who have a new documentary coming out this winter called Truck Farm, that deals with their quest to grow a market garden in the confines of the flatbed of a pickup truck. It’s such a stupidly funny concept that it’s got me wondering why I didn’t think of that. But to my credit, I am growing most of my food in ugly kiddie pools.
All of these ongoing efforts to bring the campaign for healthy, local, sustainable food to North America are admirable in their dedication, and are definitely not going unnoticed. More than ever people are taking an interest, whether by reading labels, shopping at farm stands or just growing their own food at home. We’re witnessing a pivotal moment that could shape the way that food is mass-produced for the children of tomorrow.
However, a few recent articles have put me on to two other people whose goals I admire. Over at NY Times, you can read about Will Allen, a former professional basketball player who is now putting his talents to use by growing crops and feeding people in urban food ghettos. The man’s charisma literally oozes off the page, with an aw-shucks kind of quality to everything he says. Not only is he changing the world, but he’s humble about it, too.
Building on the concept of aquaculture, there was an article about this guy in the Globe and Mail about two weeks ago. I’m not a huge fan of most cooked fish though I adore sushi, and I would never have a use for one of these setups, but nonetheless, I think what he’s doing is amazing. It’s that kind of fringe thinking that makes me optimistic that our global community can find a path to sustainability.
And then there’s Jamie Oliver; during the last 2 months The Food Network has been airing a whole slew of his programs geared toward food awareness. First there was Jamie’s Ministry Of Food, which focused on teaching a town in England to cook. It was so popular that it’s been picked up for a US version that will feature Ryan Seacrest (ugh!) Then there was the kitschy, slightly game show-esque Jamie’s Eat To Save Your Life, in which the charming Oliver gets all bedecked in a ridiculous looking suit and perambulates around the stage, informing 18 Brits about the many ways that their terrible eating habits are quietly killing them. Using shock and horror to poignant effect, one segment shows a woman sitting in a bathtub filled with all the fat she would consume in 5 years at the rate she was going. The next one hour episode in the series, Jamie’s Fowl Dinners shows a room full of guests excited to have a dinner cooked by Oliver being educated on the vast differences between free range and battery farm chickens instead. Jamie even manages to get an interview and inside look at one of these battery farmhouses, which is more than could be said for the guys behind Food Inc. It’s seriously disturbing, from the way the coops are extremely overcrowded, to the fact that most of the chickens can barely walk, right down to the end of the show where Oliver learns and demonstrates how to humanely dispatch a chicken. It’s not something you’d necessarily want to see, but if you’re going to eat meat, you should be able to stomach how it happens. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also got an episode on pork (yet to air in Canada) cheekily named Jamie Saves Your Bacon. I suppose if anyone can do it, Jamie probably can, although even I will admit that after a while some of the shock-rockery of his schtick gets a little bit old.
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Tags: documentary, Eric Schlosser, food, Food Inc., Jamie Oliver, Jamie Saves Your Bacon, Jamie's Eat To Save Your Life, Jamie's Fowl Dinners, Jamie's Ministry Of Food, King Corn, Michael Pollan, Michelle Obama, NY Times, rantings, Truck Farm, Will Allen
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