Frozen chicken breasts on sale in leading supermarkets are being pumped up with water and additives that make up nearly a fifth of the meat to the point where consumers are paying about 65p a kilo for water, the Guardian can reveal. It is not illegal to sell chicken with added water so long as it is declared.
The industry argues that the water and additives, phosphates incorporated to stop the water from flooding out during cooking and dextrose, a sugar added to mask the added saltiness of the raw material, make the meat more succulent.
Asda and Aldi packs have 18% added water in their chicken; Iceland and the Valley brand in Sainsbury's have 15% added water. Industry trade literature shows that some companies are marketing poultry pumped with 30% water as a way of cutting costs. Dr Duncan Campbell, a former president of the Association of Public Analysts, said it had become the norm to find levels of water even higher than this. "When we last looked, 40% added water in wholesale frozen chicken breasts was not uncommon. Consumers are being swindled."
The industry argues that the water and additives, phosphates incorporated to stop the water from flooding out during cooking and dextrose, a sugar added to mask the added saltiness of the raw material, make the meat more succulent.
Asda and Aldi packs have 18% added water in their chicken; Iceland and the Valley brand in Sainsbury's have 15% added water. Industry trade literature shows that some companies are marketing poultry pumped with 30% water as a way of cutting costs. Dr Duncan Campbell, a former president of the Association of Public Analysts, said it had become the norm to find levels of water even higher than this. "When we last looked, 40% added water in wholesale frozen chicken breasts was not uncommon. Consumers are being swindled."
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