The Kampung Chicken You Are Eating Might Be Fake
Be careful when you are buying chickens at the wet markets. Poultry farmers are soaking regular chickens in industrial yellow dye to pass it off it as kampung chicken.
By Mei Mei Chu — 24 Sep 2013, 05:26 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
Poultry farmers are allegedly dyeing farm chickens in yellow dye to sell it as "kampung" (free range) chicken
Poultry farmers allegedly soaked farm chickens in yellow dye to pass of as kampung chicken
Image via imgur.comThose who regularly buy chicken would have noticed that some plucked chickens are more yellow in colour than others.
thestar.com.myYour yellow ‘kampung chicken’ could be a fake ‘kampung chicken’. The Veterinarian Department recently received reports of errant poultry traders dying their farm chickens in yellow industrial pigment to pass them off as ‘kampung chicken’.
A poultry trader says operators soak regular chicken in yellow dye and water as Chinese consumers prefer chicken with yellowish skin
A poultry trader says operators soak regular chicken in yellow dye and water as Chinese consumers prefer chicken with yellowish skin
Image via imgur.comA Sin Chew Daily reader who has been a poultry trader for decades claimed that many consumers have mistakenly thought that those chicken with bright yellow skin and flesh were "kampung chicken"
The trader pointed out that some poultry operators actually dyed farm chicken with pigment to change the chicken's appearance and deceive consumers.
He said the chickens, originally pale pink in colour. were dipped into a mixture of yellow dye and water. "The chickens are made to look yellow as many believe the yellow variety tastes better and better for health”.
thestar.com.my"The move was intended to attract customers as the Chinese prefer chickens with yellowish skin while consumers of other racial groups have no such preference," the trader was quoted as saying.
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Selangor/Wilayah Persekutuan Chicken and Duck Traders Association confirms that some traders do practice this tactic
Selangor/Wilayah Persekutuan Chicken and Duck Traders Association confirms that some traders do practice this tactic
Image via imgur.comSelangor/Wilayah Persekutuan Chicken and Duck Traders Association vice-president Yap Chau Hen admitted that they’re some traders who resorted to such tactics.
thestar.com.myHe admitted that a small number of poultry operators indeed dyed chicken with "yellow water" and it usually took place in wet markets offering freshly slaughtered chickens and mostly visited by Chinese consumers.
mysinchew.comThe dye used is an industrial pigment used for colouring leather and wood called Aniline
The dye used is an industrial pigment used for colouring leather and wood called Aniline
Image via imgur.com
The dye used is an industrial pigment used for colouring leather and wood called Aniline
Image via leatherworldtech.comThe Sin Chew Daily had sent the yellow powder suspected to have used by poultry operators to dye chicken for examination and the results indicated that the yellow powder contained 6mg/kg of Aniline.
mysinchew.comTo make the matter worse, some of them were using industrial pigment called "Aniline dye" instead of using the permitted food colouring, a trader told the paper.
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Aniline dye is normally used to colour leather and woodworks.
thestar.com.myAccording to a chemical expert, since fat-soluble dyes instead of water-soluble dyes were used, the colour would not be washed away with water. "Consumers can remove the skin, but Aniline might have penetrated into the flesh with fat," the chemical expert added.
mysinchew.comTraders told Heath and Environment Department that the inconsistent chicken colour was due to the de-feathering process
Traders told Heath and Environment Department that the inconsistent chicken colour was due to the de-feathering process
Image via imgur.comTo see the situation first-hand, Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Health and Environment Department director Dr Chitra Devi N. Vadivellu visited the SS2 market recently.
healthcareasia.orgThe traders told her that some of the farm-bred chickens were dipped in higher temperature boiling water during the de-feathering process, as such the meat is slightly cooked and becomes light yellow in colour.
healthcareasia.org“We will take samples for lab tests and get to the bottom of this matter soon,” she said.
healthcareasia.orgVeterinarian Department says they will investigate these claims
The Veterinarian Department will investigate claims of errant poultry traders resorting to dying their farm chickens with yellow industrial pigment to pass them of as 'kampung chicken'.
thestar.com.myAgriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister says they cannot comment on the issue at the moment
Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yakob said that he would direct his officers to probe the claims, but chose not to comment on the issue at the moment.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs says they can only take action when the allegations are tested and confirmed
In the meantime, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Hasan Malek said the ministry could only act against these chicken traders if tests were being carried out on the affected chickens to confirm the presence of the food dye.
How to differentiate: Kampung chicken is a light, not bright, yellow colour and is smaller in size than the average chicken
How to differentiate: Kampung chicken is a light, not bright, yellow colour and is smaller in size than the average chicken
Image via freebeerforyorky.comAnother problem consumers face is that they are duped into believing that the average sized farm chickens, coloured yellow, are the kampung chicken variety. The lean kampung chicken is naturally light yellow in colour.
thestar.com.my“Some of the chickens are strangely more yellow in the city markets. The kampung chickens sold here are also very big."
thestar.com.my"I grew up in the village and I know for sure that kampung chicken are smaller and their skin a light yellow," a consumer said.
thestar.com.my“Farm-bred chicken is priced at RM8.50per kg while plucked kampung chicken is RM12.50 per kg.
thestar.com.myIn the past chickens were fed more corn but not any more. The chicken feed now consists of only 30% corn, and is mixed with grains and soy. “That is why the chickens skin is no longer yellow in colour”.
thestar.com.myRead also: Other fake foods to be wary of
Police in Xi'an reported that they had found and seized more than 22 tons of fake beef made of pork at a local factory. [CLICK FOR FULL STORY]
bit.ly
The incident tells the story of pet cats which were stolen and then turned into fake mutton by a man looking to make a quick buck. [CLICK FOR FULL STORY]
bit.ly
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